discrimination

At its heart, discrimination is about unfairness. It happens when someone is treated differently—usually worse—than others, not because of their actions, but because of who they are.

Think of it as a barrier. If a person is denied a job or a seat at a table simply because of their gender, race, or religion, that is discrimination. It is a serious social issue that affects how people experience the world.

It is important to note that the word can sometimes be used in a neutral way, like 'discriminating taste' in art, which means having a good eye for quality. However, in most daily conversations, we use it to talk about injustice.

The word discrimination comes from the Latin word discriminare, which means 'to distinguish' or 'to separate'. Back in the early 17th century, it was actually a positive or neutral word!

Originally, it meant the ability to tell the difference between two things. You might have had a 'discriminating palate' if you could tell the difference between two fine wines. It was about discernment and intelligence.

Over time, especially during the 19th and 20th centuries, the meaning shifted. As society began to focus more on human rights, the word started to be used to describe the act of 'separating' people into groups for the purpose of unfair treatment. Today, the negative meaning is by far the most common.

When using discrimination, you will often find it paired with words like racial, gender, or age. These are called collocations.

In formal settings, like legal documents or news reports, you might hear about 'combating discrimination' or 'anti-discrimination laws'. It is a serious word, so we use it when we are talking about rights, ethics, or law.

In casual conversation, you might say, 'That feels like discrimination,' when you see someone being treated poorly. Remember, it is a noun, so you usually pair it with a verb like 'face,' 'fight,' or 'experience.' For example: 'She faced discrimination at her old job.'

While there aren't many idioms that use the word 'discrimination' itself, we use phrases to describe its effects. Here are five:

• Level the playing field: To make things fair for everyone.
• Glass ceiling: An invisible barrier that prevents certain groups from rising to power.
• Turn a blind eye: To ignore discrimination when you see it.
• Walk a mile in someone's shoes: To try to understand what it's like to be treated unfairly.
• Break the mold: To do something different and challenge unfair expectations.

Discrimination is an uncountable noun, meaning we don't usually say 'a discrimination' or 'discriminations.' We treat it as a concept.

For pronunciation, break it down: dis-crim-i-NA-tion. The stress is on the 'NA' syllable. In both British and American English, the IPA is roughly /dɪˌskrɪmɪˈneɪʃən/.

It rhymes with words like nation, station, and creation. When you say it, focus on the 'crim' sound—it should be crisp and clear!