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Word of the day

iatrogenic

[ ahy-a-truh-jen-ik, ee-a- ] [ aɪˌæ trəˈdʒɛn ɪk, iˌæ- ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

adjective

caused by the diagnosis, manner, or treatment of a physician.

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More about iatrogenic

Iatrogenic “caused by the treatment of a physician” is a compound based on the Ancient Greek-origin combining forms iatro- “doctor, healer, medicine” and -genic “producing or causing.” Iatro- comes from Ancient Greek iātrós “healer,” from iâsthai “to heal,” which is also the source of geriatric, pediatrician, psychiatry, and the name Jason. The element -genic comes from Ancient Greek -genēs “born, produced,” which is also the source of cosmogenic, hallucinogenic, and the name Eugene. Iatrogenic was first recorded in English in the early 1920s.

how is iatrogenic used?

Sometime[s] these iatrogenic injuries are accidental. But sometimes, because of the limits of medical technology, they can be inevitable. Now, a medical researcher in Seattle thinks he has a way to eliminate some of the inevitable ones.

Joe Palca, “Why Painting Tumors Could Make Brain Surgeons Better,” NPR, September 12, 2013
[W]e also work 12-hour shifts and, ultimately, we are grateful, knowing that even the most experienced RN can make medical mistakes. Our mistakes can have catastrophic consequences: Iatrogenic (health professional-induced) mistakes are the third leading cause of death in America by some measures.

Tawny Buettner, “Nurse: Despite coronavirus pandemic, hospital patients need their loved ones at their side,” USA Today, July 17, 2020
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Word of the day

yé-yé

[ ye-ye ] [ ˈyɛˈyɛ ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of the rock-'n'-roll music, fashions, entertainment, etc., of the 1960s, especially in France.

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More about yé-yé

Yé-yé “of the French rock-’n’-roll culture of the 1960s” is a borrowing from French that, in turn, is adapted from English yeah-yeah. Yeah is a variant of either yea or yes; yea (pronounced as “yey”) comes from Old English gēa “so,” while yes is a compound of gēa and Old English “be it.” A similar shift in meaning happened in some Romance languages, with Latin sīc “so” becoming Portuguese sim and Spanish “yes.” The process of a borrowed word getting borrowed back into its language of origin is called reborrowing, and another well-known example is how English animation was adapted in Japanese as anime, which was itself borrowed back into English as anime. Yé-yé was first recorded in English in the early 1960s.

how is yé-yé used?

While other French singers from Hardy’s Yé-yé generation were a flash in the pan, she has endured because she was different, Jean-Pierre Pasqualini says.

Eleanor Beardsley, “Françoise Hardy Remains France's National Treasure,” NPR, September 12, 2018

“I was really inspired by ’60s girl groups,” [Charli XCX] says. “Especially yé-yé pop from France, like Brigitte Bardot and Sylvie Vartan.”

Daniel Dumas, “Charli XCX Might Be the Next Big Thing in Pop,” Wall Street Journal, December 4, 2014
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Word of the day

veracious

[ vuh-rey-shuhs ] [ vəˈreɪ ʃəs ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

adjective

characterized by truthfulness; true, accurate, or honest in content.

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More about veracious

Veracious “characterized by truthfulness” is based on the noun veracity “truthfulness,” combined with the adjective-forming suffix -ous. Veracity comes from Latin vērāx “truthful,” a derivative of vērus, of the same meaning. As we learned from the recent Word of the Day aver, Latin vērus is a distant relative of Old English wǣr “faith, covenant,” the source of warlock, which meant “oathbreaker” once upon a time. Another derivative of vērus is Old French voir (modern French vrai) “true,” as in voir dire (literally “to say truly”), a type of oath in which the voir element is often mistakenly believed to come from modern French voir “to see.” Be careful not to confuse veracious with voracious “craving large amounts of food,” from Latin vorāx “gluttonous.” Veracious was first recorded in the 1670s.

how is veracious used?

In the summer of 1854, Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins created the world’s first sculptures of dinosaurs for an exhibition at London’s Crystal Palace Park …. One newspaperman described the megalosaurus, the greatest of the “antediluvian monsters,” as a scaly dragon with the “head of a gryphon” and an “eye as big as a cheese-cake.” “These are the creatures,” he wrote, “that prove fairy tales to be more veracious than ancient history.”

Rachel Poser, “Creating a Lost World, From the Fossils Out,” New York Times, December 1, 2017

Accuracy activists have more ways than ever to shine a veracious light on the scourge of misinformation. At the same time, digital platforms provide more efficient vectors than ever for falsehoods to spread. It’s the fact-checkers’ paradox: even as they gain new powers to hold politicians accountable, lies are more persistent than ever.

Marcus Wohlsen, “2016 Could Be Fact-Checking’s Finest Year—If Anyone Listens,” Wired, September 13, 2016
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