- Today's Word
Jabberwocky
[JAB-er-wok-ee]
Definition
- (noun) Nonsensical language or meaningless speech. It’s often used to describe writing or speech that sounds impressive or important but actually has little or no meaning.
Example
The politician’s speech was full of jabberwocky, using big words and complex phrases that sounded important but ultimately said nothing of substance.
Fun Fact
“Jabberwocky” comes from Lewis Carroll’s 1871 novel “Through the Looking-Glass.” It’s the title of a nonsense poem that begins “Twas brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe.” Many of the words in the poem are inventions, demonstrating Carroll’s skill at creating words that sound meaningful but have no actual definition.
(adjective) Apt in the circumstances or in relation to something; strikingly appropriate and relevant
Her apposite analogy cut through the confusion instantly, giving the entire team a framework they could actually use.
Apposite derives from the Latin appositus, the past participle of apponere — from ad (“to”) + ponere (“to put”). The literal sense is “put to” or “placed next to,” suggesting something fitted precisely alongside something else. It entered English in the 17th century as a term for language or argument that fits its context with particular exactness.