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• abulia •

Pronunciation: ê-bu-lyê • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun, mass (no plural)

Meaning: A mental disorder characterized by a loss will or the ability to act decisively.

Notes: The adjective is abulic and the adverb, abulically. A person suffering from this dysfunction is an abulic. The British prefer spelling today's word aboulia, keeping the original Greek stem intact (see Word History).

In Play: Medical abulia usually results from physical brain damage; however, today's Good Word has applications far beyond the hospital parking lot. My own informal research shows that shopping triggers abulia in some women and chocolate often has the same effect on members of both sexes. Few of us have escaped the effect of this affliction: "Mick Stupp completely succumbs to abulia when it comes to buying sports cars."

Word History: Today's Good Word comes from Greek aboulia "indecision", made up of a- "no" + boule "will-power." Boule is related to the Greek verbs ballein "to throw" and ballizein "to dance", the root of which also shows up in English ball (the dance someone throws) and ballet. The original Proto-Indo-European root was *gwel-, which came to English as quell via Old English cwellan "to kill, destroy". In fact, kill itself emerged from the same root. (Now, let's decisively thank Curtis Simple for suggesting today's Good Word and hope he will not lose the will to provide more like it.)

My own informal research shows that shopping triggers abulia in some women and chocolate often has the same effect on members of both sexes.

Dr. Goodword, perhaps you are informally researching the wrong people? Abulia is easily avoided when shopping: just make a list before setting out. In a listless emergency, however, buy all the colors that shoe comes in!

And as for chocolate, where is the problem? I should think that a fine truffle enhances both the will and the ability to act decisively. One must! or the truffle will be lost to someone trying to self-medicate after missing a big score in the shoe department.

-gailr

"Mick Stupp is a completely succumbs to abulia when it comes to buying sports cars."

Your sentence structure had me reading twice. Typo?

I prefer the British spelling as well. Without the 'o' I am initially inclined to pronounce it [byoo]. And it's already there in the Greek. I don't understand why some spellings are changed.

-Tim

I shop with friends who love to shop, I don't care much for shopping, but I love buying. I have no abulia, I see, I grab, I pay for, and take it home to enjoy the de-bagging of.

mark