perdition (2009-08-04)

Part of Speech: noun

Pronunciation: [pr-'di-shên]

Definition: Eternal damnation or complete destruction; Hades.

Usage: We suggest you use today's word for the four-lettered one with the similar meaning. Not only is "perdition" longer, it is more impressive and expresses more forcefully the same sentiment: "The road to perdition is paved with good intentions." Most often resorting to profanity is a sign of capitulation in the search for the right word. However, when emotional reasons suffice for the strength of this notion, today's word provides a way around the expletive, "What in perdition are you talking about?"

Suggested Usage: Usually words on -tion come from verbs or adjectives: "educate : education," "contrite : contrition," "edit : edition." You can't "perdite" your way to perdition, though, for no such verb exists. The adjectives "perditious" and "perdite" have long since vanished from the language, leaving "perdition" an actual nominal orphan except, possibly, for perditionable "suitable for perdition," which only faintly persists.

Etymology: From Late Latin perditio, perdition- from Latin perditus, past participle of perdere "to destroy, ruin; to squander." This verb comprises: per- "through, by means of" + dare "to give." The past participle of "dare," "datum" in the neuter, underlies "data" (plural) and "date." Not only today's word, but "edition" is based on the same root. Suffixed with -no, it appears in Latin donum "gift," included in "donate" and "pardon." Russian dat' "give" is also a descendent. This verb underlies dacha "summer house" and izdat' "publish," found in samizdat "self-publishing." Greek dosis "something given" gave us "dose" and "antidote," not to mention "anecdote" from Greek anekdotos "unpublished (item)," based on an- "not" + ekdotos "published."