Remonstrate

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Remonstrate

Postby Dr. Goodword » Sun Dec 07, 2014 11:22 pm

• remonstrate •

Pronunciation: rem-ên-strayt • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Verb, intransitive

Meaning: 1. To protest vigorously, to actively challenge, take issue with or exception to. 2. (Currently out of fashion) To reprove, point out a fault, criticize.

Notes: Today's Good Word comes with a similar complement of relatives as its cousin, demonstrate. The noun is remonstration [remênstrayshên], the most frequently encountered adjective is remonstrative [remahnstrêtiv]. But it goes on further: A single act of remonstrating, verbal or in writing, is a remonstrance. A person who remonstrates may be either a remonstrator (like demonstrator) or a remonstrant.

In Play: Today's Good Word differs from complain in that it is usually a more vigorous and persistent form of complaint: "Faye Slift remonstrated in the most explicit terms against her exclusion from the beauty contest because of her facial surgery." We have the ingredients for a remonstrance wherever decisions are made: "The coach had spent the entire game remonstrating with the referee against bad calls against his team."

Word History: Today's word comes from remonstratus, the past participle of Medieval Latin remonstrare "to show, argue against", comprising Latin re- "back, against" + Latin monstrare "to show". Monstrare is based on monstrum "portent, monster" from monere "to warn". Latin inherited this verb from Proto-Indo-European mon-/men- "to think, thought", which also gave Latin men(t)s "mind" and mentio(n) "remembrance". English borrowed these words via French as mental and mention. We also borrowed the French ending on -ment, as in ailment and deferment, which shares the same origin as men(t)s. By the time Latin monstrum had worked its way through French, it had become monstre "monster, monstrosity". It was at this point English borrowed it. (Lest Jeremy Busch—a Grand Panjandrum in the Agora—remonstrate against the oversight, let us all pay homage for his recommendation of today's Good Word.)
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Re: Remonstrate

Postby David Myer » Mon Dec 08, 2014 5:10 pm

And presumably related in some way to 'admonish'?

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Re: Remonstrate

Postby Slava » Mon Dec 08, 2014 5:52 pm

And presumably related in some way to 'admonish'?
It appears not. Remonstrate goes back to mōnstrā(re), to show or demonstrate, whereas admonish goes to monēre, to warn or remind.

Perhaps further back the -mon- parts are related, but they don't show up as such in my sources.
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Re: Remonstrate

Postby David Myer » Mon Dec 08, 2014 7:25 pm

Thanks for that, Slava. Most interesting. I should have looked it up myself - just lazy, I suppose. But interesting that the words are almost interchangeable (except that admonish is always transitive?) Perhaps I mean the words have very similar meanings. Remonstration suggests maybe that there is some sort of resistance or defence, whereas admonishment is more of a one way 'discussion'.

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Re: Remonstrate

Postby Slava » Mon Dec 08, 2014 7:53 pm

They way I read them is a bit different. Remonstration, as per the Doctor's orders, is a rather vehement argument against action. Admonishing is almost gently done, as in admonishing your puppy when it isn't quite house-trained.

As for being lazy, I do the same thing at times. I just tell myself I want to see what others come up with, so I don't feel so guilty.
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Re: Remonstrate

Postby David Myer » Mon Dec 08, 2014 8:08 pm

Yes, I know the Good Doctor has used the word "vigorously", but I wonder if there is a geographical difference in usage. His second meaning, which seems to me to be more closely related to the origins of the word, is very close to admonish. What is the difference between a reprisal and an admonishment. My guess is your puppy wouldn't be able to tell the difference!

Incidentally, I am uncomfortable with The Doctor's suggestion of remonstrance as the noun. Surely remonstration is sweeter. We don't use remonstrance, do we?

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Re: Remonstrate

Postby Slava » Mon Dec 08, 2014 8:25 pm

It appears that remonstrance came first, sometime in the 15th century, with remonstration in the next. Both from the same root, but absorbed differently.

Another interesting bit is that some of my dictionaries have REmonstrate, while at least one other has reMONstrate. Hmm.
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Re: Remonstrate

Postby David Myer » Mon Dec 08, 2014 8:55 pm

It has to be REmonstrate. It follows the same pattern as demonstrate, surely? That's also why remonstration is better than remonstrance (apart from the fact that it sounds sweeter and is easier to say).

I see we now have a spell-checker on this! Doh! My last post included the made-up word 'demonstrance' but I see it was changed to remonstrance. I should have learned years ago to touch-type so I can watch the screen instead of my dancing fingers.

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Re: Remonstrate

Postby Perry Lassiter » Mon Dec 08, 2014 10:54 pm

Are you dividing the syllables re-mon and emphasizing the re with a long E? That's logical according to the etymology, but whereever the emphasis falls, I always hear rem- pronounced rim, and most of the time the syllables are all unaccented.
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