Etymology Word of the Week – As some of you know, in addition to working in the Admissions Office, I also teach Latin at Saint Ignatius and am something of a "word nerd." Thus, each week, I’ll sneak a vocabulary word (sometimes derived from Latin, sometimes not) into the e-blast. Here, then. is this week’s edition of the Etymology Word of the Week.
Oxymoron
Definition: “Figure of speech joining apparently contradictory words or thoughts to give point to a statement or expression.”
Origin/Derivation: From the Greek oxymoros, which means “pointedly foolish” and is a compound of oxys meaning “sharp, pointed” and moros meaning “foolish, dull, stupid.” So yes, the word oxymoron itself is an oxymoron!
Related Words/Phrases: sophomore, moron; oxygen, epoxy, paroxysm (of laughter), oxide.
Examples of Oxymorons:
“Seriously funny”
“Bittersweet”
“ICY HOT”
“Awfully good”
“Deafening silence”
“Working vacation”
Photo Caption: "JUMBO Shrimp"
(All information is from www.wikipedia.org, www.etymonline.com and/or www.dictionary.com)