diatribe

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The Word of the Day for October 10 is:

diatribe   \DYE-uh-trybe\   noun
    *1 : a bitter and abusive speech or writing
     2 : ironical or satirical criticism 

Example sentence:
     The columnist wrote a ruthless diatribe condemning people who talk on cell 
phones while driving.

Did you know? 
     Ancient Greek philosophers liked to while away the hours in rational 
contemplation and intellectual discussion. Their fondness for waxing 
philosophical is reflected in the Greek noun "diatribe," meaning either 
"pastime" or "discourse." That noun passed into Latin as "diatriba," which was 
in turn adapted to "diatribe" by 16th-century English speakers. In its earliest 
English use, "diatribe" meant simply "a prolonged discourse," but that sense 
has become obsolete. "Diatribe" has also seen use as the name of a specific 
type of philosophical discourse --satirical sermons directed against an object 
of disapproval -- that was introduced in the 3rd century B.C. by Greek 
philosopher Bion of Borysthenes. Today, however, the term is usually applied 
broadly to any biting or abusive denunciation.