- Today's Word
Zeitgeist
[TSAYT-gayst]
Definition
- (noun) The general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era. It represents the defining spirit or mood of a particular period in history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.
Example
The rise of social media and smartphones has significantly shaped the zeitgeist of the early 21st century, influencing how people communicate and consume information.
Fun Fact
The word “zeitgeist” comes from German, where “zeit” means “time” and “geist” means “spirit” or “ghost.” It was introduced into English in the mid-19th century. The concept of zeitgeist was particularly important in the philosophy of Hegel, who believed that a universal spirit pervades human history and manifests itself in the zeitgeist of a given era. Today, the term is widely used in discussions of cultural trends, social movements, and historical analysis to capture the essence of what makes a particular time period unique or distinctive.
(verb) To criticize someone or something severely and publicly, often with harsh or scathing language.
The columnist excoriated the company’s leadership for ignoring repeated safety warnings.
Excoriate comes from the Latin excoriare, meaning “to strip off the skin,” from ex- (“off”) and corium (“hide” or “skin”). While the word originally described physical abrasion, its meaning shifted metaphorically over time to describe verbal attacks so harsh they feel skin-deep, leaving nothing protected.