This week’s theme
Words that have changed

This week’s words
ludicrous
jaunty
hipster
decarbonize
surly

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(HIP-stuhr)

MEANING:

noun: One whose interests in clothing, music, etc., tend to be outside the mainstream, especially in a self-conscious way.

ETYMOLOGY:

Of uncertain origin, perhaps from hep (up-to-date). Earliest documented use: 1920.

NOTES:

Formerly the word meant a person who carries a hip flask. Also, the word has been used as a synonym for hiphugger, an article of clothing that sits on the hips instead of the waist. The body part is clearly visible in all those senses, but the current sense of the word is apparently from the slang hep (aware or up-to-date).

USAGE:

“A jaunty guest, some type of hipster, saunters up and speaks.”
Ben Will; Smacking Lips; Booktango; 2013.

See more usage examples of hipster in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: