# Is "Disigerent" really a word? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 5, 2005, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147 "2005-07-05T16:10:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![stupidfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@stupidfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stupidfool)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/1 "2005-07-05T16:10:33Z")
A friend used the word “disigerent” over the weekend. He claims it means “to argue just for the sake of arguing, even if you know you’re completely wrong.” I’ve never heard of such a word, and can’t find it in any dictionary that I have, but he insists that it’s a real word. He said that he read it on a message board (not this one of course), but somehow that doesn’t convince me. Anybody ever hear of this word, or am I safe to say that he’s full of it? ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/2 "2005-07-05T16:18:22Z")
Google finds 11 results, all from the same source. ---
**Author:** ![Cagey\_Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Cagey\_Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cagey_Drifter)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/3 "2005-07-05T16:19:01Z")
it’s not in the OED, so either it’s misspelled, or there’s no such word. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/4 "2005-07-05T16:22:43Z")
> [@stupidfool](#): > > A friend used the word “disigerent” over the weekend. He claims it means “to argue just for the sake of arguing, even if you know you’re completely wrong.” I thought that this was called “being a Doper.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/5 "2005-07-05T16:47:41Z")
> [@stupidfool](#): > > am I safe to say that he’s full of it? I’d bet the ranch, myself. I don’t think a made-up word that is used on a single website would count as a “real word” in most people’s book. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/6 "2005-07-05T17:02:46Z")
It seems likely that it’s a corruption of “belligerent.” The part of the word that comes from the root “bellum” has been lost and replaced with a negative prefix. Pure barbarism. ---
**Author:** ![Butterscotch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dc4da7/32.png) [@Butterscotch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Butterscotch)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/7 "2005-07-05T17:07:26Z")
At first I wondered whether he had it mixed up with ‘belligerent’ but I have a free afternoon to play so… I looked it up on msn and got 3 results, all the same web page. It is another notice board and someone has used it, but have used just the word, I can’t see the context. > **[Klikhierniet - News, arts, politics, culture and Lifestyle](http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=117014&page=1)** > > News, arts, politics, culture and Lifestyle Then I tried it on Office Word and got nothing. I have tried 6 on-line dictionaries and none of them can find the word… ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/8 "2005-07-05T17:13:29Z")
The dictionary that shipped with my Linux distro doesn’t have it, either. Not that that makes a huge amount of difference, but it’s another nail in the coffin. It is apparently a nonce word only used on one website and by a very few people offline. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/9 "2005-07-05T17:23:28Z")
> [@Garfield226](#): > > Google finds 11 results, all from the same source. _looks at Google links_ Well, no mystery there. It’s the message board that buddy was reading, and it’s a pretty plain joke: > [@](#): > > **DenverChief** : Is patheti-sad a word? > > **Rain Man** : Only if you’re being disigerent. > [@](#): > > **Rain Man** : > It’s obvious that Ivan is singlehandedly trying to institute the term ‘cat’ for ‘guy.’ > > I’ll make you a deal, Ivan. I’ll start using the word ‘cat’ for ‘guy’ if you’ll start using the word disigerent in your columns. > [@](#): > > **ChiefsFanatic:** > I sent Rick Dean this e-mail: > > Rick, > > Last week after the Chiefs lost to Denver, a member of the Chiefsplanet bulletin board, Deberg\_1990 to be exact, mentioned in one of his posts that we should call the defense the “Career Day Defense.” > > Is that where you came up with the name for your article? If you do visit the BB at > [www.chiefsplanet.com](http://www.chiefsplanet.com) let us know by posting something. > > **Rain Man** : > Has Rick Dean ever used the word ‘disigerent?’ ---
**Author:** ![stupidfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@stupidfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stupidfool)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/10 "2005-07-05T17:39:10Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > _looks at Google links_ > > Well, no mystery there. It’s the message board that buddy was reading, and it’s a pretty plain joke: Excellent, I shall inform him of his wrongness at once. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/11 "2005-07-05T18:16:13Z")
> [@stupidfool](#): > > Excellent, I shall inform him of his wrongness at once. $5 says he continues to argue “just for the sake of arguing.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/12 "2005-07-05T18:31:00Z")
> [@stupidfool](#): > > A friend used the word “disigerent” over the weekend. **Igerent is as igerent does/says!** ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/13 "2005-07-05T18:39:30Z")
> [@stupidfool](#): > > Excellent, I shall inform him of his wrongness at once. Tell him the correct form of the word is “maligerent.” ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/14 "2005-07-05T18:56:04Z")
Perhaps a blend, like patheti-sad, but of “disingenuous” and “belligerent”? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/15 "2005-07-05T19:03:17Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Perhaps a blend, like patheti-sad, but of “disingenuous” and “belligerent”? Also known as a portmanteau. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/16 "2005-07-05T19:07:41Z")
No, a portmanteau does not involve truncating the root words, merely agglomerating them. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/17 "2005-07-05T20:28:05Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > No, a portmanteau does not involve truncating the root words, merely agglomerating them. :dubious: I believe that Lewis Carroll would tell you that that’s not the case at all. A portmanteau is, by _definition_, “truncated.” ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/18 "2005-07-06T01:10:01Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > No, a portmanteau does not involve truncating the root words, merely agglomerating them. You mean as in chortle and slithy? And as in portmanteau itself? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/19 "2005-07-06T01:30:04Z")
> [@stupidfool](#): > > He claims it means “to argue just for the sake of arguing, even if you know you’re completely wrong.” I’ve never heard of such a word, and can’t find it in any dictionary that I have, but he insists that it’s a real word. LOL! Sounds pretty self-referential to me! (By the way, when you were checking those dictionaries, did you look up “self-referential”? **self-referential** : _adj._ Resembling this definition. 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-disigerent-really-a-word/311147/20 "2005-07-06T01:53:35Z")
Sounds a tad like “tergiversate”: 1) to use evasions or ambiguities; equivocate; 2) to change sides; apostatize. How many beers had your friend had? 😉