Tuesday, July 18, 2006

alphaDictionary.com: Word Of The Day: Snobocracy..oh ya.. I know you can put this one in a sentance!

• snobocracy • Pronunciation: snah-bah-crê-si • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: 1. Snobdom, all snobs taken together collectively. 2. A society in which snobs hold sway, a society controlled by snobs.

Notes: The -cracy in this word means "rule, governance" as we see in democracy, autocracy, meritocracy. This means that the politically influential members of this group are snobocrats who behave snobocratically. All snobs together as a class comprise snobdom, though today's word can be used in the same sense.

In Play: When we speak of snobocracies, we don't look for countries; this kind of ruling class is found everywhere: "The company's fortunes ran afoul of a managerial snobocracy that refused to listen to the ideas of the folks who worked below them." If you are not born a member, you must buy your way into a snobocracy: "Haifa Lutin worked on Wall Street for 20 years until she made enough money to join the New York snobocracy."

Word History: It is clear that this word is based on the word snot, the disgusting nasal mucous that is more visible when your nose is 'stuck up' in the air. English bears several words based on this lexical unmentionable referring to people who are high-falutin' and arrogant: snotty and snooty are the first among them but snub is also a cousin. Snoot and snout are also both variants of the same slippery root and Jimmy Durante's inventions, schnoz and schnozolla, too, are based on this root with a twist of Yiddish and Italian in respect to his origins in Manhattan, New York. The root is clearly Germanic, not a borrowing. It might well be an onomatopoetic word based on the sound of someone clearing their nasal passages before the invention of the handkerchief.

Gawwwd!! I am so sick of dealing with people who still act like they are in HighSchool and are apart of some elete snobocracy!!!!!

2 comments:

  1. I live in a snobocracy town ... thing is, these isn't anything special about these folks ... just everyday common folk who THINK they are somebody!!

    Ok ...  I am done ranting in YOUR journal!  Hehe!

    Lori

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  2. So that's what the  word is for so many snobocrats I've dealt with!!!  What a great word, and so applicable.  Amazing how some can think so highly of themselves, but what a shock it will be when they go before the throne someday and find out they are no better or worse than the rest of us!!  I shouldn't gloat at the thought of that, but I cant help a little tee hee!    Take care!  Hope all is OK with you in spite of recent happenings. () Carolyn

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