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Word of the Day

Word of the day

decision fatigue

[ dih-sizh-uhn fuh-teeg ] [ dɪˈsɪʒ ən fəˌtig ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

noun

mental and emotional exhaustion resulting from excessive or relentless decision-making.

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Why Dictionary.com chose decision fatigue

More about decision fatigue

  • Decision fatigue was first recorded in the early 2000s and was first used in the fields of psychology and psychiatry.
  • The concept is based on the mental and emotional fatigue caused by making on average over 35,000 decisions a day.
  • Decision was first recorded in 1425–75 and ultimately comes from the Latin word dēcīsiōn-, which is a stem of dēcīsiō, “a cutting off.”
  • Fatigue was first recorded in 1685–95 and comes from the French verb fatiguer, from Latin fatīgāre “to tire.”

EXAMPLES OF DECISION FATIGUE

  • After a long and busy day at work, I experienced decision fatigue and found it difficult to choose what to have for dinner.
  • The constant bombardment of options and choices in today’s society can lead to decision fatigue, leaving individuals feeling mentally drained.
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Word of the day

gastrodiplomacy

[ gas-troh-di-ploh-muh-see ] [ ˌgæs troʊ dɪˈploʊ mə si ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

noun

the strategic promotion of a nation's cuisine to build diplomatic connections and favorable public relations for that nation.

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Why Dictionary.com chose gastrodiplomacy

More about gastrodiplomacy

  • Gastrodiplomacy was first recorded in the early 2000s.
  • Gastrodiplomacy is a combination of the Greek form gastro, meaning “stomach,” and diplomacy, “the conduct by government officials of negotiations and other relations between nations.”
  • Diplomacy ultimately comes via French from the Latin word diplōmat-, which is the stem of diplōma, “an official document; a letter of recommendation.”
  • Diploma comes from the Greek word, diplōma, meaning “a letter folded double.”

EXAMPLES OF GASTRODIPLOMACY

  • The new president felt that an investment in gastrodiplomacy, such as hosting international food festivals, would successfully strengthen diplomatic ties with various countries.
  • By leveraging gastrodiplomacy, the country was able to promote its unique gastronomy through collaborations with renowned chefs and the establishment of culinary training programs.
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Word of the day

aole

[ ah-oh-ley ] [ ɑˈoʊ leɪ ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

adverb

no; not at all.

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Why Dictionary.com chose aole

More about aole

  • Aole comes from the Hawaiian interjectionʿaʿole, which can mean “no, not, never; to be none, to have none.”
  • ʿAʿole takes on various forms in Hawaiian, such as aʿohe, ʿole, and aʿoe, in order to be harmonious with the surrounding sounds.
  • The phrase, “aʿole e ʿole” is one of the strongest ways in Hawaiian to say that something exists or must be true, translating as “it cannot be otherwise.”

EXAMPLES OF AOLE

  • When asked if he’d ever been to Hilo, he responded sadly, “Aole, never.”
  • Do we want to wait in line? Aole! Certainly not!
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