Pronunciation: ['re-tê-sênt]
Definition: Reluctant to speak or say anything; taciturn.
Usage: This word is misused so often to mean "reluctant to do anything" that the errant meaning is creeping into US dictionaries. This adjective has but one meaning: "reluctant to speak or express oneself."
Suggested Usage: The remarkable aspect of this misused term is that it has so many interesting legitimate uses: "Bill was understandably reticent about the lipstick on his collar" or "Hillary became abruptly reticent when asked about the box of chocolates under the couch." Let's restore the original precision of this hapless word's meaning.
Etymology: Latin reticentia "silence" from re-tic-eo "I am silent", based in turn on re + tac-ere "be silent". The stem tac- may also be found in "taciturn" and "tacit."
–Dr. Language, YourDictionary.com
No one has EVER accused me of being reticent.
1 comment:
I have, but not often :P
xoxo
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