Definition: No, we didn't misspell today's word. Terroirism is the conviction that the "taste of the soil" [goût de terroir] plays the dominant role in determining the flavor and bouquet of a wine rather than the yeast and fermentation.

Usage: A terroir [ter'wahr] is the microclimate of the vineyard—the type of soil, the drainage, the inclination vis-à-vis the sun—that influences the taste of the grape. Everyone agrees that the terroir influences the taste of at least some types of wine but the terroirist is convinced it is the dominant factor in determining the taste of wine in general.

Suggested Usage: Admittedly, the range of application for today’s word is a bit narrow unless you are involved in the esoteric discussions of the origins of the tastes in wine. The terroirist, of course, believes the soil holds the answer while the anti-terroirist holds it to be the yeast, fermentation, and casks.

Etymology: Today's is a recently borrowed French word that devolved from Latin terra "dry land," from torrere "to dry or parch" related to "terrace" via French from terraceus "earthen." "Terra" is also in the word Mediterranean "middle of the dry land," where the Mediterranean was originally supposed to have been located. This Latin root is a descendent of PIE *ters "(to) dry, " which gave us "thirst" in English. It is unrelated to "terror," which comes from the PIE rool *ter-/tre- "to shake" underlying "tremble" and Russian tryasti "shake" found in zemletryasenie "earthquake."