There are so many wonderful words in Dr Johnson’s Dictionary that don’t get the attention they deserve. Let’s dust them off and bring them back
vaticide. n.s. A murderer of poets.
This is a bit of a strange one because the modern meaning of the word is ‘the murder or murderer of a prophet’ so I have never been sure if the meaning has changed or if Dr Johnson was just being a bit facetious. The Latin root word vates means a prophet or a poet. So I’m still not sure why Dr Johnson only referred to poets
As we all know, vaticides tend almost always to be wicked booksellers
Example of this word in literature:
Alexander Pope, in The Dunciad (Book II), wrote about a man called Edmund Curll who just so happened to be a bookseller:
Obscene with filth the miscreant lies bewray’d,
Fallen in the plash his wickedness had laid:
Then first (if poets aught of truth declare)
The caitiff vaticide conceived a prayer: (1728, Pope)
4 responses so far ↓
1 Matilda // Sep 3, 2008 at 5:20 am
I urge all poets to write their poetic headstone inscription in advance.
One never knows when one shall be a victim of vaticide and it would be terrible to be put under an unimaginative stone for all eternity.
2 warthog // Sep 3, 2008 at 8:36 am
I’d heard about vaticide previously but I thought it was something to do with malmsey.
3 warthog // Sep 3, 2008 at 8:37 am
Oh good grief… only 23c!
It must be winter’s late blast.
4 squib // Sep 3, 2008 at 10:09 am
I have my headstone all worked out Til. It’s going to be grand
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