A WORD A DAY.

Southland Times, Issue 21662, 26 March 1932, Page 6

A WORD A DAY.

DISSIDENT. This word conjures up a picture of urchins at play, when two or three—failing to have their own way—go off by themselves. This incidentally, ‘is rather close to the original concept, for the Latin root, dissidere, meant “to sit apart,” and by implication, “to disagree”; the word being compounded of dis,- “apart,” and sedere, "to sit.” To-day we continue to use “dissident” in cases where the sense is “not agreeing, dissenting, dicordant.” In the background of the word, however, we observe the colour of rebuked egotism, injured pride, unsatisfied desire to dominate. “Dissident” is also used as a noun, denoting one who separates himself from the established order of things; it is a word similar in meaning to “dissenter,” but the latter appears to carry less opprobrium, as it is literally “one who thinks differently” (dis, “apart,” and sentire, “to feel, think”),. The dissenter may remain awhile in the hope of converting the others to his point of view.

Dis-si-dent is accented on the first syllable; sound each i as in it, e as in recent. “The dissident group withdrew and organized another club.”