WOTD: Caricature

Today’s Word of the Day is ‘Caricature.’

Pronunciation: \ˈker-i-kə-ˌchu̇r, -ˌchər, -ˌtyu̇r, -ˌtu̇r, -ˈka-ri-\

Function: noun

Etymology: Italian caricatura, literally, act of loading, from caricare to load, from Late Latin carricare

Date: 1712

1 : exaggeration by means of often ludicrous distortion of parts or characteristics
2 : a representation especially in literature or art that has the qualities of caricature
3 : a distortion so gross as to seem like caricature

So, for example, the following is a caricature:

However, the image described and shown below, is not:

A radical Islamic website is warning the creators of “South Park” that they could face violent retribution for depicting the Prophet Muhammad in a bear suit during an episode broadcast on Comedy Central last week.

RevolutionMuslim.com posted the warning following the 200th episode of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s “South Park,” which included a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad disguised in a bear suit. The Web posting also included a graphic photo of Theo van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker who was murdered in 2004 after making a documentary on violence against Muslim women.

No, the 200th episode of South Park did not feature a ‘caricature’ of Muhammad. It featured a caricature of the actions of media outlets that are too wimpy to show pictures of Muhammad.