- Today's Word
Temperance
[TEM-per-uns]
Definition
- (noun) Moderation in action, thought, or feeling; especially regarding self-restraint in behavior or expression. As a noun, it refers to practicing moderation and self-control, particularly in relation to alcohol consumption or physical pleasures.
Example
The ancient philosophers believed that temperance was one of the cardinal virtues, essential for living a balanced and meaningful life.
Fun Fact
The word “temperance” comes from the Latin “temperantia,” meaning “moderation” or “self-control,” and was originally one of the four cardinal virtues in ancient Greek philosophy. While the word initially represented general self-restraint, it became strongly associated with the anti-alcohol movement in 19th-century America. The Temperance Movement gained such momentum that it led to Prohibition in 1920, making the word synonymous with complete abstinence from alcohol rather than its original meaning of moderation. This shift in meaning illustrates how social movements can dramatically change a word’s primary association over time.
(adjective) Excessively eager to please or obey; fawning and submissive to the point of being insincere.
The new intern was so obsequious — laughing at every joke, volunteering for every errand, agreeing with every opinion — that even the managers who enjoyed the flattery found it unsettling.
Obsequious derives from the Latin obsequiosus, meaning “compliant” or “accommodating,” rooted in obsequium, meaning “compliance” or “dutiful service,” from obsequi — “to follow after” or “to comply with.” It entered English in the 15th century originally without negative connotation, simply describing dutiful service. By the 17th century, writers began using it specifically to describe excessive, servile flattery — and the negative undertone has stuck ever since.