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Did anybody else notice Obama use the word "enormity" to mean "hugeness" during his acceptance speech? He spoke of the "enormity of the task that lies ahead." It rang out loud like a church bell in my head, a death knell for the true believers. I had been convinced not too long ago that "enormity" only referred to something incredibly bad. The use of the word to mean plain old "bigness" by an eloquent man reading a speech by brilliant writers in front of millions of viewers has finally convinced me that this is currently a fine way to use the word. (I also know that Grant doesn't abide pet-peeves.)
In case you're interested, m-w.com has lots of great literary quotes and a nice discussion of the usage of the word here.
That is odd. Apparently I was taught that word by example, and bad ones at that. The only way I have ever heard or seen it used seemed more related to the size of the event and the event itself would bear the positive or negative connotation. So in the sense of the "enormity of the task ahead", it would give me a sense of a daunting challenge neither positive or negative, whereas the "enormity of the holocaust" would carry the negative based on the fact that it is in reference to the holocaust.
Nice to learn the true meaning though. Some of these words you learn and then spend a lifetime taking for granted. Thanks for pointing that out!
Yep, very familiar with it. The dispute over the accurate usage of "enormity" is kind of an FAQ. I believe President-Elect Obama's usage is good, but I also believe that since the term is a bit "skunked,"--that is, there is a dispute about proper usage--that in a speech of historical importance it should have been avoided. But it's a minor quibble and not one I'd be ready to go to the mat for.
The Syntax Snob weighs in:
I point out that the word's traditional meaning, however, is not “out of the ordinary.†Enormity appears to have expanded beyond its etymological root enormis, meaning irregular or immoderate, to something more sinister. Webster's New World Dictionary (1960) defines “enormityâ€: 1. great wickedness: as, the enormity of the crime. 2. a monstrous or outrageous act; very wicked crime. While Dahmer-esque misdeeds are out of the ordinary, AWWW's definition misses the crux, and misses just how much the meaning of the word changes Mr. Obama's estimation of what he's gotten himself into.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
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