![]() It also likely provided the fertile soil in which the word unclubbable could take root. "The Club," or as it was later called "The Literary Club," provided the company Johnson needed to stave off his loneliness. We're of course not talking about the golfing implements or the suit of cards we're talking about the kind of club 18th century lexicographer Samuel Johnson established with the artist Joshua Reynolds in 1764. Many of the unclubbable among us don't much care for clubs. MORE TO EXPLORE: Does 'Bashful' Mean "Full of Bash"?Īdjective : having or showing a disinclination for social activity : unsociable These are not a species of the Viola genus Bulwer-Lytton was likely anthropomorphically suggesting the flowers were huddling or cowering on the bank. … while, unconscious as the daughter of Ceres, gathering flowers when the Hell King drew near, of the change that awaited her and the grim presence that approached on her fate, Helen bends still over the bank odorous with shrinking violets … - Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Lucretia, 1846 A person described thusly is of course not getting smaller the word shrink may typically have to do with getting smaller, but it is also used to mean "to recoil instinctively" and "to hold oneself back." As for the violet bit, that word has some use with the meaning of "an overly fastidious, modest, or retiring person," as Merriam-Webster's Unabridged Dictionary reports.ĭespite the human applications of each element of this compound term, shrinking violet was used literally before its figurative use developed in the late 19th century: That use dates to the late 19th century, while the one you label yourself after taking a personality test dates to the early 20th.Īh, the shrinking violet. Meanwhile, the noun introvert has an obscure and technical use meaning "something that can be introverted"-it's applied to such remarkable appendages as the eyestalks of certain snails and the retractile proboscis of a sipunculid worm. It's been used since at least 1683, mostly with the "possessing a reserved or shy nature typically with an inclination to solitude" meaning that's contrasted with extroverted. ![]() The adjective introverted is also older than the noun. Since the mid-17th century, introvert has meant "to turn inward or in upon itself," with more specific meanings of "to concentrate or direct upon oneself" and "to produce psychological introversion in" developing over the centuries. There are numerous interesting facts about introvert, such as its use as verb, which predates its noun use. We all know, of course, that basic doesn't mean boring. We're starting with introvert because it's the most basic of the set. Noun : one whose personality is characterized by introversion especially : a reserved or shy person who enjoys spending time alone
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