This week’s theme
Words borrowed (adopted) from other languages

This week’s words
cordillera
bondieuserie
pareidolia
akratic
satyagraha


This week’s comments
AWADmail 893

Next week’s theme
Words from space travel

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(suh-TYAH-gruh-uh, sut-YAH-gru-ha)

MEANING:

noun: The policy of passive nonviolent resistance as a protest against injustice.

ETYMOLOGY:

Coined by Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) in India’s freedom struggle, from Sanskrit satyagraha, from satyam (truth) + agraha (determination, insistence), ultimately from the Indo-European root ghrebh- (to seize or reach), which also gave us grasp and grab. Earliest documented use: 1920.

USAGE:

“Colin Kaepernick is an NFL pariah. His stand for social justice by taking a knee during the national anthem last season as a member of the San Francisco 49ers has left him sitting on his couch as NFL training camps commence this week.
“His sideline satyagraha, designed to bring attention to civil rights violations and disparities in treatment from law enforcement in this country, makes him unemployable in a league that frowns upon individuality, and values compliance and conformity from its players.”
Christopher L. Gasper; Kaepernick Saga Cuts Against the Grain; Boston Globe (Massachusetts); Jul 23, 2017.

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

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: