Wednesday, June 04, 2014

Misogyny's meaning is fairly clear.

There's no place for it, in any event. Etymology speaks clearly in this instance, and it seems obvious that bias grows where hatred already fertilizes. However, it is a joyful development when we discuss what words meaning, because words have meaning ... and ideas matter, even in Truck Through City.

online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20140530-711175.html">Misogyny: Does It Mean Hate or Bias?, by Ben Zimmer (WSJ)

... Those who looked up "misogyny" in Merriam-Webster's online dictionary would find a terse definition: "a hatred of women." Etymologically speaking, that is right on the money, as the word combines the Greek root for "woman" with the prefix "miso-" meaning "hatred" (also found in "misandry," a hatred of men, and "misanthropy," a hatred of humankind).

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