Word of the Day

: February 3, 2008

pamphleteer

verb pam-fluh-TEER

What It Means

1 : to write and publish pamphlets

2 : to engage in partisan arguments indirectly in writings

pamphleteer in Context

Though he is remembered today for his novels and essays, George Orwell was also known to pamphleteer for causes important to him.

Did You Know?

Pamphlets, unbound printed publications with no covers or with paper covers, are published about all kinds of subjects, but our word "pamphlet" traces back to one particular document. It derives from the title of a short Latin love poem of the 12th century: Pamphilus, seu De Amore, which can be translated as "Pamphilus, or On Love." The name Pamphilus referred to a Greek god whose name means "loved by all." Following from this, the original pamphlets were short handwritten poems, tracts, or treatises, often consisting of several pages bound together. "Pamphleteer," which can be both a noun and a verb, combines "pamphlet" with the "-eer" suffix found in such words as "engineer" and "puppeteer."