Atone

WORD OF THE DAY

atone / verb / uh-TOHN

Definition
1a: to make amends
1b: to provide or serve as reparation or compensation for something bad or unwelcome —usually used with for
2a: to make reparation or supply satisfaction for
2b: expiate —used in the passive voice with for
2c (obsolete): reconcile

Examples
“After a childhood act of cowardice, Amir spends most of the play reflecting on and trying to atone for his failure to come to the aid of his best friend.”
— Laura Zornosa, The New York Times, 1 July 2022

A year after America’s shambolic withdrawal, Washington should do more to atone for its mistakes.
— Jonathan Schanzer, WSJ, 15 Aug. 2022

Did You Know?
Atone has its roots in the idea of reconciliation and harmony. It grew out of the Middle English phrase at on meaning “in harmony,” a phrase echoed in current expressions like “feeling at one with nature.”
When atone joined modern English in the 16th century, it meant “to reconcile,” and suggested the restoration of a peaceful and harmonious state between people or groups.
Today, atone specifically implies addressing the damage—or disharmony—caused by one’s own behavior.

Onus

 WORD OF THE DAY

onus / noun / OH-nuss

Definition
1a: burden
1b: a disagreeable necessity
1c: obligation
1d: blame
1e: stigma
2: burden of proof

Examples
“So many of us are solopreneurs, which means we make all of the decisions and the onus is on us to actually follow through on our plans.”
— Susan Guillory, Forbes, 18 Aug. 2022

It is not the scions of Yale and Harvard who apply to become FBI agents and construction workers and civil servants and cops who bear the onus of this reverse discrimination.
— Thomas B. Edsall, Washington Post, 9-15 Mar. 1992

Did You Know?
Understanding the etymology of onus shouldn’t be a burden; it’s as simple as knowing that English borrowed the word—spelling, meaning, and all—from Latin in the 17th century.
Onus is also a distant relative of the Sanskrit word anas, meaning cart (as in, a wheeled wagon or vehicle that carries a burden).
English isn’t exactly loaded with words that come from Latin onus, but onerous (“difficult and unpleasant to do or deal with”) is one, which is fitting since in addition to being synonymous with “burden,” onus has also long been used to refer to obligations and responsibilities that one may find annoying, taxing, disagreeable, or distasteful.

Languid

 WORD OF THE DAY

languid / adjective / LANG-gwid

Definition
1a: drooping or flagging from or as if from exhaustion
1b: weak
2a: sluggish in character or disposition
2b: listless
3a: lacking force or quickness of movement
3b: slow

Examples
“Wölffer’s rosés—the company now has eight varieties—have become a fixture at backyard parties and beach picnics, a symbol of languid days on Long Island’s South Fork.”
— Alex Williams, The New York Times, 27 June 2022

Few things are more comforting than watching languid actor Jeff Goldblum (best known for playing Dr. Malcolm in the Jurassic Park movies) shrug his way through a series of short documentaries about different subcultures and industries.
— WIRED, 23 Sep. 2022

Did You Know?
Lack, lack, lack. Languid is all about lack.
Depending on its context, the word can suggest a lack of strength, lack of energy, or lack of activity.
The lack-of-strength sense of languid describes the kind of sluggishness that often results from fatigue or weakness, as in “the illness left her feeling languid.”
The lack-of-energy sense is synonymous with listless, and often describes someone’s character or disposition as a result of dissatisfaction or sadness.
Lastly, there’s the lack-of-activity sense of languid, as in “investors are worried about the languid stock market.” So languid is a total bummer, right?
Not so (ahem) fast! Sometimes it’s a good thing to dillydally, and languid has also long been used to describe stretches of time—think afternoons, days, summers, etc.—that are relatively and perhaps pleasantly chill.