Delinquent

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Dr. Goodword
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Delinquent

Postby Dr. Goodword » Sun Aug 07, 2022 7:17 pm

• delinquent •


Pronunciation: dê-ling-kwênt • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective, noun

Meaning: 1. Neglectful of duty, law, or other code of conduct, like school attendance. 2. Committing minor crimes, antisocial. 3. Overdue in payment, as 'a delinquent account'. 4. (Noun) Someone who commits minor crimes as a youth, as 'juvenile delinquent'.

Notes: Delinquency (the noun) is most often associated with young people and the misdemeanor crimes and other minor violations they tend to commit. The verb was delinquish, which meant until the 17th century "to fail in a duty or obligation". Now that verb is a synonym of relinquish "to surrender (something), give up".

In Play: Sometimes delinquent can refer to minor crimes; other times it refers to misbehavior just short of criminal activity: "The congressman under investigation was delinquent and could not be found." Of course, regular payments and accounts may be delinquent: "The president ordered six months delay in rental payments in order to prevent them being declared delinquent."

Word History: This word was copied from Latin delinquen(t)s "failing, transgressing", the present participle of delinquere "to fail, fall short; do wrong, transgress," from de "down (from), off" + linquere "to leave, forsake, depart from", from a nasalized version (containing a Fickle N) of PIE leikw-/loikw- "to leave". The preposition de is a reflex of PIE de/do "to(ward), which turned up in Russian as do "(up) to, English to, German zu "to", and the ancient Greek suffix -de "-ward", as in domonde "homeward", from domon, accusative of domos "home" + -de. Leikw-/loikw- underlies Greek leipein "to let, abandon", Irish ligean "to let (go)", Icelandic leigja "to let, rent (out)", Lithuanian leisti "to let, allow", Latvian ļaut "to let", French laisser "to let", German lassen "to let" and, of course, English let. (Now let's turn our gratitude yet again to Tomasz Kowaltowski, professor emeritus, University of Campinas, Brazil, for not being delinquent, but building his reputation here by suggesting today's complex Good Word.)
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Slava
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Re: Delinquent

Postby Slava » Sun Aug 07, 2022 7:42 pm

For snobbery in a late Spring, try this, "Ah, yes, the vernal deliquescence is a tad delinquent this year."
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Re: Delinquent

Postby tkowal » Mon Aug 08, 2022 3:50 am

I thank the Good Doctor but I would like to set the record straight. Brazilian universities use the title professor emeritus as an official tribute to their faculty members who had outstanding academic careers. I am just a retired professor. ;-)

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Re: Delinquent

Postby Debbymoge » Mon Aug 08, 2022 12:15 pm

Dr. Kowaltowski,
The Good Doctor is offering just compensation for an unfortunate omission on the part of the University.
Your value shines through your submissions.
I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.
Shakespear

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Slava
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Re: Delinquent

Postby Slava » Mon Aug 08, 2022 12:52 pm

I'd say this makes 'emeritus/a/i' a good Good Word suggestion. Here in this chunk of North America, emeritus seems mostly to mean retired but still allowed to use the title of what it was from which you retired. Brasil, to use the spelling on their stamps, rather puts the emphasis on the status achieved before retiring. What other cultures out there use Latin praise and honorifics?
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

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Re: Delinquent

Postby Dr. Goodword » Mon Aug 08, 2022 7:43 pm

I vaguely recall investigating emeritus. Maybe it was back at yourDictionary.com. Anyway, it's now on this list.
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tkowal
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Re: Delinquent

Postby tkowal » Wed Aug 10, 2022 5:47 am

Thank you Debbymoge for your kind words!


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