Word of the Day: Condign
What originally meant 'worthy' now means quite the opposite.
condign
adjective
con·dign kən-ˈdīn ˈkän-ˌdīn
: deserved, appropriate
condign punishment
condignly adverb
…
In his 1755 Dictionary of the English Language, lexicographer Samuel Johnson noted that "condign" was "always used of something deserved by crimes." Even today, it is most likely to be used to modify "punishment" or a related word, such as "redress," "justice," or "chastisement." And yet, "condign" (which traces to Latin com-, meaning "thoroughly," and dignus, meaning "worthy") once meant "worthy" or "of equal worth or dignity" in English. How did such a word get chained to "punishment"? It was apparently so condemned in the 1500s by the phraseology of the Tudor Acts of Parliament: "Former statutes … for lacke of condigne punishment … be littell feared or regarded."
We are here because the Republican Party surrendered to Donald Trump in every conceivable way. This was a choice, and it was not inevitable. Many of the GOP suck-ups will now be rewarded for sacrificing their principles and their integrity.
But what of the anti-Trump normies? The ones who kept telling themselves that they didn’t need to take a stand because there was no way Trump could ever win? They told themselves he couldn’t win the nomination; then they told themselves that he couldn’t ever win the election. Even the best of them — like Mitt Romney — thought they could stay relevant in a post-Trump party if they refused to endorse his opponent. Others who had first-hand knowledge of his reckless unfitness chose not to come forward because — they told themselves — surely others would take care of the problem for them.
Their defeat could hardly be more comprehensive; a condign fate for those who refused to take a stand when it might have counted.
| Charlie Sykes, Are We Sanewashing the Voters Now?