Make Your Point > Archived Issues > DEBUNK
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pronounce
DEBUNK:
Say it "dee BUNK."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
If you've visited the Biltmore Estate, in Asheville, North Carolina, then you've been to Buncombe County.
It's named for Edward Buncombe, a plantation owner who probably wouldn't be too thrilled with the fact that his last name came to mean "nonsense, hogwash, baloney, or bull crap."
In a moment, we'll see how that happened. For now, let's add the words bunk ("baloney") and debunk ("to expose as baloney") to our list of Americanisms: words that sprang up right here in the US. That list includes:
h___sc__bbl_, meaning "requiring a constant struggle;"
t__l__ty, meaning "stuck up, acting high and mighty, as if better than everyone else;" and
sk___w__ks, meaning "a small group of people working secretly on new, special, advanced projects."
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
Strictly speaking, one meaning of "bunk," or more fully, "bunkum" or "buncombe," is "empty talk, often the political kind that means nothing but is just supposed to make people feel good or feel recognized."
Why? According to Bartlett's Dictionary of Americanisms, "A tedious speaker in Congress being interrupted and told it was no use to go on, for the members were all leaving the house, replied, 'Nevermind; I'm talking to Buncombe.' Buncome, in North Carolina, was the place he represented."
"Talking to Buncumbe," "talking bunkum," and even just "bunkum" and "bunk" now all mean the same thing: nonsense, or bull crap. In other words, "bunk" is talk that's meaningless, untrue, and/or full of baloney.
So, if you debunk something, you remove the bull crap, remove the nonsense, reveal that it's all just baloney. In other words, to debunk something is to show that it's not true (and, at the same time, to show that it was stupid or ridiculous for people to say that it WAS true).
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Verb, the transitive kind: "They debunked that rumor;" "That outlandish claim was instantly debunked."
Other forms:
Debunked, debunking, debunker(s).
how to use it:
Compared to calm, objective, fair-minded synonyms like "disprove," "discredit," "contradict," and "invalidate," our word "debunk" is a feisty little Americanism that ramps up the attitude. Debunking something is more than just disproving it: it's also making fun of it. To debunk something is to say, "Here's why that's wrong--and stupid."
So, when that's the attitude you're going for, then talk about people debunking claims, lies, rumors, excuses, stories, arguments, explanations, conspiracy theories, etc.
You might also refer to certain ideas as debunked in order to show your frustration with how they're still around or still popular: "that debunked assertion that we all use only a small portion of our brainpower," "that debunked stereotype of chess players as antisocial nerds."
examples:
"There's absolutely no way 5G mobile phone signals either transmit the virus or reduce our defences to it - we've debunked these claims, which scientists say are biologically impossible."
— Jack Goodman and Flora Carmichael, BBC, 27 June 2020
"No, this isn't an article debunking fringe conspiracy theories about how the world's leaders are a bunch of literal lizard people."
— Matthew Rozsa, Salon, 17 May 2020
has this page helped you understand "debunk"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "debunk" without saying "expose or "disprove."
try it out:
Michael: "It's not a pyramid scheme!"
Jim: (debunks Michael's claim with a marker)
With this debunking in mind as an example, talk about another time someone debunked someone else's dumb claim, either in real life or in fiction.
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is Everyday Etymologies!
If you're in the habit of looking up the etymologies of everyday words (wait, you aren't?), then you find, occasionally, certain ones that strike you as particularly apt, cute, strange, or poetic. I'd like to share some of those finds with you this month. In each issue, I'll give you the etymology of an everyday word, and you supply the word. We'll start easy and move into some tougher ones as the month goes on, but every answer will be an everyday kind of word, one you've been familiar with since, say, adolescence at least. To see the answer, scroll to the bottom of the issue.
Try this one today: This four-syllable noun comes from a Medieval Latin word meaning "a healing of the soul."
review this word:
1. Some opposites of DEBUNKED include
A. FLAT and SPLAYED OUT.
B. FILLED and WELL-STOCKED.
C. PROVEN and SUBSTANTIATED.
2. If you see someone _____ debunked _____ on Facebook or Twitter, you can simply report their post.
A. peddling .. "cures"
B. advertising .. merchandise
C. publicizing .. images of children
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Say it "dee BUNK."
Strictly speaking, one meaning of "bunk," or more fully, "bunkum" or "buncombe," is "empty talk, often the political kind that means nothing but is just supposed to make people feel good or feel recognized."
Part of speech:
Compared to calm, objective, fair-minded synonyms like "disprove," "discredit," "contradict," and "invalidate," our word "debunk" is a feisty little Americanism that ramps up the attitude. Debunking something is more than just disproving it: it's also making fun of it. To debunk something is to say, "Here's why that's wrong--and stupid."
"There's absolutely no way 5G mobile phone signals either transmit the virus or reduce our defences to it - we've debunked these claims, which scientists say are biologically impossible."
Explain the meaning of "debunk" without saying "expose or "disprove."
Michael: "It's not a pyramid scheme!"
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
1. Some opposites of DEBUNKED include
|