Doubt Monster

Doubt Monster

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Doubt Monster
Doubt Monster
Pushed or Pulled, Never Completely Stilled

Pushed or Pulled, Never Completely Stilled

The confounding cleaving of daily life

Amy L Bernstein's avatar
Amy L Bernstein
Jan 30, 2024
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Doubt Monster
Doubt Monster
Pushed or Pulled, Never Completely Stilled
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brown handle axe
Photo by Abby Savage on Unsplash

The word of the day is cleave.

This lovely word, with roots in old High German and old Norse, has been in use since before the 12th century. It is that rare and wonderful thing, a contranym, meaning it has two legitimate and opposite meanings.

To cleave is to “adhere firmly and closely or loyally and unwaveringly,” in other…

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