Word of the Day: Evile

Thanks be to God for those with gifts of tongues – specifically, the gift of neologism. While neologogenation is not a nifty superpower like telekinesis or electrodirection, I thank the Binder for her contributions. Today, the relevant contribution is a new adjective (which in the modern fashion, can also be used as a verb), evile. The stress is on the first syllable in the adjectival form and on the second in the verb.

Of dubious and multitudinous origins, the word has been parsed etymologically as follows (verbs first, then adjectives):

1. 'To debase' from 'e-' + 'vilis' (Latin, 'cheap', 'common' or 'base'); e.g. "I shall evile you by comparing you to a common carrier of wood pulp."

2. 'To use electronic means to carry out a debased or distasteful task', related to (1) above, but involving the common modern use of the prefix 'e-' to denote an electronic transaction (cf. 'email')'; e.g. "Have you eviled your income tax returns yet? I hear they give a bonus for early income tax eviling."

3. 'To generate vileness' from prefix 'e-' used to donate a positive action (cf. 'eject', 'erect', 'emit'); e.g. "I shall evile a miasma that will blacken the white cliffs and make the ravens croak from the sky."

4. 'Denoting a thing, person, sentiment or other subject that is both evil (i.e. overreaching in a defective or wicked sense) and vile (i.e. cheap, common, base, worthless; cf. 'villein', 'village')'; e.g. "The depraved and arrogant look on that stone eagle is absolutely evile."

There are other possible etymologies, but so as not to strain credulity (for you might need it for other entries in this blog), I shall refrain. Good evening, and may nothing evile touch you.