Writer Thoreau warned of brain rot in 1854. Now it’s the Oxford Word of 2024

Image: Henry David Thoreau, in 1861. Image credit: Geo. F. Parlow via Wikipedia. Image source: Library of Congress, The Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920 [LC-USZ61-361]. Public Domain. Article by Bill Chappell. NPR – December 2, 2024. 

It’s not unusual for the words of influencers to gain popularity. But the influential philosopher Henry David Thoreau was born more than 200 years ago — and now a term he’s credited with introducing, “brain rot,” is the Oxford University Press’s word or phrase of 2024. Brain rot was selected by thousands of online voters. […]

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