The Words of the Week - August 30

‘Oasis’

Oasis was looked up more frequently than usual this week, following reports first suggesting that the famed Britpop band Oasis might soon reunite after disbanding in 2009, and then confirming that they are definitely, not maybe, getting the band back together.

Rumors of an Oasis reunion have swirled for years now, but nothing has stuck. Previously, Noel Gallagher said he would be open to returning to the band for 100 million British pounds ($135 million USD), prompting Liam to claim that he would join an Oasis reunion for free. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Oasis’ landmark debut album, Definitely Maybe.
— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 25 Aug. 2024

Oasis, the Britpop band known for timeless hits like “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” is reuniting for a tour of the British Isles next summer, ending a 15-year hiatus and, presumably, the long-held feud between brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher.
—Danica Kirka and Maria Sherman, The Associated Press, 27 Aug. 2024

We define the word oasis as both “a fertile or green area in an arid region (such as a desert)” and the more figurative “something that provides refuge, relief, or pleasant contrast.” Oasis was borrowed into English in the early 1800s from the Latin Oasis, referring to the Great Oasis of Kharge in the Libyan Desert of Egypt. That Oasis was borrowed in turn from the Greek Óasis, which was borrowed from the Egyptian wḥꜢ.t, meaning “fertile area in the desert.” In our Unabridged dictionary we define Britpop as “a style of British rock music of the 1990s suggesting a reaction against American grunge and typically featuring catchy melodies and lyrics with distinctively British references.”

‘Typhoon’

Lookups for typhoon began climbing this week as a dangerous storm struck Japan.

Millions of people were ordered to evacuate their homes as Typhoon Shanshan lashed southwest Japan with strong winds and torrential rain on Thursday, knocking out power, snarling air traffic and forcing major factories to close. At least three people have been killed so far and scores injured in what authorities have warned could be one of the strongest ever storms to hit the region.
— Satoshi Sugiyama and Kiyoshi Takenaka, Reuters, 29 Aug. 2024

We define typhoon as a synonym of hurricane that is used especially for such storms that occur in the region of the Philippines or the East and South China seas. Typhoon is an alteration (influenced by the Chinese spoken in Guangdong) of the earlier word touffon, which in turn comes from the Arabic word for hurricane, ṭūfān, and ultimately from the Greek typhōn, meaning “violent storm.”

‘Supersede’

Lookups for supersede saw a surge starting on Tuesday when news broke that special counsel Jack Smith had issued a superseding indictment against former president Donald Trump.

Special counsel Jack Smith filed a superseding indictment against former President Donald Trump on Tuesday in which he again accused Trump of resisting the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 presidential election. Smith narrowed the allegations after a landmark Supreme Court ruling on presidential power earlier this year. The new 36-page charging document is based on a more refined set of allegedly criminal acts after the Supreme Court ruled Trump was immune from prosecution for some of the conduct included in Smith's original 45-page indictment returned last year.
— Robert Legare and Melissa Quinn, CBSNews.com, 28 Aug. 2024

Supersede is a verb meaning “to take the place of (someone or something that is considered old, inferior, or no longer useful).” It is used synonymously with replace and displace. English speakers are often confused about how to spell supersede—it sometimes turns up as supercede. In fact, some of the earliest records of the word in English show it spelled with a c. Though both spellings can be etymologically justified, over time supersede won out as the “correct” version.

‘Demure’

We wouldn’t be very mindful if we neglected to mention that demure is another top lookup this week, as it has been for some time now (see the Words of the Week installment from two weeks ago). In addition to remaining popular on social media, it has stayed in the news after someone (not the phrase's originator) tried to trademark the phrase “very demure, very mindful.”

Demure and mindful netizens can breathe a sigh of relief—internet personality Jools Lebron has reassured fans that a recent trademark situation is being “handled.” The explosively popular phrase “very mindful, very demure” was popularized by now hugely popular TikTok creator Jools Lebron thanks to an Aug. 5 video that has since amassed nearly 50 million views.
— Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2024

We define two senses of demure: “reserved or modest” and “affectedly modest or coy.” When used as a noun trademark means “a device (such as a word) pointing distinctly to the origin or ownership of merchandise to which it is applied and legally reserved to the exclusive use of the owner as maker or seller.” The verb sense is defined as “to secure trademark rights for; to register the trademark of.”

Word Worth Knowing: ‘Zucchini’

Zucchini is a very common word, but one worth knowing and contemplating at this time of year because zucchini is a very common vegetable, and you never know when a green-thumbed neighbor is going to show up at your door with a wheelbarrow full of them. Then you’ll at least need to know how to spell zucchini so you can look up recipes. We define zucchini as “a smooth usually cylindrical dark green summer squash” and also as “a plant that bears zucchini.” The word comes from Italian, where it is the plural of zucchino, and the diminutive of zucco, meaning “gourd.” In English, the plural of zucchini can be zucchini or zucchinis.

Because I didn’t have a zucchini manual and never went to zucchini school, I didn’t know you have to plant at least two zucchini plants for them to actually grow zucchinis. But several summers ago I planted only one zucchini seed and the plant grew big and flowery and leafy but not fruity and thence I learned you are supposed to plant more than one, so they can pollinate each other. Failure is my school, and zucchini plants are my professors.
— Amy Leach, The Salt of the Universe: Praise, Songs, and Improvisations, 2024