- Today's Word
Truncate
TRUN-kayt
Definition
- (verb) To shorten something by cutting off a part, especially at the end.
Example
The article had to be truncated to fit within the magazine’s word limit.
Fun Fact
“Truncate” comes from the Latin truncare, meaning “to cut off.” The concept appears in various fields, from botany (truncated leaves) to mathematics (truncated numbers). Digital systems often truncate text when displaying character limits, a feature familiar to anyone who’s seen a message cut off on social media.
(noun) A profound transformation of mind and character; a fundamental change in one’s values, outlook, or way of life.
The diagnosis wasn’t a death sentence — for her it was a metanoia, a complete reorientation of everything she had previously decided mattered.
Metanoia derives from the Greek metanoia, meaning “change of mind,” built from meta- (“beyond” or “after”) and nous (“mind”). In classical Greek philosophy it described a shift in perspective so fundamental it altered the entire orientation of a person’s thinking. In early Christian theology it acquired the specific meaning of repentance — not merely feeling sorry but undergoing a complete transformation of character. Both meanings persist in modern usage, the secular and the spiritual versions of the word describing the same essential experience from different angles.