Question: Can you explain the history of the word "propaganda"? I understand it has something to do with the Roman Catholic Church in the 1600s.Answer: The history of "propaganda" begins with European explorations in America, Africa and the Far East, which opened new opportunities for the Catholic Church in her mission to evangelize the world. During the 16th century, however, missionary activity was controlled mainly by Spain and Portugal, and Rome was not happy with that situation.
Pope Gregory XV strongly felt the need to centralize the administration of missionary activity within the Holy See itself. To this end, on June 22, 1622, he issued the bull Inscrutabili Divinae, which instituted the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (in Latin, "Congregatio de propaganda fide"). Informally this office was simply referred to as "Propaganda" and was charged with the supreme direction and administration of ecclesiastical affairs in non-Catholic countries. The word "propaganda" itself derives from the Latin verb "propagare," meaning "to propagate."
While this ecclesiastical use of "propaganda" was well-known through the 18th century, by 1790 a generic use meaning a group or movement organized for spreading a particular doctrine had been established in English. By 1840 this usage had acquired a derogatory connotation.
In the early 20th century we find "propaganda" used to mean "the systematic dissemination of ideas, information or rumors so as to promote or injure a cause." This sense also gave rise to the use of "propaganda" to denote the ideas so disseminated.
During World War I a profusion of propaganda, most of it false or exaggerated, was put out by both sides, further damaging the word's reputation. Propaganda also played an important role in World War II as a weapon of "psychological warfare." Since then we have heard much about Communist propaganda, Socialist propaganda, right-wing and left-wing propaganda, and anti-religious propaganda, the last of which may now strike you as ironic, to say the least.
Question: I'm a little confused about the word/name "Mahatma." I always thought "Mahatma" was Gandhi's first name, but someone told me recently that I've got it all wrong. My friend says "Mahatma" is just a word that means "great man" or something like that. Which one of us is right?
Answer: Your friend wins this debate, but don't feel bad. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the great figure who led India to independence in 1947 with his widely renowned policy of nonviolent protest, is so often referred to "Mahatma Gandhi," or simply "the Mahatma," that it's easy to see how you could mistake "Mahatma" for a given name.
In truth, however, "Mahatma" is not so much a name as it is a respectful title. It derives from an old Sanskrit word, "mahatman," meaning literally "great-souled." The title was reportedly first conferred on Gandhi by the poet Rabindranath Tagore in 1915. It was readily embraced by Gandhi's many admirers, but interestingly enough, not by Gandhi himself. According to spiritual leader and author Paramhansa Yogananda, Gandhi never referred to himself as "Mahatma," and in fact, "made some humble, and witty, protests about the title."
In contemporary English, "mahatma" is also sometimes employed as a general, uncapitalized noun referring to any great or prestigious man or woman, especially someone who has distinguished himself or herself in a particular field of endeavor. An example of this extended use in our files describes a leading businessman as "a mahatma of finance."
This column was prepared by the editors of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition. Send questions to: Merriam-Webster's Wordwatch, P.O. Box 281, 47 Federal St., Springfield, MA 01102. (C) 1999 Merriam-Webster Inc., Dist. by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service