![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
psittacism
Mar. 23rd, 2010 07:26 ampsittacism (SIT-uh-siz-um) - n., mechanical, repetitive, meaningless speech.
In the manner of a parrot, literally, without regard to the meaning of the words being spoken. Coined in the 1890s from Latin psittacus, parrot, which in turn is from Greek psittakós. If you're feeling pedantic, feel free to include the initial p- if you can pronounce it, but as with psalm, it seems to have for most purposes gone silent when it immigrated.
---L.
In the manner of a parrot, literally, without regard to the meaning of the words being spoken. Coined in the 1890s from Latin psittacus, parrot, which in turn is from Greek psittakós. If you're feeling pedantic, feel free to include the initial p- if you can pronounce it, but as with psalm, it seems to have for most purposes gone silent when it immigrated.
---L.
