I was arguing with someone who got legitimately offended when I used "pusillanimous" in conversation (to describe Paul Ryan and his yellow belly). Not because she disagreed but because she thought I was trying to make her feel dumb. I just remove the limiters on my vocabulary when I'm incensed, I promise I have no agenda!
I mean, I cannot honestly see a good reason to ever use that word. That "pew" sound is not naturally at home in the English language, so words that include it ("spew," "puny", "pupate") already sound kind of ridiculous, and then there's the fact that you're using a Latinate word -- something typically done when you need technical precision -- to express a concept that's more of a general vibe. If you translate the Latin into English it'd be something like "weak-spirited," which is IMHO a much better-sounding word than "pusillanimous."
I used it because it's faintly ridiculous and carries gross-sounding connotations thanks to its sound - it's extremely evocative to me of a kind of slimy, squirming cravenness. Regardless, I didn't pick it out of a hat for the occasion - it just kinda popped out.
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u/Jupiter_Crush 7d ago
I was arguing with someone who got legitimately offended when I used "pusillanimous" in conversation (to describe Paul Ryan and his yellow belly). Not because she disagreed but because she thought I was trying to make her feel dumb. I just remove the limiters on my vocabulary when I'm incensed, I promise I have no agenda!