histrionics
Mar. 20th, 2025 07:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prettygoodwordhistrionics (his-tree-on-iks) - pl. n., exaggerated emotional behavior calculated for manipulative effect.
This noun is only available in plural form -- you can't have a histrionic (which is an adjective meaning theatrical in style, stagey) -- and it takes either a singular or plural verb. The base sense is being dramatic, originally literally: this comes, via that adjective form, from Latin histriōnicus, pertaining to acting and the theatre, from histriō, actor. The English word, in that original theatrical sense, dates to the early 1860s, so don't use it in your Austen fanfic, despite the model of Heyer.
Admin note: It has come to our attention that last week's theme did not include primaveral. Management apologizes for the omission.
---L.
This noun is only available in plural form -- you can't have a histrionic (which is an adjective meaning theatrical in style, stagey) -- and it takes either a singular or plural verb. The base sense is being dramatic, originally literally: this comes, via that adjective form, from Latin histriōnicus, pertaining to acting and the theatre, from histriō, actor. The English word, in that original theatrical sense, dates to the early 1860s, so don't use it in your Austen fanfic, despite the model of Heyer.
Admin note: It has come to our attention that last week's theme did not include primaveral. Management apologizes for the omission.
---L.
