A.Word.A.Day--pharisaical

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The Magic of Words

Oct 20, 2010

This week's theme
Eponyms

This week's words
harlequin
stentorian
pharisaical

The Pharisee and the Publican
A fresco from Ottobeuren Abbey, Germany

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A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

pharisaical

PRONUNCIATION:

(far-uh-SAY-uh-kuhl)

MEANING:

adjective: Characterized by hypocritical self-righteousness; putting emphasis on strict observance of rituals unrelated to the spirit or meaning of the ceremony.

ETYMOLOGY:

After the Pharisees, a Jewish sect during 1 BCE - 1 CE, whose members were noted for strict observance of rites and rituals, and felt superior because of it. The word is derived via Latin and Greek from Aramaic prishayya, plural of prish (separated).

USAGE:

"Then we have the pettiness and hypocrisy in the loud and pharisaical condemnation emanating from the media and the public."
Garth George; No Credit to be Found in Card Debacle; The Daily Post (Rotorua, New Zealand); Jun 18, 2010.

Explore "pharisaical" in the Visual Thesaurus.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. -Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd US President (1882-1945)

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