Word of the Day podcast

Forgettery

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Forgettery is a noun that refers to the tendency to forget. 

Our word of the day is a neologism, meaning it’s a recent addition to the English language. Forgettery combines a word of Old English origin that means ‘fail to remember’ with the suffix E-R-Y which denotes a behavior. We see this also in words like bravery, tomfoolery and archery. Forgettery isn’t usually used in formal contexts. Here’s an example of where it is best used:

I come from a long line of people skilled in the art of forgettery. We even have our own Facebook that celebrates our inability to remember stuff. The only problem is nobody can recall the group’s password. 

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