noun
a conversational tactic in which a person responds to an argument or attack by changing the subject to focus on someone else’s misconduct, implying that all criticism is invalid because no one is completely blameless: Excusing your mistakes with whataboutism is not the same as defending your record.
aboutism is a transparent formation of the phrase “ about…?” used to form objections in an argument, and the noun suffix –ism. aboutism entered English in the second half of the 20th century.
aboutism appears to broaden context, to offer a counterpoint, when really it’s diverting blame, muddying the waters and confusing … rational listeners.
The best response to whataboutism has historically been to say that while, yes, other countries have their faults, injustice should not be tolerated anywhere.
In English, the verb sense of consent is recorded considerably earlier than the noun. Consent ultimately derives from the Latin verb DzԲԳī “to share or join in a sensation or feeling, be in unison or harmony.” DzԲԳī is a compound of the Latin prefix con-, a variant of com– “together, with.” The Latin verb Գī has many meanings: “to perceive by any of the senses, feel, be aware of, recognize, discern, hold an opinion, think, cast a vote, give a verdict.” The many English derivatives of the Latin verb include assent, consent, resent, sense, sentence, sentient, and sentiment. The verb senses of consent entered English in the 13th century, the noun in the second half of the 14th.
Before you even put your cookie on my computer, or in my mobile device, you have to make sure I consent to being followed ….
If she consents to assist the experiment, she consents of her own free will ….
verb
to move or wander about intellectually, imaginatively, etc., without restraint.
The English verb expatiate comes from Latin 貹پٳܲ, 貹پٳܲ, past participle of 貹پī, 貹پī “to move, run, or flow away beyond bounds, spread out,” a compound of the prefix ex– “out of, throughout” and the verb 貹پī “to walk about leisurely, stroll” (and the source of German spazieren “to take a walk, stroll”). 貹پī is a derivative of the noun spatium “expanse of ground, area, space, racetrack, playing field, act (of a play).” Expatiate entered English in the 16th century.
… at every step of this mental process, sufficient time must be allowed for the imagination to expatiate on the objects before it, till the ideas approximate, as near as possible, to the reality.
He was troubled too about his love, though when he allowed his mind to expatiate on the success of the great railway he would venture to hope that on that side his life might perhaps be blessed.