Word of the Day

: February 11, 2008

philippic

noun fuh-LIP-ik

What It Means

: a discourse or declamation full of bitter condemnation : tirade

philippic in Context

The columnist's most recent philippic took the governor to task for her neglect of education reform in light of declining test scores throughout the state.

Did You Know?

In 351 B.C., the Greek orator Demosthenes delivered a fiery speech warning his countrymen against the imperialistic designs of Philip II, king of Macedon, and chastising them for their timidity and inaction. In Greek, this and subsequent such speeches on the subject made by Demosthenes were known as "philippikoi logoi," literally, "speeches relating to Philip." Demosthenes is known to have delivered only three Philippics; in contrast, the Philippics of the Roman statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero attacking Marc Antony some 300 years later -- "orationes philippicae" in Latin (so-named because of their similarity to Demosthenes' orations) -- numbered fourteen. We still capitalize the word when we refer to these famous diatribes, but ever since 1592, "philippic" has been used (usually in lowercase) in a broader sense as well.