The Words of the Week - Mar. 17

‘Vital’

Vital was looked up quite a bit last week, after the governor of Florida pushed the word into the headlines by asserting that “becoming further entangled” in helping Ukraine defend against a Russian invasion was not among our vital national interests.

DeSantis saying Ukraine support is not ‘vital’ national interest sparks backlash in GOP
— (headline) CNN, 15 Mar. 2023

We define this sense of vital as “of the utmost importance.” The word can be traced to the Latin vita, meaning “life.” Many of the senses of vital relate to life, or suggest something that is necessary to a thing's continued existence or operation: “concerned with or necessary to the maintenance of life” (as in “vital organs”), “characteristic of life or living beings” (as in “vital energies”), and “recording data relating to lives” (as in “vital records”).

‘Panic’

Panic was another five-letter word that trended sharply in lookups from current events, this time from recent turmoil in the banking industry.

Saudi National Bank says panic over Credit Suisse is ‘unwarranted’
— (headline) CNBC, 16 Mar. 2023

Panic has a number of meanings that relate to fright or terror. The one most applicable to recent banking events is the one we define as “a sudden widespread fright concerning financial affairs that results in a depression of values caused by extreme measures for protection of property (such as securities).” Additional senses include “a sudden overpowering fright,” and “a sudden unreasoning terror often accompanied by mass flight.”

Panic derives from the Greek panikos, meaning literally “of Pan.” Pan is the pipe-playing, nymph-chasing Greek god of fertility, pastures, flocks, and shepherds. He also has a rather dark side—his shout is said to have instilled fear in the giants fighting the gods, and the Greeks believed him responsible for causing the Persians to flee in terror at the battle of Marathon. Panic entered our language first as an adjective suggesting the mental or emotional state that Pan was said to induce.

‘Mifepristone’

Mifepristone was also much in the news, as a federal district judge in Texas heard arguments in a case which could cause the drug to be rendered inaccessible.

The judge, Matthew J. Kacsmaryk of the Northern District of Texas, said he would decide as soon as possible whether to issue a preliminary injunction that could, at least temporarily, take the pill, mifepristone, off the market.
— Pam Belluck & Allison McCann, The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2023

We define mifepristone as “a drug C29H35NO2 taken orally to induce abortion especially early in pregnancy by blocking the body's use of progesterone.” It is also referred to as RU-486.

The origin of mifepristone is not entirely clear, but it perhaps comes from the International Scientific Vocabulary amino + fe- (alteration of phen-) + pri- (alteration of prop-) + estradiol + -one. The word has been in use since 1985.

‘Ides’

Each year, without fail, we see certain signs of Spring: a massive snowstorm that disrupts travel, greenery pullulating in gardens and forests, and innumerable journalists working “Ides of March” into headlines.

The Ides of March: Dow Resumes Selloff
— (headline) Nasdaq.com, 15 Mar. 2023

Ides can occur in many other months: we define the word as “the 15th day of March, May, July, or October or the 13th day of any other month in the ancient Roman calendar,” and note that it also has the broad meaning of “this day and the seven days preceding it.” Julius Caesar was assassinated on March 15th, leading to the oft-heard warning of this particular ides; we rarely, if ever, see admonitions to “beware the ides of October.”

Words Worth Knowing: ‘Politicaster’

This week’s word worth knowing is politicaster, defined as “a petty or contemptible politician.” Please note that this is a bipartisan insult: you may apply it to members of any party you like.