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Wednesday, July 11, 2007 12:00 AM

In defending Gonzales, Justice officials look to the dictionary

What does "abuse" really mean?

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  • Wednesday, July 11, 2007 11:16 AM

    Using Dictionary.com? Really?

    The OED defines abuse as:

    -Wrong or improper use, misuse, misapplication, perversion.

    -A bad or improper usage (i.e. a use which has become chronic), a corrupt practice.

    -Injurious speech, reviling, execration; abusive language.

    -Improper use of words (Chiefly rhet.)

    or as a synonym for violation. Nowhere in the entire entry does the dictionary even mention intention. Abuse comes from the Latin word to either use up, or mis-use. Again, no mention of intention. It's pervertedly amusing how abuse can refer to catachresis, when that's the precise tool the Bush administration has used to keep its stranglehold on absolute power.

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