Merriam-Webster Brilliantly Shades Misogynistic Op-Ed About Dr. Jill Biden

December 14, 2020, 9:45 am

One of the stranger things about modern-day controversies is that a sure way to know you’re on the wrong side is when the actual dictionary steps in to school people on pure facts.

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So when it came to the reviled, misogynistic op-ed that was published in the Wall Street Journal over the weekend — the one imploring the incoming First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, to drop her title because her degrees are “merely” in education — it’s no surprise that Merriam-Webster had something to say.

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“The word ‘doctor’ comes from the Latin word for ‘teacher,’” read a casual subtweet from the dictionary’s social media manager.

The article linked in the tweet goes even further, taking aim at the claim touched upon by the op-ed writer, Joseph Epstein, and absolutely harped upon by commenters who agreed with him, that having Dr. Biden keep her title is confusing because people expect “Dr.”s to be medical doctors.

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It points out that just because someone has a Ph.D. and uses the title of “Dr.” in their name, it doesn’t mean they’re going to come running when someone calls for a doctor, “because they’re smart enough to know that the word doctor in modern English is most often used to refer to a person who knows the healing arts and who’s trained and licensed to use those healing arts.”

But, the article’s author points out, the word “doctor” was originally used for theologians and was later applied to medical practitioners and academics throughout the 14th century, and that is how we continue to use the term today.

People were very here for the shade Merriam-Webster was throwing at the Wall Street Journal.

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The pure devastation you must feel when the dictionary itself steps up to destroy your credibility.. @MerriamWebster coming in hot!

— Michael Goettel (@drsnotbox) December 13, 2020

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And the Dr. Biden defense squad remained strong.

The degree physicians earn is called Doctor of Medicine (M.D.). The distinction “…of Medicine” tells us there are other kinds of doctors.

Doctor/Dr. is an honorific and handle, not a job title. pic.twitter.com/E2D768ODzv

— Ophelia M. Byers (@DrByersDNP) December 13, 2020

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I got my PhD in Education after my MD. The PhD was much harder to do, in many ways, than my MD.

No one would tell a man with a doctorate he can’t call himself doctor. But a First Lady, sure, any bozo feels empowered to TELL HER WHAT SHE CAN CALL HERSELF. Unbelievable! https://t.co/PFyAEeTLx6

— Arghavan Salles, MD, PhD (@arghavan_salles) December 13, 2020

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Dictionary: 1. Misogynists: 0.

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*First Published: December 14, 2020, 9:45 am