Culture

Rush Limbaugh Uses Fancy Word 'Concomitant' On Air, Confusing Both Staff and Listeners

Rush Limbaugh's use of the word "concomitant" during his broadcast Friday briefly derailed his rant on Friday, since his producers refused to believe the word was real.

By Abby Ohlheiser
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This article is from the archive of our partner .

Rush Limbaugh's use of the word "concomitant" during his broadcast Friday briefly derailed his rant on Friday, since his producers refused to believe the word was real. "Look it up!" Rush told his producers — and the audience, who apparently heeded his command.

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The exchange prompted a spike in lookups at Merriam-Webster's website. That's according to Merriam-Webster lexicographer Kory Stamper who tweeted, "Lookups! "Concomitant" spiking now because Rush Limbaugh used it and had to defend its wordness on-air."

Here's how Limbaugh used the word, which is roughly interchangeable with "simultaneously" in some contexts:

I mentioned Jonah Goldberg's column at National Review.  I think it was also published concomitantly and coherently at the New York Post. (interruption) Concomitant?  It's not... (interruption) No, I didn't make up the word.  You've never heard of concomitantly? (interruption) Look it up!  It was published concomitantly and coherently with the New York Post. 

Cohesively, too -- meaning it looks the same in the New York Post as it does at National Review. Same words. 

"Climate Activists Uncaged ..."  (interruption)  What?  (interruption)  I told you it was a word.  Concomitant is a word.  They thought I was making up a word on the other side of the glass.  "... Gawker's Adam Weinstein suggests arresting those on the wrong side of the climate change debate." 

Rush then launches into a criticism of a piece from Gakwer's Adam Weinstein, mentioned in the excerpt above. Limbaugh's site has a cool graphic to accompany the segment that looks like the Gawker logo, but instead of the letters G-A-W-K-E-R, it spells F-A-S-C-I-S-M. Word jokes are fun!

Source: Rushlimbaugh.com

In any case, at least one Rush listener thinks he knows why the host's use of the word may have confused his producers:

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.