Word of the Day

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

vituperation

\vy-too-puh-RAY-shuhn, -tyoo-\ , noun;

The act or an instance of speaking abusively to or about.

Sustained and severely abusive language.

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Quotes:

It was a bitter attack on those who had sneered at his father, an astonishingly poised performance for a twenty-six-year-old, and an early demonstration of Bron's gift for vituperation.

-- Geoffrey Wheatcroft, "Bron and His 'Affec. Papa'", The Atlantic, May 2001

Everybody was very nice except the Liberal women -- who have a repertoire of vituperation that I cannot believe to be equalled anywhere.

-- Bonnie Kime Scott (Editor), Selected Letters of Rebecca West

Ratifying Wylie's vituperations against the homemaker, feminists have scorned the domestic role and exhorted other women to join them in forsaking it as unworthy of their talents.

-- F. Carolyn Graglia, Domestic Tranquility

Origin:

Vituperation comes from Latin vituperatio, from the past participle of vituperare, "to blame," from vitium, "a fault" + parare, "to prepare." The verb form is vituperate; the related adjective is vituperative. One who vituperates is a vituperator.