Lexicographer, etymologist, and star of British game show "Countdown," Susie Dent, posted an incredibly appropriate "word of the day" on her social media following yesterday's election in the United States: recrudescence. She wrote:
"Word of the day is 'recrudescence' (17th century): the return of something terrible after a time of reprieve."
It's a good word to know—it totally sums up what millions of us are feeling today. Merriam-Webster provides more information about the word, which was first used in 1655:
Recrudescence comes from the Latin verb recrudescere, meaning "to become raw again" (used, for example, of wounds). Ultimately, it can be traced back to the Latin word crudus, meaning "raw" (If you suspect that crude also comes from crudus, you are correct; another well-known descendant is cruel).
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, unabated, and the H5N1 virus becomes more worrisome, "recrudescence" seems to resonate in its "literal, medical sense"—Merriam-Webster states that "recrudescence refers to a renewed outbreak of a disease," as well as its extended, more metaphorical use, as it "most often describes the return of an undesirable condition, such as a war or a plague, or the return of an undesirable idea."
I don't have much to offer on this very dark day in American history, other than go pet a doggo, go eat something delicious, go hug someone you love, get some rest, and then get ready to continue to fight like hell for reproductive rights and other human rights, the planet, public health, education, economic justice, racial, gender, and LGBTQ+ justice, and everything else that will be under threat in a second Trump administration.
