Lecture 14: Words Relating to Belief and Trust
from the Greek verb stellein, meaning “to send.” Thus, an apostle
is a messenger “sent away” to spread the word, whereas an apostate
“stands away” from his or her former beliefs.Agitprop (noun)Political propaganda delivered through art, music, drama, or literature.z Agitprop is an example of a portmanteau word, that is, a word
created by combining two or more parts of other words, in this case,
agitation and propaganda. Agitprop was a shortened form of the
name of a Communist Party committee in the former Soviet Union,
the Department of Agitation and Propaganda. This department’s
mission was to spread communist beliefs, principles, and ideals
throughout the world. Agitprop theater was a term used to describe
the leftist plays that originated in Europe in the 1920s and later
spread to the United States.SmogLVDSRUWPDQWHDXZRUGIRUPHGE\WKHFRPELQDWLRQRIsmoke and fog.© Jultud/iStock/Thinkstock.