Nosism
[nah-si-zəm]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Latin, 19th century
1.
The use of a first-person plural pronoun (such as “we”) instead of a first-person singular pronoun (such as “I”) to refer to oneself.
Examples of Nosism in a sentence
"We could tell our AirBnB host was a character from his use of nosism and the way he referred to the condo as “The Manor.”"
"These days, using what is called “the royal we” is so uncommon that anyone who lapses into nosism sounds affected."
About Nosism
“Nosism” was created by combining the Latin plural first-person pronoun “nōs” with the English suffix “-ism.”
Did you Know?
“Nosism” is the practice of using what is popularly called “the royal we,” or a single person’s use of a plural pronoun to describe themselves. (This is also known as “majestic plural.”) The practice has been associated with the English monarchy since the 12th-century rule of Henry II, who used the pronoun “we” to signify that because he ruled by divine right, he represented both himself and God simultaneously.
