Word of the Day

: August 21, 2011

objurgation

noun ahb-jer-GAY-shun

What It Means

: a harsh rebuke

objurgation in Context

"Mr. Filer was now pouring forth his nature in objurgations and oaths, and brandishing before the culprits -- Verena and Ransom -- the extreme penalty of the law." -- From Henry James' 1886 novel The Bostonians

"Pushing the Lloyd murder and Yvette's objurgation to a corner of his mind, he searched the room for a glimpse of Coby." -- From Nancy Bush's 2011 novel Hush

Did You Know?

"Objurgation" traces to Latin "objurgare" ("to scold or blame"), which was formed from "ob-" ("against") and "jurgare" ("to quarrel" or, literally, "to take to law" -- in other words, "to bring a lawsuit"). "Jur-" in Latin means "law," and there are several English words related to "objurgation" that have legal implications, including "perjury," "abjure," "jurisprudence," and even "injury." But despite its etymological connection to the law, the word "objurgation" carries no legal weight. It refers to nothing more than an unusually harsh or severe scolding.