- Today's Word
Doppelganger
[DOP-uhl-gang-er]
Definition
- (noun) A look-alike or double of a living person, often portrayed as a ghostly or paranormal phenomenon. In modern usage, it can simply refer to someone who closely resembles another person, either in appearance or behavior.
Example
At the party, Sarah was shocked to meet her doppelganger – a woman who looked so much like her that even their friends had trouble telling them apart.
Fun Fact
The term “doppelganger” comes from German, literally meaning “double walker.” It entered popular culture in the 19th century through Gothic literature, where doppelgangers were often portrayed as sinister or uncanny beings. In some traditions, seeing one’s own doppelganger was considered an omen of bad luck or even death. Today, the concept of doppelgangers remains popular in literature, film, and television, often used as a plot device to explore themes of identity and the uncanny. In everyday usage, it’s lost much of its supernatural connotation and is often used playfully to describe people who bear a striking resemblance to each other.
(adjective) Failing to act or resist; passive and yielding, especially when action is urgently needed.
The board’s supine response to the mounting crisis — endless meetings, no decisions, no accountability — allowed a manageable problem to become a catastrophic one.
Supine derives from the Latin supinus, meaning “lying face upward” or “thrown backward,” rooted in the same base as sub- (“under”). It entered English in the 15th century with both its literal meaning — lying flat on one’s back — and its figurative sense of moral or intellectual passivity. The physical image is the etymology: a person flat on their back, facing the sky, unable or unwilling to rise and meet what’s coming.