The Words of the Week - Apr. 4
Dictionary lookups from France, the Senate, and Saturday Night Live
‘Embezzlement’
Lookups for embezzlement were high this week following news out of France.
Marine Le Pen, the French far-right leader, was found guilty of embezzlement by a criminal court in Paris on Monday and immediately barred from running for public office for five years …
—Roger Cohen and Aurelien Breeden, The New York Times, 31 Mar. 2025
The verb embezzle means “to appropriate (something, such as property entrusted to one’s care) fraudulently to one’s own use.” The noun embezzlement refers to the act of embezzling. Both words trace back to the Anglo-French verb embesiller, meaning “to make away with,” which in turn comes from besiller, meaning “to steal, plunder.”
‘God’s country’
God’s country had itself a week following an Instagram post by a country singer who appeared on Saturday Night Live.
Country star Morgan Wallen has taken over the internet—though perhaps for a reason he may not love. His recent Saturday Night Live appearance and subsequent post about returning to “God’s country” has become a meme of sorts, most of which are poking fun at Wallen. In case you missed it, Wallen appeared to storm offstage as the credits rolled on the sketch show. He later posted a picture of a private jet to his Instagram stories, captioning it, “Get me to God’s country.”
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We define God’s country in our Unabridged dictionary as “a place conceived of as especially favored by God,” such as “a place away from a city” and “one’s native or home state or region,” or “an area of civilization (as a city) away from the frontier.”
‘April Fools’ Day’
April Fools’ Day was this past Tuesday, leading to a bump in lookups for the entry.
From France to Iceland to the United States, April Fools’ Day will be celebrated on Tuesday with practical jokes and elaborate hoaxes, so make sure to triple check viral posts and don’t leave your back open to any stray sticky notes.
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We define April Fools’ Day (less commonly styled April Fool’s Day) as “April 1 characteristically marked by the playing of practical jokes.” The origin of April Fools’ Day is unknown but there are some theories. One is that religious holdouts in the 16th century refused to celebrate the re-established New Year's date on January 1st, preferring the end of the holy week in early April, making them “April Fools.” Another is that it relates back to the Roman god Ceres being fooled by Pluto when he stole her daughter in what is now early April. Finally, a third theory is that it relates to the vernal equinox, and the weather-related trickiness of the seasons during this time.
‘Filibuster’
Filibuster was in the news in connection with a speech in the Senate delivered by Senator Cory Booker which, while not technically a filibuster, broke records.
Senator Cory Booker took to the Senate floor to speak out against the policies of the Trump administration. He didn’t stop talking until shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday. Vowing to continue his speech for “as long as I’m physically able,” Booker captured national attention as he has railed against Trump on a number of topics, ranging from Social Security to healthcare to immigration. On Tuesday evening, he entered the record books for the longest speech given on the floor. He captured millions of people’s attention as Congressional Democrats (and corporate America) have come under fire for not standing up to Trump. … According to Congressional rules, a filibuster can only take place when the Senate is attempting to pass a bill or confirm a nominee. That’s not the case now, making this just an incredibly long speech.
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Before taking on its current meaning (“the use of extreme dilatory tactics, as by making long speeches, in an attempt to delay or prevent action especially in a legislative assembly”) the word filibuster referred to an irregular military adventurer—specifically to “an American engaged in fomenting insurrections in Latin America in the mid-19th century.” The word came to English in the 1840s from the Spanish filibustero, which literally means “freebooter”—that is, a pirate or plunderer. Although it likely originated from the Dutch vrijbuiter, filibuster is thought to have arrived in Spanish from the French flibustier, which itself came from the English freebooter or fleebooter.
‘Referendum’
Lookups for referendum were high on Wednesday morning following elections in Florida and Wisconsin.
Wisconsin voters on Tuesday delivered Democrats their biggest jolt since President Donald Trump returned to power, handing liberals a state Supreme Court majority and defying Elon Musk’s record-shattering effort to bolster a conservative Trump acolyte. … Aided by Musk’s millions—along with infusions of cash from billionaires of both parties—the Wisconsin race quickly became the most expensive judicial contest in US history as both parties wrestled for control of the court’s majority in a key swing state. But Wisconsin voters voted against Schimel, the candidate preferred by Trump and Musk. Crawford and her allies worked to turn the election into a referendum on Trump and Musk, in particular.
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Referendum can refer to the principle or practice of submitting to popular vote a measure passed on or proposed by a legislative body or by popular initiative, or to a vote on a measure so submitted.
Word Worth Knowing: ‘Kakidrosis’
Kakidrosis was not included in our list of strange words for body functions alongside singultus (“hiccup”) and sternutation (“the act of sneezing”) but mayhaps it will appear in a second volume. If it does, kakidrosis should be a highlight, referring as it does to “secretion of sweat of a disagreeable odor.” What’s not to love? Kakidrosis comes from New Latin (Latin as used since the end of the medieval period especially in scientific description and classification), combining the prefix cac- meaning “bad” with -idrosis, a noun combining form that when paired with a prefix indicates a specific type of sweating. Other -idrosis words to regale guests with at your next dinner party include chromidrosis (“secretion of colored sweat”) and bromhidrosis, which does not refer to the sweat of bros (necessarily), but, like kakidrosis, to “foul-smelling sweat.”
