Do you know the meaning of this word?

[MrTiddlesTheCat]

Help me settle a very minor disagreement. Do you know the meaning of the word below without looking it up?

Syncretism

YABU - yes I know
YANBU - nope, not a scooby

Nope and I'm an avid cruciverbalist.

No, I've never heard of it. And I consider myself to have a reasonably large vocabulary.

I'm pretty sure I've seen it before but I had to look it up. It's an interesting one though so thanks for making me aware of it.

No idea. I have aPhD. That word never came up. My knowledge of Latin suggests it's something to do with something that happens at the same time as something else ...???

No. Although I have now looked it up.

There is an argument that if you can't explain something in simple terms you actually just don't understand it well enough yourself.

From which I assume he's just a wordy idiot.

No. I am well read and have a good vocabulary but that word is not well known.

I do know about the Swedish, but that would not be a complicated word for your average Mexican. The English are more inclined towards shorter words

It is though. Did you think it was Christian?? 😂

I don't know what it means without looking it up again but I did come across it in about ~2007/2008 as I followed someone who published a mix of strange electroacoustic / radiophonic tunes (Mass for Oscillator and Tape) under the 'syncretism' handle so I'm vaguely aware that it has something to do with religion or spirituality cos I looked it up at the time but have since forgotten.

Other than that I'd guess that 'syn' means 'with' (as in synthesis, synaesthesia) and 'cretism' is a bit like whatever the 'crete' bit is doing in discrete, accrete, excrete, concrete. So I'd still be none the wiser haha. Basically I couldn't use the word syncretism in a sentence other than this one that I'm writing right now :)

Oh, just found it on Mixcloud - it is quite odd! https://www.mixcloud.com/syncretism/mass-for-oscillator-and-tape/

Jo

I always win at Scrabble, and I've never even heard it.

Not a scooby doo.
First language English and did it up to A Level.
I'm also an avid reader.

Know it from completing an MA in linguistics, but wouldn't know just from speaking English

Nope, never heard of it. I'm an English teacher with a Lit degree and two different Lit MA degrees. I've got a huge vocabulary and read widely, constantly. I've never seen it before in any context. It's an absurd word to teach EAL speakers. Your colleague's an idiot, and you are not stupid!

This.

It’s surely not a word that would be used in everyday conversation in even the most rarefied circles - I had no idea, and I consider myself fairly well read and with a very good knowledge of the English language.

He’s a tool and trying to impress in the most inappropriate way. I’d complain - he’s going to knock everyone’s confidence.

I had to look it up. Autocorrect hasn't heard of it either. It's just corrected it to synthetic! I can see how it's a useful word but it's not something I'd expect to hear in everyday conversations.

Nope - and I have 3 level 7's plus a 30 year old degree in theology

Also (and MOST importantly while we're having a boast) I've not lost an online Scrabble game in ten years

I must win surely

Yes. And unlike the vast majority of Mumsnetters, I only have one degree!

Nope

Sounds like he’s doing a Bad Job

I do know it. English isn't my first language, but it isn't originally English word either and it has very similar usage in my language as in English - borrowed word used in contexts of philosophical/religious/arts history theory, a rather academical word.

The fun part is, that while I must had met it earlier, I specifically remember it from a children's book. It was used in Jostein Gartner's Sofie's world. Given how popular the writer is in Northern Europe and that the Swedish form of the word is pronounced the same, it might actually be a good word for Swedes.

Yes, but that was way back while doing R.S. A' level. I haven't come across it since.

Didn’t know it though sure I had read it before somewhere.
If he uses words like that all the time he’s being utterly pretentious. I would believe a one off was just an unusual word that person happened to use. As an example my brother and I like the lily the pink song when we were small and loved the word efficacious. Clearly not a common one generally but we used it loads and I didn’t realise that until I used it at work once.

Nope. I’m educated to postgrad level.

I assumed it was a blending / mixing/ synching of something though I wasn’t sure what of.

"Something to do with merging ideas together possibly???"

Then you would be (loosely) correct !

No and I like to think I have a wide vocabulary.