verbicide

American  

[vur-buh-sahyd] / ˈvɜr bəˌsaɪd /

noun

1. the willful distortion or depreciation of the original meaning of a word.

2. a person who willfully distorts the meaning of a word.

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Etymology

Origin of verbicide

First recorded in 1855–60; from Latin verb(um) “word” + -i- + -cide

Explanation

If someone you're talking with accuses you of verbicide, they mean that you've completely and intentionally twisted the meaning of a word. People may do this to mislead others, justify their behavior, or win an argument. Some would also say that awesome, as in "That place sells awesome burgers," is an example of verbicide, since the word has been so overused that it has lost its true meaning and has nothing to do with awe anymore. But nobody "killed" or changed the meaning on purpose to mislead people — it just happened over time. Verbicide literally means "word killing," from Latin verbum, "word," plus -cide, "killing." Homicide and herbicide are other words ending in -cide.

Example Sentences

In rambling Senate speeches, he quotes the Bible, Jefferson and Kipling; he opposes most civil rights bills and accuses the Supreme Court of killing the Constitution's meaning by "verbicide."

From Time Magazine Archive