diatribe

diatribe
\ \ [16] Diatribe’s connotations of acrimoniousness and abusiveness are a relatively recent (19th-century) development. Originally in English it meant simply ‘learned discourse or disquisition’. It comes via Latin diatriba from Greek diatribéthat which passes, or literally wears away, the time’, and hence, in scholarly circles, ‘study’ or ‘discourse’. This was a derivative of diatribeinpass, waste, while away’, a compound verb formed from the intensive prefix dia- and tríbeinrub’.
\ \ Cf.ATTRITION, DETRIMENT, TRITE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • diatribe — [ djatrib ] n. f. • 1734; « dissertation critique » 1558; lat. diatriba, gr. diatribê « discussion d école » ♦ Critique amère, violente, le plus souvent sur un ton injurieux. ⇒ attaque, factum, libelle, pamphlet, satire. Se lancer dans une longue …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Diatribe — Di a*tribe (?; 277), n. [L. diatriba a learned discussion, Gr. ?, prop., a wearing away of time, fr. ? to rub away, spend time; dia through + ? to rub: cf. L. terere, F. trite: cf. F. diatribe.] A prolonged or exhaustive discussion; especially,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Diatribe — may refer to: Diatribe (newspaper column), a weekly newspaper column Diatribe (band), an industrial rock group from the 1990s This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal l …   Wikipedia

  • diatribe — 1640s (in Latin form in English from 1580s), discourse, critical dissertation, from Fr. diatribe (15c.), from L. diatriba learned discussion, from Gk. diatribe employment, study, in Plato, discourse, lit. a wearing away (of time), from dia away… …   Etymology dictionary

  • diatribe — [dī′ə trīb΄] n. [Fr < L diatriba, learned discussion < Gr diatribē, a wearing away < diatribein < dia , through + tribein, to rub, akin to L terere, to rub: see THROW] a bitter, abusive criticism or denunciation …   English World dictionary

  • Diatrĭbe — (gr.), 1) Abhandlung; 2) tadelnde, schmähende Kritik über eine Schrift …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Diatrībe — (griech.), gelehrte oder schulmäßige Abhandlung, insbes. eine kritische Streitschrift …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Diatribe — Diatrībe (grch.), gelehrte Abhandlung, bes. literar. kritische Streitschrift …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Diatribe — Diatribe, griech., gelehrte Erörterung, kleine Abhandlung, besonders eine gelehrt thuende bittere Streit oder Schmähschrift. Bekannt ist die D., welche Voltaire unter dem Titel des Doktors Akakia, Leibarztes des Papstes, gegen Maupertuis losließ …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • diatribe — I noun abuse, abusive harangue, abusive language, accusation, act of berating, admonition, adverse comment, animadversion, backbiting, bitter harangue, bitter words, blame, carping, castigation, censure, chiding, complaining, condemnation,… …   Law dictionary

  • diatribe — DIATRIBE. s. fém. Dissertation. Il s emploie principalement dans le genre polémique, et désigne quelquefois Une critique amère et violente …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

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