Whenever an earthquake occurs, you will probably hear the word epicenter in the next newsletter. In seismology, the epicenter refers to the part of the earth’s surface just above the focus of an earthquake. This is the opposite of the little known word hypocrite, refers to the focus itself; That’s where the earthquake originated.
What does ‘epicenter’ mean?
Derived from the Latin Greek, prefix Epic- means “on” or “on”, among other things. So it makes sense that the epicenter was located above the site of the earthquake’s activity.
The weak earthquake was recorded at 12:02 noon with a magnitude of epicenter located not far from the intersection of Retta Mansfield Road and Lillian Road in rural Rendon. — NBCDFW.comJuly 8, 2019
We sometimes see epicenter figuratively used to refer to “the hub”—basically, the place where an activity is localized:
He realized that Vienna, due to its particular “bourgeois crisis”, was epicenter about this great convulsion, for it is also the cradle of psychoanalysis; and so he concentrated on studying the Viennese experience. — Hugh Trevor-Roper, New York Times book reviewJanuary 27, 1980
In September 1989, Walter Yetnikoff, fresh out of drug rehab at the Hazelden Clinic, found himself in epicenter of a multi-billion dollar deal. — Kim Masters et al., Vanity FairJune 1996
Home to over 150 wineries, the Walla Walla Valley is epicenter of wine tourism in Washington state. — wine enthusiastNovember 2013
When Walker County was identified as epicenter Regarding the opioid crisis in Alabama, it’s no surprise to residents who have seen drugs bring death and devastation to their families, neighbors, and communities. —Ashley Remkus, AL.comJuly 29, 2019
After all, if the worst happens, which of course doesn’t happen, they’re ready. epicenter of a team of cardiologists! – Peter Straub, “Mr. Aickman’s Airgun,” 2007
Criticize use
Although this usage is very common, it has been the subject of criticism by commentators for its usage. Part of the reason has to do with the shift from the word’s seismic origin—when it comes to earthquakes, the center and the epicenter are not the same. The epicenter was above, not in the middle, where the earthquake’s activity took place.
Another basis for the objection is center doesn’t seem like a word that should require any elevation. Ideally, something is centrally located or not. Sure, you could talk about something that’s in the exact center—like the centroid in the center of a dart board, which implies that there is a concept of a Almost right center.
But the reality is center can be used without regard to geographic accuracy (as in “a restaurant in the center of town”) usually not required center modified in a way that makes it more central than anything else. However, sometimes people fall into the habit of speaking when they want to raise a word for rhetorical purposes: it’s not just center of the activity, that is epicenter.
The thought behind this usage seems to be that adding extra syllables can somehow enhance the meaning of the original word. (This expression may be in the same category as penultimatewhich some speakers try to use to mean “ultimate”, although penultimate has a different meaning from supreme.) But despite this feeling epicenter is simply defined as “central”, it’s still the English we’re talking about here: redundant prefixes are rarely an unqualified feature.
Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn
