You know what it looks like⦠but what is it called?
TAKE THE QUIZTrending: βanimusβ
Lookups spiked 5,700% on June 16-17, 2019
Searches for animus spiked on June 16-17, 2019, after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was asked by ABC News Chief White House correspondent Jon Karl, βSo how real is that progressive frustration that Speaker Pelosi has said, at least so far β and she seems to be really holding the line β that sheβs not ready to do that?β
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez responded:
βI think itβs quite real. I believe that there is a very real animus and desire to make sure that we are, that β that we are holding this president to account.β
The Latin word animus meant "mind" or "soul," and it is also the root of animate.
Some commentary on Rep. Ocasio-Cortez's use of animus shows that its meaning isn't perfectly clear, and seems to suggest that it was interpreted as meaning "strong feeling of dislike" rather than "intent."
Trend Watch is a data-driven report on words people are looking up at much higher search rates than normal. While most trends can be traced back to the news or popular culture, our focus is on the lookup data rather than the events themselves.