Why Do I Like This New Word?
I learned a new word today: Biblioklept, which means a person who steals books.
According to me, borrowing books without the intention of returning them is covert theft.
Some people borrowed a few books from me and never returned them. I stopped reminding them after it became clear that their amnesia was intentional.
I reframed my attitude. I treated the lost books as my gifts to them. I achieved emotional closure after this mental adjustment.
Now, I’m happy I have a word to label forgetful book borrowers, though I can’t say it to their faces.
Some bibliomaniacs build a huge library by borrowing ‘unreturnable’ books. Their bibliophilia is a facade to hide their covert thievery.
A sophisticated euphemism for a book thief is biblioklept.
We can trust a bibliophobe, who dislikes books, but not the wily biblioklept.
