Word of the Week - BRAINWASH

Today's word – BRAINWASH

Pronunciation – brain-wash

Word type - verb

Definition – to systematically indoctrinate to change a person's beliefs or attitudes

Word origin-
The term brainwash first appeared in English language as a military term in the 1950s, during the Korean War, when some captured US soldiers were indoctrinated into espousing Communist policy. Literally, the word is translated from the Chinese phrase HSI NAO, 'to wash the brain'. This use of native word forms combined to provide a borrowed meaning as known as a 'loan translation'.

Quirky facts -

* Films which feature brainwashing include 1962's, "The Manchurian Candidate", in which a soldier was turned into an assassin through brainwashing, as well as the more recent comedy, "Zoolander", in which male model, Eric Zoolander (played by Ben Stiller), is brainwashed into an assassination attempt on the fictional Prime Minister of Malaysia.

* In "The Muppet Movie", Doc Hopper tries a variety of schemes to brainwash Kermit into accepting the spokesman position of his chain of frog legs restaurants, including kidnapping Miss Piggy, teaming up with a mad scientist and even hiring an assassin named Snake.

Sample sentence - The victim was slowly brainwashed into believing that her captor was her friend.

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