Word of the week: Scatological
By: Middeke, Kristen
Issue date: 9/21/06 Section: Editorial
I lived the better part of my life not knowing the true meaning of "scatological."
By "better" I not only mean that I have been alive longer believing in the wrong definition than the right, but also that it was by far a better existence before the truth was revealed to me.
I can't tell you exactly how or when this revelation -that my definition was wrong- occurred, but it is safe to say that it was awkwardly late in my life.
Why, you the reader, might logically ask, was my actual quality of life negatively affected by such a trivial definition? You, the reader, might also believe that truth is in and of itself a good and judge me for not wanting to seek it out at all costs.
That is a philosophical stance that I am not prepared to argue. But I will say that in this specific situation, it is necessary to fart out a little thought-air to make room for a fresh perspective.
"Scatological" formerly meant, essentially, "sporadic" to me, the writer. As in, all over the place, crazy-like, yet inconsistently so.
If you are a simpleton, meaning if you are me, you draw the pseudo-logical conclusion that it makes sense because "scat" is kind of like "scattered" which probably comes from the Latin word (scat) meaning random, right?
So anyway, having had time to reflect on all the times I used "scatological" in a sentence (Oh, and friends, meaning you the reader, I used it all the time), I could have easily inserted the word "sporadic."
No, not really, but yes, probably. But to me, the word encompassed so much more. Teachers spoke in scatological ways. Authors wrote scatalogically (not even a word). My thoughts were oh-so-scatological.
In fact, in a way, if you, the reader, can wrap your puny little minds (no, not yours) around this, I secretly defined myself as "scatological" (first definition of "scatological" of course).
Meanwhile, I go through life using this word like I own it and insert it into sentences with such confidence that not a person corrects me, thus perpetuating my insanity.
By "better" I not only mean that I have been alive longer believing in the wrong definition than the right, but also that it was by far a better existence before the truth was revealed to me.
I can't tell you exactly how or when this revelation -that my definition was wrong- occurred, but it is safe to say that it was awkwardly late in my life.
Why, you the reader, might logically ask, was my actual quality of life negatively affected by such a trivial definition? You, the reader, might also believe that truth is in and of itself a good and judge me for not wanting to seek it out at all costs.
That is a philosophical stance that I am not prepared to argue. But I will say that in this specific situation, it is necessary to fart out a little thought-air to make room for a fresh perspective.
"Scatological" formerly meant, essentially, "sporadic" to me, the writer. As in, all over the place, crazy-like, yet inconsistently so.
If you are a simpleton, meaning if you are me, you draw the pseudo-logical conclusion that it makes sense because "scat" is kind of like "scattered" which probably comes from the Latin word (scat) meaning random, right?
So anyway, having had time to reflect on all the times I used "scatological" in a sentence (Oh, and friends, meaning you the reader, I used it all the time), I could have easily inserted the word "sporadic."
No, not really, but yes, probably. But to me, the word encompassed so much more. Teachers spoke in scatological ways. Authors wrote scatalogically (not even a word). My thoughts were oh-so-scatological.
In fact, in a way, if you, the reader, can wrap your puny little minds (no, not yours) around this, I secretly defined myself as "scatological" (first definition of "scatological" of course).
Meanwhile, I go through life using this word like I own it and insert it into sentences with such confidence that not a person corrects me, thus perpetuating my insanity.