Earlier this week, Michael Caputo, a spokesman for the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, accused government scientists of “sedition” in a live video on his personal Facebook page. This Word Nerd has heard of “sedition” before, in history class and historical fiction (think The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798), but sadly, while I knew “sedition” was bad, I couldn’t accurately define it.
Enter Merriam-Webster!
sedition /se·di·tion/ comes from the Latin sedition-, seditio, literally, separation, from sed-, se- apart + ition-, itio act of going, from ire to go. It means incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority.
So, basicially, Mr. Caputo suggested that scientists, specifically some working at The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are actively working against President Trump and undermining his authority. Mr. Caputo has since apologized for the accusations.
Regardless of how you feel about Mr. Caputo’s accusation of sedition, (I happen to think that scientists are being undermined in the current political climate and not the other way around…), at least now you can discuss any possible sedition with a word nerd’s knowledge. 😉
What words from current events have left you feeling confused? Please share… I’m happy to do some Word Nerd research!
Thanks for getting nerdy with me!
