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The ordinary-sized words are for everyone, but the big ones are especially for children.



Friday 26 November 2021

Word To Use Today: carceral.

 This is a new word for me, and I came across it next to the word feminism: carceral feminism.

Now, forget the feminism for a moment (because that's actually no help at all) but please (if you don't already know it) have a quick guess at the meaning of the word carceral. Just a very quick instinctive one, no need to be thoughtful or clever.

Have you done that?

To me the word carceral has a clean and hungry look, and brings to mind an image of a nest of fledgling hawks.

I still have no idea what carceral feminism is, but my instincts weren't entirely wrong about the meaning of the word carceral.

It means to do with prisons. Like incarcerate. Of course.

I wonder if somewhere in the depths of my brain some connection was made? 

Was one made, do you think, in yours?

Word To Use Today: carceral. This word comes from the Latin word carcer, prison.



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