Category Archives: NOTW
cacochromy [from Greek κακός “bad” plus χρῶμα “color”] /kə-KOK-rah-mee/ Similar to cacophony (from Greek φωνή “sound”), which is a mix of discordant sounds, cacochromy is a mix of discordant colors.
EX: “His clothes were a cacochromy: lime green deck shoes with gray socks, powder blue slacks, dark purple t-shirt, and a sunshine yellow jacket.”
-zelia [prefix from Greek ζῆλος “rivalry”] /ZEEL-ee-a/ similar to the suffixes –mania, –philia, and –phobia, but meaning jealousy of the suffixed noun.
EX: scandizelia [noun] Jealousy of Scandinavia. “The independence movement in Scotland has been driven by a somewhat misguided scandizelia.”
nymo- [prefix from Aeolic Greek ὄνυμα “name”] /NIM-ō/ similar to the suffix -onym, meaning a specific type of name or word (as in acronym, synonym, exonym), nymo- indicates that which belongs to a type in name, but not necessarily in reality.
Unlike pseudo-, which denies the validity of the claim or appearance of belonging to a type (as in pseudo-random, pseudo-documentary, and pseudoscience), nymo– leaves open the question of the validity of the naming. For this reason, nymo– does not mean “in name only,” but rather simply “in name.”
EX: “The threat from nymo-Islamic terror groups has shifted from the nebulous, global reach of al-Qáedah to the local, territorial focus of ISIS.”
legitprop [n.] /LĒ-jit-prop/ in contrast to agitprop, which is propagandistic elements in art or literature intended to agitate, legitprop is propagandistic elements in art or literature intended to legitimize some potentially controversial cause or idea.
EX: “The climax of the film Iron Man 3 could be seen as legitprop for the use of robot drones.”