Word of the Day

: April 23, 2012

pace

preposition PAY-see

What It Means

: contrary to the opinion of - usually used as an expression of deference to someone's contrary opinion

pace in Context

Pace everyone with a smartphone, I think e-mail is best written and read-and the wilds of the Internet best explored-in the privacy of one's own domicile.

"Pace Mr. Jiang, I submit that this kind of political idealism is wishful thinking. It simply does not accord with human nature, especially the nature of human groups, nor is it supported by the lessons of history." - From the 2011 book The Renaissance of Confucianism in Contemporary China, edited by Ruiping Fan

Did You Know?

Though used in English for nearly 150 years, the preposition "pace" has yet to shed its Latin mantle, and for that reason it's most at home in formal writing or in contexts in which one is playing at formality. The Latin word "pace" is a form of "pax," meaning "peace" or "permission," and when used sincerely the word does indeed suggest a desire for both. This Latin borrowing is unrelated to the more common noun "pace" (as in "keeping pace") and its related verb ("pacing the room"); these also come from Latin, but from the word "pandere," meaning "to spread."