There are quite a few people who do not recognize the words 'magnanimity' or 'teetotaller'. At least, nobody in my Ethics class today recognized either word. Magnanimity actually doesn't surprise me; but I was utterly surprised by 'teetotaller'. Has it really ceased to be a recognizable word? And if so, does it say anything about our society that the word is no longer part of the general vocabulary? I mean, besides the fact that Methodist progressivism is no longer a big influence on politics. In any case, I found it quite surprising. One learns something new everyday.
In any case, it inspired me to look at the Google N-gram for 'teetotaller'.
ADDED LATER: Equally interesting is the N-gram for magnanimity.
