[KS] pabulum

[Gary Rector]

Actually, _pabulum_ originally means `nourishment in a form that is
readily absorbed' and has been used, as Pankaj points out, to mean `food
for thought.' Nowadays, however, it's commonly used to mean `insipid,
simplistic writing,' and that sounds pretty pejorative. Maybe this usage
comes from a kind of baby food that was around when I was little. The
brand name was Pablum, doubtless derived from _pabulum_.

Gary Rector

On 7 Aug 1998, Pankaj Mohan wrote:

> Also, until it was pointed out that  pabulum was mostly used for cattle feed 
> I did not realize its derogatory connotation. I always used the word to mean 
> "That which nourishes and sustains the mind or soul; food for thought". (The 
> Oxford English Dictionary Vol. XI. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989, p.32). If 
> the word is really pejorative in nature, I express my regret and wish to undo 
> what I did.



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