title:  Sean Spicer Refused To Define ‘Betrayal’ So The Merriam-Webster Dictionary Did It For Him (TWEETS)
text: On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer refused to define the word  betrayal  after President Asterisk accused former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates of  betraying  the Justice Department by refusing to enforce his unconstitutional Muslim ban. Is it a betrayal? That s a very odd word,  one reporter asked Spicer. Another asked why the word was used. One, probably correctly assuming that Spicer just didn t know the definition, asked him to provide one. I m not going to define the word,  Spicer replied defiantly. But not to worry, the Merriam-Webster dictionary came to the rescue, throwing some serious shade Spicer s way in the process:?Lookups for 'betrayal' spiked after Sean Spicer said "I'm not going to define the word."We defined the word. https://t.co/alq6KqMgnF  Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) January 31, 2017To help Spicer out, Merriam-Webster went into quite a bit of detail in their explanation:Betrayal is the noun that came from the verb betray, which has several meanings, including  to deliver to an enemy by treachery,   to fail or desert especially in time of need,   to reveal unintentionally,  and  to disclose in violation of confidence.  Betrayal means  the act of betraying or fact of being betrayed. Betray was used in President Trump s memo dismissing Yates:The acting Attorney, General Sally Yates, has betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States.Although the verb betray has been in use for a considerable length of time dating back to the 13th century, the noun betrayal is much more recent. Our records indicate that the word began to enter general use around the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries.I am to let my Moderation be known unto all Men: How? Not in a sinful Compliance with unwarrantable Practices, or a Tracherous betrayal of our Constitution either in Church or State, any more then Prosecuting the Interests of either with a bitter and unbecoming Zeal.In Monday s announcement, Yates wrote:My responsibility is to ensure that the position of the Department of Justice is not only legally defensible, but is informed by our best view of what the law is after consideration of all the facts. In addition, I am responsible for ensuring that the positions we take in court remain consistent with this institution s solemn obligation to always seek justice and stand for what is right. At present, I am not convinced that the defense of the Executive Order is consistent with these responsibilities nor am I convinced that the Executive Order is lawful.They also recently helped out with  refugee. 'Refugee' came directly from the French word 'r fugi '. The word originally referred to the Huguenots. https://t.co/CcQX1HG1r4  Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) January 28, 2017 And  Calamity,  a word many are using to describe Trump s presidency.? @JohnWDean bears witness: Says Trump 'calamity' is almost a certainty. #NowTrending https://t.co/IV963Qt5zC  Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) January 31, 2017 And made the Right feel stupid for calling people  snowflakes  when the term should be turned inward:In Missouri in the early 1860s, a 'snowflake' was a person who was opposed to the abolition of slavery. https://t.co/XtIlA4ARV5  Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) January 30, 2017Merriam-Webster also made headlines when Trump called something an  unpresidented  act:Good morning! The #WordOfTheDay is not 'unpresidented'. We don't enter that word. That's a new one. https://t.co/BJ45AtMNu4  Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) December 17, 2016When liberals joke that Trump supporters  greatest enemy is the dictionary, we often have no idea how right we are.Featured image via Getty Images (Alex Wong)/screengrab