The Power of Words

The Power of Words

In both my personal readings, and in the world at large around me, I have frequently noticed how certain words are misused, and the power that this abuse of language has over the general public.  As an example, here are a few pairs of words that have been appropriated, often politically, and assigned “new”, incorrect meanings in the public realm.

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Noctiluca

Noctiluca

Once upon a time, long, long, ago, there was a Celtic band called Noctiluca.  Now, you might say, Noctiluca is not a Celtic name.  No, it is not.  Unfortunately, no one in the band spoke Gaelic.  Noctiluca was the best they could come up with.  One of the band members was an oceanographer, and Noctiluca, meaning “night lights” in Latin, is the name of a genus of microscopic phytoplankton that produce bioluminescence at night.  Go figure, eh?

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