anthropause means A global reduction in modern human activity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. It carries an Arena rating of 1206, earned across 107 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, anthropause ranks #1,420 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #1,851 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #2,567 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #3,727 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
Why “anthropause” is a great word
ANTHROPAUSE — [Noun] A global, temporary reduction in modern human mobility and industrial output, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, which created an unprecedented, measurable lull in humanity's environmental footprint. From the combining form anthro- (from Greek anthrōpos, meaning "human") + -pause (from Greek pausis, meaning "a stopping"). Coined in June 2020 by a team of researchers, including Christian Rutz. Unlike "Anthropocene" (which denotes our enduring geological epoch of human dominance) or "lockdown" (which specifies the imposed restrictions themselves), anthropause describes the consequential planetary stillness and its ecological echo. It was the sudden clarity of skies stripped of contrails, the tentative return of wildlife to deserted urban canals, and the global seismic noise dropping to a murmur—a fleeting, involuntary experiment that measured the weight of our presence by the profound relief of its absence.
Etymology
From anthro- + -pause. Coined by a team of researchers and scientists in June 2020 in an article discussing the possible impact of COVID-19 lockdown on wildlife.
noun
- A global reduction in modern human activity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.e.g.“The enforced global 'anthropause' during part of 2020 was also a reminder of the importance of timing: we have become used to having the things we need.” — 2020, Alan Parkinson, Why Study Geography?, page 40:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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