Today's Word "Histrionic"
Published in Vocabulary
histrionic \his-tree-AHN-ik\ (adjective) - Exaggerated or melodramatic in behavior or speech, extremely theatrical.
"Every time Jason fails to get his way, he flies into a histrionic diatribe about how he is undervalued by those around him."
This word is Latin histrionicus "theatrical" from histrio, histrion- "actor," barely touched up for service in English. It may seem improbable that this word is unrelated to "history," but apparently this is so. Our best guess is that Latin borrowed it from Etruscan, a now dead sister language. "History" originates with Greek histor "wise man" via historia "record of inquiries, research." Today's word is generally used disparagingly to describe outrageous, overreactive behavior. However, in psychology it refers to a disorder which causes an individual to exhibit a dramatic, self-centered, and emotionally unstable personality for the purpose of attracting attention. The Adverb is "histrionically" and the noun, "histrionics."
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