The Words of the Week - June 28
Dictionary lookups from social media, politics, and Oklahoma
‘Hawk’
Hawk had an unanticipated spike in lookups last week, after the word was featured prominently in a viral video.
Why Is Everybody Talking About the Hawk Tuah Girl?
— (headline) Rolling Stone, 25 June 2024
The sense of hawk employed here is one that we define as “to forcefully spit out (something, such as phlegm).” The word is of imitative origin, meaning it resembles a sound (of throat clearing, in this case). Any resemblance to the avian hawk is coincidental. Hawk (the spitting kind) has a variant, which is hock; both hawk and hock are considered informal when used to refer to the act of expectorating.
‘Congestion’
The recent pause on a congestion pricing program in New York City, and the subsequent coverage of traffic issues in that city, has caused the number of lookups for congestion to increase of late.
NYC Has the World’s Worst Traffic Congestion, Costing $9 Billion
— (headline) Bloomberg, 25 June 2024
The type of congestion referred to here is “a condition of overcrowding.” It has recently been found referring mostly to traffic, but also sees frequent application in describing accumulations of bodily fluids such as mucus. Congestion (and congest) comes from the Latin congerere, meaning “to bring together.”
‘Incumbent’
A number of states held primary elections last Tuesday, and, as often happens in such cases, the word incumbent was found in many news stories.
George Latimer wins NY-16 primary, CBS News projects, beating incumbent Jamaal Bowman
— (headline) CBS News, 26 June 2024
An incumbent is “a person who holds a particular office or position.” When incumbent was first used in English in the 15th century, it referred to someone who occupied a benefice—a paid position in a church. This was often a lifetime appointment; the person could only be forced to leave the office in the case of certain specific legal conflicts. If you think that there is an etymological connection between incumbent and recumbent (“lying down”), you are correct. Both words come from the Latin cumbere (“to lie down”).
‘Touchstone’
The state superintendent of Oklahoma, Ryan Walters, last week instructed schools to include the Bible in classroom lessons. A memo by Walters referred to the Bible as a touchstone.
The superintendent, Ryan Walters, who is a Republican, described the Bible as an “indispensable historical and cultural touchstone” and said it must be taught in certain grade levels.
— Sarah Mervosh, The New York Times, 27 June 2024
The sense of touchstone most often used today is one that we define as “a fundamental or quintessential part or feature.” The word has a quite literal origin: when touchstone first began to be used (about 1530), it referred to a black siliceous stone that was used to test the purity of gold and silver. Rubbing either metal on it would leave a streak on the touchstone.
Words Worth Knowing: ‘Makebate’
Our word worth knowing this week is makebate: “one that excites contention and quarrels.” The word itself is considered archaic, but the thing it describes, sadly enough, is all too current. Everyone knows a makebate or two, and now you know what to call them.
