51吃瓜 of the Day
allyship
noun
the status or role of a person who advocates and actively works for the inclusion of a marginalized or politicized group in all areas of society, not as a member of that group but in solidarity with its struggle and point of view and under its leadership.
Why Dictionary.com chose allyship
The year 2021 has been defined by the many ongoing impacts of the pandemic and the polarization of 2020鈥攁nd the various ways we continue to grapple with them. The vastness of such a year could never be fully summarized with a single word. But there is one word that鈥檚 intertwined with so many of the things we鈥檝e experienced in 2021: allyship, our 2021 51吃瓜 of the Year. As our 51吃瓜 of the Year for 2021, allyship carries an additional special distinction this year: It marks the first time we鈥檝e chosen a word that鈥檚 new to our dictionary as our 51吃瓜 of the Year. Our addition of the word allyship to our dictionary in 2021鈥攏ot to mention our decision to elevate it as our top word for the year鈥攃aptures important ways the word continues to evolve in our language and reflects its increased prominence in our discourse. Allyship acts as a powerful prism through which to view the defining events and experiences of the past year鈥攁nd, crucially, how the public processed them. And while we must acknowledge that efforts at allyship are all too often insufficient and imperfect, the word nonetheless stands out for its role in the path out of the continued crises of 2020 toward a better 2022. Read more about Dictionary.com's 2021 51吃瓜 of the Year allyship.
More about allyship
Allyship 鈥渢he status of being an advocate for the inclusion of a marginalized group of which the advocate is not a member鈥� is a compound of the noun ally and the combining form -ship, the latter of which denotes condition, character, or skill. Ally derives via Anglo-French and Old French from the Latin verb 补濒濒颈驳腻谤别 鈥渢o bind to,鈥� from 濒颈驳腻谤别 鈥渢o bind.鈥� Additional descendants of 濒颈驳腻谤别 include alloy, league, liable, ligament, and oblige, all of which involve a link to or merger with another person, object, or entity. Latin 补濒濒颈驳腻谤别 became alier 鈥渢o unite, combine, join (in kinship)鈥� in Old French, and its derivative noun, alliiet, gained the sense of 鈥渞elative.鈥� From there, ally shifted in English to mean 鈥渇riend, associate鈥� and then developed the additional meaning of 鈥渟upporter or member of an alliance.鈥� Today, the term has developed a specific nuance: allies are not part of the group that they support but stand in solidarity with the group nonetheless. Allyship was first recorded in English in the late 1840s in the sense 鈥渢he state of being associated with another or others for a common purpose,鈥� a definition that differs from allyship鈥檚 current meaning.
how is allyship used?
After the 鈥� nationwide outrage last summer, corporate America leaned harder into … superficial solutions. Companies were quick to promise an inclusive work environment, flooded their social media pages with Black and brown faces, extolled allyship, and put on socially distanced town halls on race.
Ernest Owens, a 28-year-old Black journalist, questions the concept of whites as 鈥渁llies.鈥� While many have good intentions, he said true allyship鈥攕upporting Black businesses, deeply exploring personal bias and ferreting out ways that white privilege contributes to persistent racism鈥攎ust happen in order to genuinely stand in solidarity with the marginalized and oppressed.
allyship
cockade
noun
a rosette, knot of ribbon, etc., usually worn on the hat as part of a uniform, as a badge of office, or the like.
More about cockade
Cockade 鈥渁 rosette worn on the hat as part of a uniform鈥� is an alteration of the French term cocarde, which derives from the Middle French word cocquard 鈥渂oastful, silly, cocky鈥� (like the boastful behavior of a rooster). Cocquard is a compound of the noun coc 鈥渞ooster, cock鈥� and -ard, a noun-forming suffix. Coc derives from Late Latin coccus or a Germanic term akin to Old Norse kokkr and is of onomatopoeic origin; numerous languages worldwide independently developed similar-sounding words for 鈥渞ooster鈥� by imitating the sound of the rooster鈥檚 call. The suffix -ard is likely extracted from a Frankish element, -hart 鈥渟trong, brave, hardy,鈥� found in Germanic-origin personal names in French, such as Bernard and Richard, and in terms for people who regularly engage in a particular activity or are characterized in a certain way, such as drunkard and wizard. Cockade was first recorded in English in the 1650s.
how is cockade used?
During the immediate aftermath of the revolution and the execution of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, the Committee of Public Safety attempted to use the guillotine to shape what member Maximilien Robespierre dubbed 鈥渁 republic of virtue.鈥� 鈥� Offenses included dress: Infractions like displaying royalist insignia or colors (the fleur-颅de-颅lis, white, green or any indication of mourning), or refusal to sport the cockade, that symbolically 颅loaded knot of tricolor ribbons, were, in some cases, enough to send someone to the tumbrils.
The men beside me seem so gored and emasculated by time that I look away. One has no gray in his hair, so I suppose he is rather young …. He opens his briefcase busily, but it contains nothing but a printed brochure. Will such a weary face be welcomed anywhere? The face seems incapable of any sensual provocation or response. But when it is time for him to leave he jauntily slaps on a sealskin hat with a bright feather cockade and braces his shoulders in his raincoat. He鈥檚 ready for the next round.
cockade
More about imp
Imp 鈥渁 little devil or demon鈥� derives from Old English impa 鈥渟hoot, graft,鈥� via Latin impotus from Ancient Greek 茅尘辫丑测迟辞蝉 鈥減lanted, implanted.鈥� This Ancient Greek source is related to the noun 辫丑测迟贸苍 鈥減lant,鈥� which is the source of the English combining forms phyto- (as in phytochemical, a compound found in plants) and -phyte (as in neophyte 鈥渁 beginner or novice,鈥� literally 鈥渁 new plant鈥�). The story of how a word for 鈥減lant鈥� became a word for 鈥渓ittle devil鈥� is less complicated than one might think; from 鈥減lant,鈥� the definition shifted to 鈥渙ffshoot of a plant,鈥� and from there, it broadened to include any offspring, plant or animal. The phrase imp of the devil, meaning 鈥渙ffspring of the devil,鈥� gave imp the additional sense of 鈥渄emon,鈥� which the word has preserved to the present day though it no longer appears in that phrase. Imp was first recorded in English before the 8th century.
how is imp used?
Experts can say that something is safe, but if we don鈥檛 feel that it鈥檚 safe, our inner voice can win out over reason. (Likewise, when experts say something is bad for us, we often dispose of that advice in favor of listening to the little imp on our shoulder telling us that it鈥檚 something we want to do, so it can鈥檛 be all that bad.) The best experts help us find the sweet spot between our gut and our brain by explaining processes, risks, and benefits in ways that we can understand.
The entire day passed, but Ivan kept on braiding the cord. Suddenly an imp jumped out of the water. 鈥淗ired man, what are you doing?鈥� 鈥淲hy, you can see for yourself. I’m braiding a rope.鈥� 鈥淎nd what do you need the rope for?鈥� 鈥淲hat for? I want to cinch up the lake and squeeze out you devils.”
imp