Word of the Day: POLEMIC

Contention or controversy

polemic (noun) - a written or spoken attack or argument, often controversial or belligerent in tone [poh-lem-ik]

• polemical means controversial or disputatious (also polemic)

BREAKDOWN: Polemics have been a staple in political and religious writing since the dawn of civilization, and the word polemic is almost as old as the rhetoric itself. Polemic derives from the Ancient Greek polemikos meaning hostile or warlike. Polemos is a Greek word for war and also attributed to a deity, daemon, or embodiment of war.

“When a comic becomes enamored with his own views and foists them off on the public in a polemic way, he loses not only his sense of humor but his value as a humorist.” —Johnny Carson

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