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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

e-barrassment en · NOUN

Etymology

Etymology tree Ancient Greek ἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron)bor. Latin ēlectrum Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus New Latin ēlectricusbor. English electric Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- Proto-Indo-European *h₁éyti Proto-Hellenic *éimi Ancient Greek ἰόν (ión)der. English ion blend English electron ▲ Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor. Middle English -ik English -ic English electronic Proto-Indo-European *molko-der.? Thracianbor.? Proto-Germanic *malhō Frankish *malhabor. Medieval Latin malader. Anglo-Norman malebor. ▲ Old French malebor. Middle English male English mail English electronic mailabbr. English email Akkadian 𒆟 (rakāsum) Akkadian 𒄙 (markasu)bor. Classical Syriac ܡܰܪܫܳܐ (maršā)bor. Arabic مَرَسَة (marasa)der. Old Galician-Portuguese baraço Old Galician-Portuguese embaraçarbor. Old Spanish embaraçar Spanish embarazarbor. French embarrasserbor. English embarrass Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥tom Proto-Italic *-mentom Latin -mentum Old French -mentbor. Middle English -ment English -ment English embarrassment blend English e-barrassment Blend of email + embarrassment. See e-.

Meanings

  1. (Internet, informal, neologism, uncountable) Humiliation as a result of sending an email with embarrassing mistakes.
    • Email etiquette and the risky reply-all were highlighted as one Australian lawyer made a major email faux pas, leading to his sacking. 2012 March 3, “From the vault: Aussie lawyer's "e-barrassment" over email faux pas”, in Lawyers Weekly, archived from the original on 20 Sep 2022:
    • You know what the English language needs? A word for the hot, sickening feeling you get when you accidentally hit "Reply All," subsequently broadcasting a private message to a much larger group. Maybe we should call it e-barrassment. Or forwardboding. Or Sents insensibility. 2019 January 17, David Pogue, “How to Handle the Dreaded 'Reply All Moment'”, in New York Times:
    • yeah, it's e-barrassment. like e-mail. 2007 April 10, “1st place baby!”, in alt.sports.baseball.atlanta-braves (Usenet):
    • How to prevent 'e-barrassment'. 2015 June 23, Hayley Tsukayama, “Ever send an e-mail you wish you could take back? Now, in Gmail, you can.”, in Washington Post: