Word of the Day

: November 6, 2012

bugbear

noun BUG-bair

What It Means

1 : an imaginary goblin or specter used to excite fear

2 a : an object or source of dread

b : a continuing source of irritation : problem

bugbear in Context

The biggest bugbear of the skiing business is a winter with no snow.

"Smartphones are getting better all the time, but one area that's always been a little bit of a bugbear with owners is the quality of the built-in camera. However, inventive third-party manufacturers have been quick to come up with their own solution to this particular snapping quandary." - From an article by Rob Clymo on MSN.co.uk, September 26, 2012

Did You Know?

"Bugbear" sounds like some kind of grotesque hybrid creature from fable or folklore, and that very well may be what the word's creator was trying to evoke. When the word entered English in the 16th century, it referred to any kind of creature made up to frighten someone-most often a child; in 1592, Thomas Nashe wrote of "Meere bugge-beares to scare boyes." The word combines "bug," an old word for goblin, with "bear," which is perhaps what such made-up creatures were described as resembling. The "source of dread or annoyance" sense came not long after. In the late 20th century, the word found new life as the name of a particular kind of creature in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.