Sedition

Use this forum to discuss past Good Words.
User avatar
Dr. Goodword
Site Admin
Posts: 7407
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 9:28 am
Location: Lewisburg, PA
Contact:

Sedition

Postby Dr. Goodword » Sat Sep 18, 2021 9:22 pm

• sedition •


Pronunciation: sê-di-shên • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun, mass

Meaning: 1. Rebellion, attempting to provoke a riot, especially to overthrow a government or authority. 2. Speech intended to incite to rebellion.

Notes: Apparently sedition has been a popular activity in the history of English-speaking people, for this Good Word comes replete with a rich array of related words. The adjective, seditious, describes the inclinations of people who tend to foment rebellion; you can also be seditionary. This latter word may further be used as a noun to refer to such people: 'she is a seditionary', but then 'she is also a seditionist'. Seditiousness is the proclivity that gave rise to all these words, which suggests that it is a proclivity high on our minds over the years.

In Play: Among the most famous seditionists of all time were, of course, the Founding Fathers of the United States. The Boston Tea Party was a grand act of sedition. The point is, whether sedition is good or bad depends on your perspective. Czar Nicholas II of Russia did not like sailing on the sea of sedition in Russia at the turn of the 20th century; V. I. Lenin thought it just the medicine Russia needed.

Word History: Today's Good Word is another we borrowed from Old French and forgot to return. French inherited it from Latin seditio(n) "mutiny, civil discord", which comprises sed- "apart, on one's own" + itio(n) "going", a noun from itus, the past participle of ire "to go". The root sed- goes back to Proto-Indo-European swe-, which also underlies English self and Hindi swami "one's own master, person due respect". There is evidence of its presence in solo, too. The political arm of the Irish Republican Army is called Sinn Fein, which means "we ourselves" in Irish. Fein comes from the same root with a suffix -n and centuries of lingual tinkering.
• The Good Dr. Goodword

User avatar
Slava
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 8013
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:31 am
Location: Finger Lakes, NY

Re: Sedition

Postby Slava » Sat Aug 19, 2023 8:10 pm

What with all the indictments flying around, this one's staying popular in the news cycles.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.


Return to “Good Word Discussion”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 18 guests