Monday, 17 October 2011

`braggadocio’

Braggadocio is a literary word and is mostly used in formal contexts. A `braggadocio’, as the word suggests, is someone who brags about himself quite a bit. He is vain and therefore talks about his achievements in a rather proud manner. Most of the time, it is only empty boasting. The word comes from the name of a boastful character (Braggadocchio) in Edmund Spenser’s poem `Faerie Queene’.

The first syllable is pronounced like the word `brag’; the `a’ in the second is like `a’ in `china’. The `o’ in the third and final syllable sounds like the `o’ in `no’, `so’, and `go’. The `ci’ is like the `shi’ in `ship’ and `shin’. The main stress is on the third syllable `do’.

Examples: *Tarun came across as a braggadocio that deliberately tried to make others uncomfortable.
*According to reporters, the Chairman’s braggadocio at the meeting was a sign of weakness, not strength.

 Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – October 23, 2006.

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