Word of the week

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By Colin Ramsden, Week 20, 2006.

The word of the week is provided to educate and entertain you.

"ROILING"

Definition	Example usage*	Etymology
roil verb (transitive) 1. to render (water etc.) turbid by stirring up sediment 2. to disturb or disquiet; irritate; vex roil verb (intransitive) to be in a state of turbulence or agitation	Company A has considered closing some sites, but has resisted doing so because it fears losing capabilities and insights, and roiling local markets.	Roil derives from the french ruiler meaning to mix up mortar, itself from the old french rieule meaning mason's formboard, originally from the Latin regula to rule.

Variations

roils, roiled, roily, roiling

Common usage

A Google search reported 579,000 hits. A quick perusal of the term appears that it is mostly an American term used in two distinct contexts: one as a product name for an engine oil friction reduction product; and the other as a synonym for rile used to describe conflicting viewpoints between antagonists.

The second usage is confirmed by the definition of both roil and rile in the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, stating that rile is a synonym and is derived from roil. Examples of current usage include:

• Immigration protests roil the Arizona Senate race
• How a housing downturn could roil economy
• Accusations of Misused Money Roil Orthodox Church
• Bush Remarks Roil Debate on Teaching of Evolution
• Middle East politics roil a US campus
• Shi-ite protests Roil Iraq
• Rare Birds' Deaths Roil South African Island

Explanatory words used in the articles or bylines include 'apocalyptic', 'impact', 'rocking', and 'intimidation'.

*Example source

http://www.strategy-business.com/resiliencereport/resilience/rr00032

 

 

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