Polemics
/pəˈlɛmɪks/noun
Forceful, argumentative writing or speech used to attack or defend an idea, belief, or person.
Did you know?Its root is Greek polemos, meaning “war,” which also gave English words like polemical and the ancient idea of conflict as a force that shapes everything.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pel-
“To strike, push, or drive.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
πόλεμος (pólemos)
“War, battle, conflict.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
πολεμικός (polemikós)
“Warlike; pertaining to war.”
Late Latin
Latin
polemicus
“Controversial or argumentative.”
16th Century
French
polémique
“A dispute or controversial argument.”
17th Century
English
polemics
“Controversial argumentation; the art of disputation.”