Word of the Day: CHAUVINISM

The worst kind of bias

chauvinism (noun) - blind or aggressive patriotism or nationalism; any excessive bias or partisanship for a specific group, culture, or cause [shoh-vuh-niz-uhm]

• a chauvinist is a zealous nationalist or champion of a specific group. The term is generally used to refer to male chauvinists, who espouse the superiority of men over women.

• chauvinistic also tends to mean acting or seeming to act from the conviction that women are inferior to men

BREAKDOWN: Nicholas Chauvin was a soldier (likely apocryphal) in Napoleon's army noted for both blind loyalty and devotion to his commander and loud-mouthed patriotism.

“Our material eye cannot see that a stupid chauvinism is driving us from one noisy, destructive, futile agitation to another.” —Anne Sullivan Macy

[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not derived from classical roots.]