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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Circa

Today's Word I Hate To Say is Circa!

Merriam-Webster Dictionary - Circa
Circa : about or around:  at, in, or of approximately —used especially with dates<born circa 1600>  Circa is abbreviated as "c." or "ca."



Circa is a word that I have begun to hear more and more in reference to time periods.  Whether in an episode of the Antique Roadshow or a documentary on the History Channel, Circa is being overused!

In and of itself, the word Circa is not the problem for me; it is the way that it is used that irritates me so.  i.e. - "This copper pot is Circa 1820's"   or   "Circa 1597 a.d., some explorer set sail for some important place."

Seriously, why can't we just say what we mean...  approximately or about!  Hearing or saying "circa" reminds me of a bad Spongebob episode - "it's fancy talk."  My conclusion is that people who simply want to sound intelligent to others use the word Circa!

Reference
Circa. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/circa

Johnson, E. (image) (October 15, 2012). Breaking News Is Broken and Circa Wants to Fix It. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from http://allthingsd.com/20121015/breaking-news-is-broken-and-circa-wants-to-fix-it/

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