Hi, I’m Marc Franco,
and this is Word of the Week with Snap Language.
idiosyncrasy / ˌɪd i əˈsɪŋ krə si /
This word has the Greek root “idios-,” meaning something that’s your own,
or something personal, distinctive.
Idiosyncrasies are things we do our own way.
For example, if you start eating a pizza slice from the crust first,
(you know, from the outside)
that’s an idiosyncrasy because most people start from the middle
and work their way to the outside edge.
When I put silverware in the dishwasher, I always organize it by type and size.
I don’t even think about it.
I just do it that way.
When someone sees me doing it, though, they think it’s an idiosyncrasy...
because most people just throw it wherever there’s room.
(Actually, I find it easier to put them away when they’re clean... so, there!)
It’s my thing...
It's my idiosyncrasy.
idiosyncrasy / ˌɪd i əˈsɪŋ krə si /
I know someone who has an interesting idiosyncrasy.
When you hand him something... he smells it.
Give him a chocolate bar... he smells it.
(Well, I can understand that!)
But... give him a pencil... he smells it.
Give him a book... he smells it.
Yeah, don’t let your mind go too far with it.
I’ve never seen him smell anything weird.
It’s just his idiosyncrasy.
“Idiolect” is a related word.
idiolect / ˈɪd i əˌlɛkt /
You may have seen a Snap Language video about idiolects.
Can you guess what it means based on the word root “idios-?”
Well, before we do that...
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So, let’s see.
Idiolect...
A dialect is a variety of a language, right?
Dialects are shared by whole language communities.
Then... an idiolect...
Well, that’s an individual’s particular way of speaking.
You probably know people that have a way of speaking that’s
just their own.
The way they stress sentences is their own.
Their inflections are their own.
They’re idiosyncratic.
That’s how comedians impersonate people;
they zone in on people’s idiolects.
idiolect / ˈɪd i əˌlɛkt /
How about “idiom?”
Does it have the same word root?
In fact, it does.
idiom / ˈɪd i əm /
Well, there’s the Greek root “idios-”
You can’t understand the meaning of an idiom by looking at its words
because it has a meaning of its own.
It has a very particular meaning...
“Cut to the chase.”
If you just look at the words, this doesn’t make much sense.
It’s an idiom meaning “get to the point.”
If you say something is “a house of cards,”
you don’t mean it’s literally a house made out of playing cards.
It’s a situation that’s doomed to fail.
It’s an idiomatic expression.
idiom / ˈɪd i əm /
idiosyncrasy / ˌɪd i əˈsɪŋ krə si /
idiolect / ˈɪd i əˌlɛkt /
I don’t like the next word because it has a dark history and
I find it very offensive, but it’s related related to the root “idios-.”
So, ugh, let’s do it.
idiot / ˈɪd i ət /
It’s often used to mean someone’s an utter fool or senseless.
But, how’s it related to “idios-,” which means “one’s own, personal, distinct?”
In Greek, “idiotes” has the sense of a private citizen or someone who’s
not part of public affairs
(I guess, not from the educated elite).
That took on the meaning of someone who’s unskilled or ignorant.
When the word got to Middle English,
through Latin and French,
it had the meaning of an uneducated person.
From there, you can see how the word took on its modern meaning:
an idiot / ˈɪd i ət /
Now, here’s a word that combines “idiot” plus the idea of “democracy”
or “aristocracy.”
idiocracy / ɪd i ˈɒk rə si /
It’s a made-up word from the 1960s meaning a government run by idiots.
Here’s a word you almost never see, but it can be a fun word to know.
(Especially when so many people are going around social media
promoting themselves and their duck face photos and such.)
idiolatry / ɪˈdɪ ɒl ə tri /
Let’s see... you know what “idolatry” means, right?
It’s the worship of idols or images.
Then “idiolatry” is the worship of... oneself!...
Self-worship.
It’s not a common word, but I find it kind of cool.
(Speaking of which, I need to go check
how wonderful well that photo I posted is doing... so many likes!)
If you have a vocabulary question or suggestion,
let me know in the comments.
I may even make a video about it.
If you’re already a member of the channel, I may bring it to the community tab
so we can have a discussion about it.
idiom / ˈɪd i əm / an expression with a meaning of its own
idiosyncrasy / ˌɪd i əˈsɪŋ krə si / someone’s very own habit or mannerism.
idiolect / ˈɪd i əˌlɛkt / someone’s own manner of speaking.
idiocracy / ɪd i ˈɒk rə si / a government run by stupid people.
idiolatry / ɪˈdɪ ɒl ə tri / self-worship
I hope to see you around in the Snap Language community.
Thank you!
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