William Safire: The Last Word

William Safire, apparently the only intelligent writer at the New York Times, has died. I thought for sure he was older than time and immortal. He loved the English language and wrote "On Language", a column that would delve into some of the more peculiar usages or interesting origins of words and phrases. He was the first columnist I can remember "following", purely for that column. Bill Clinton wanted to punch him in the nose for describing Hillary as a "congenital liar". That's pretty much proof Safire was a good guy, right there.

The word of the day is "apotheosis".

apo·the·o·sis

Pronunciation: \ə-ˌpä-thē-ˈō-səs, ˌa-pə-ˈthē-ə-səs\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural apo·the·o·ses

Etymology: Late Latin, from Greek apotheōsis, from apotheoun to deify, from apo- + theos god

Date: circa 1580

1 : elevation to divine status : deification
2 : the perfect example : quintessence