Gerontology Glossary :: Terminology of Aging :: Aging Reflected in Language

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Village Memorial - Gerontological Glossary - Studying the Terminology of Aging

Word	Citation	Author	Work	Initial Interpretation of Author's Use	Found Definition / Additional Use	Revised Interpretation
au courant	"Do we always need to be au courant?"	Bartky, Sandra Lee	Unplanned Obsolesce (Mother Time)	Correct or current	French, literally, in the current, fully informed : up-to-date <trying to stay au courant>	Staying current or up to date.
superannuated	"…find my ideas quaint and quite superannuated."	Bartky, Sandra Lee	Unplanned Obsolesce (Mother Time)	Antiquated.	superannuated computing equipment old, old-fashioned, antiquated, out of date, outmoded, broken-down, obsolete, disused, defunct.	Old fashioned.
ineluctable	"..attractiveness may exert an ineluctable pressure on elderly people…"	Ruddick, Sara	Virtues and Age Women (Mother Time)	Undeniable, obvious or extreme	unable to be resisted or avoided; inescapable : the ineluctable facts of history.	Inescapable.
insuperable	"…will encounter practical barriers, sometimes insuperable ones…"	Walker, Margaret Urban	Getting Out of Line (Mother Time	Insurmountable.	incapable of being surmounted, overcome, passed over, or solved <insuperable difficulties>	(No change in interpretation) Insurmountable.
Antiageist agenda	"A feminist antiageist agenda must be ambitious."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	An agenda that works to oppose ageist systems and works to promote equal treatment of all ages.	More employers are showing signs of ultra-political correctness as they respond to anti-ageism legislation. Even guidance from Acas, the Government's arbitration agency, points out that a director or playwright could run into trouble if the cast of a play was entirely young or old – to avoid the theatre of the absurd there is an exemption for the artistic temperament.	In looking at Gullette's use and the found use online, I see this is a common term that indeed means to avoid discrimination of any age bracket (young or old). It works to promote equality across all age brackets.
Humanist	“My role, as a humanist, is to turn our attention inward.”	Ray, Ruth E.	"Toward the croning of feminist gerontology"	Someone who respects and appreciates humankind.	Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people, based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal human qualities, particularly rationality, without resorting to the supernatural or alleged divine authority from religious texts.	Unfamiliar with this term I had to look it up. I see now that the humanist works to "affirm" "the worth of all people".
eschatological	"…a vivid eschatological picture of end of earthly life was developed…"	Edited by: Coward, Harold	Life After Death in World Religions	Unfamiliar with this word, I was unclear what it implied/meant.	the part of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind.	theological picture concerned with death/judgment or final destiny of soul/mankind
Ageist	"I'm not finding my identity. I never mislaid it; it wasn't something fixed early that could be mislaid in adulthood, as if through carelessness. That metaphor of "finding"…is powerfully ageist."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	Gullette seems to be referring to bias against age.	discrimination on the basis of age, especially against older people.	I interpreted "ageist" as just a general bias against age, not necessarily middle aged or older. With the additional definition, I now see this more of a bias against older aged people.
Gerontophobia	"Gerontophobia, we might say, infects the grandson of thirteen…"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	Fear of aging people.	the fear of growing old, or a hatred or fear of the elderly.	Fear of growing old/or of elderly in general.
Looksism	"Nor does it seem possible to eradicate looksism at large,…"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	discrimination on the basis of looks, or expectations based on one's looks	construction of a standard for beauty and attractiveness, and judgments made about people on the basis of how well or poorly they meet the standard.	In looking at the definition and Gullette's use, I now understand this as significantly more judgmental towards how well/poorly the looks standards are met.
Middle-ageism	"…midlife women get hit with middle-ageism in the form of widespread public menopause discourse…"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	discrimination of being middle-aged	Ageism directed at those in their middle years—middle ageism	(No change in interpretation.) Ageism focused at those in middle years/middle-aged.
Life cycle	“They learn to fear their own changes through the life cycle…”	Ray, Ruth E.	"Toward the croning of feminist gerontology"	Cycle of life	The human life cycle begins at fertilization, when an egg cell inside a woman and a sperm cell from a man fuse to form a one-celled zygote….	The biological cycles of life from conception to death.
Iatrogenic illness	"...they describe the suffering that has entailed under the terrifying term iatrogenic illness."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	An illness that is not terminal, but not curable.	induced inadvertently by a physician or surgeon or by medical treatment or diagnostic procedures <an iatrogenic rash>	Apparently this illness is caused by medical treatments or procedures.
Interlocutors	"Furthermore the convention that interlocutors communicate through body language as well as speech…"	Silvers, Anita	Aging Fairly (Mother Time)	Unfamiliar with this word, I was unclear what Silvers meant.	a person who takes part in a dialogue or conversation.	People taking part in a conversation.
Snarky	[A] "great scene where Ms. Davis is at her best, snarky about everything." [In the scene Davis insults a younger woman at a party by offering her a milkshake instead of a cocktail.]	ericfutral	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnr3AMCmJ3A	Smart alec or sarcastic	(of a person, words, or a mood) sharply critical; cutting; snide : the kid who makes snarky remarks in class.	This use is accurate, the remarks are more cutting/snide than merely sarcastic.
Soto voce	"…for example, she tells me, soto voce, that she has a 'problem'…"	Furman, Frida Kerner	There Are No Old Venuses Women (Mother Time)	In a soft voice	literally "under voice" in Italian) means to speak under one's breath.	Under one's breath
Synecdoche	"I had suffered a loss, not a metaphor for decline. Once I had escaped from the spray of synecdoche, I could estimate that loss accurately."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	Unfamiliar with this word, the context in which Gullette used; it sounded negative.	a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa, as in Cleveland won by six runs (meaning “Cleveland's baseball team”).	Additional information is implied but not included. Gullette's use remains somewhat unclear because of the preceding metaphor "spray of".
vis-à-vis	"Sheila may well perceive herself and be perceived by others as representing a difference in kind vis-à-vis her hair loss…"	Furman, Frida Kerner	There Are No Old Venuses Women (Mother Time)	Unfamiliar with this word, I was unclear what Furman meant.	vis-à-vis preposition we need to discuss our test results vis-à-vis the national standards regarding, concerning, apropos to, toward, relating to, compared with, with respect to; informal re.	In considering Furman's use and the definition, I see this instance as meaning "relating to".
Age peers	"…my age peers..."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	People of the same age bracket that one looks to for input or for comparison.	his academic peers equal, coequal, fellow, confrere; contemporary; formal compeer.	Equals of a similar age bracket.
Bifurcating	"Our contemporary approach to aging prolongs this difference by bifurcating the ways of aging, contrasting the maintenance of vigor with withdrawal…"	Silvers, Anita	Aging Fairly (Mother Time)	breaking down or contrasting	divide into two branches or forks	breaking down into two paths
Contemporaneity	"The enforced bond of contemporaneity might come to be considered a collective problem."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	The word sounded much like contemporary, but I was unfamiliar with this form.	existing or occurring in the same period of time	Having existed during the same period as another event/person or other.
Discursive	“…where sex and gender are cast exclusively in social and discursive terms and here personal agency is occluded.	Ray, Ruth E.	"Toward the croning of feminist gerontology"	This word sounded much like discourse, as in terms of discourse.	of or relating to discourse: a mode of organizing knowledge, ideas, or experience that is rooted in language and its concrete contexts (as history or institutions	In considering Ray's use and the dictionary definition, I understand this to mean terms that organize/compartmentalize things, or in this case - gender.
Essentialism	“Moi acknowledges female embodiment, including age, nationality, race, class, and a storehouse of lived experiences, without falling into essentialism.”	Ray, Ruth E.	"Toward the croning of feminist gerontology"	A state in which something is required.	In philosophy, essentialism is the view that, for any specific kind of entity, there is a set of characteristics or properties all of which any entity of that kind must possess.	In looking at the definition and Ray's use, I see that she refers to attributing a universal set of characteristics or properties all females.
Syllogism	"Let me break into this artifact of a syllogism at every point."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	Unfamiliar with this word, I was unclear what Gullette meant.	an instance of a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn (whether validly or not) from two given or assumed propositions (premises), each of which shares a term with the conclusion, and shares a common or middle term not present in the conclusion. (e.g., all dogs are animals; all animals have four legs; therefore all dogs have four legs).	In looking at the definition and Gullette's use, I see this as a statement or conclusion. Gullette's use also seems sarcastic in that one could use such a mix of the wrong/right conclusions that one would be extremely mistaken.
Dour	"a dour sensation,…"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	My read of Gullette's use of "dour" was a sour or unpleasant sensation.	receptionist stern, unsmiling, unfriendly, severe, forbidding, gruff, surly, grim, sullen, solemn, austere, stony.	This is an unusual use of the word from the definition I found. I'm not sure I agree with Gullette's use of it in reference to a sensation. I cannot perceive of a sensation being sullen/grim.
ignominious	"'Give up your souls; today shall you be recompensed with an ignominious chastisement…"	Edited by: Coward, Harold	Life After Death in World Religions	Flagrant or insensitive	deserving or causing public disgrace or shame	A disgraceful chastisement.
Pronatalism	"As a society the United States has been moving away from the mystique of pronatalism, as do all modernizing societies that need the work of women and a reduced birthrate."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	The only word I was familiar with in close vicinity was pre-natal. I wasn't sure what Gullette's version meant.	Natalism or pro-birth is a belief that promotes human reproduction.	This is promoting reproduction. I agree with Gullette's use, but I find her point outdated. I see the US as growing more accepting of older first time mothers (30+); of delaying motherhood. There is still pronatalism applied to all women and stigmas attached to not having biological kids, or kids period. (A caucasian friend who adopted Korean children has been asked more than once - don't you have any children of your own?)
Age-graded dissatisfaction	"I had always been more beautiful once. Every woman I know goes through some version of this age-graded dissatisfaction…"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	Dissatisfied by one's current age, or by comparison of ages.	n/a	I believe Gullette's term is appropriate - grading one's satisfaction by comparison between earlier and later ages.
Valorization	"…interviews also uncovered women not using HRT' happy with 'feminist valorization' of menopause…"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	I was unclear what Gullette was trying to say.	1. To establish and maintain the price of (a commodity) by governmental action. 2. To give or assign a value to.	In looking at Gullette's use and the meaning of the word, I see that "commoditization" was the meaning intended with this quote.
Whipsaw	"And in her soliloquies of age anxiety she may whipsaw faster and farther: now seeing herself through an ever more critical…"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	I was unclear what Gullette was trying to say. It sounded like "whiplash", but made no sense.	To defeat or best in two ways at once.	In looking at the definition and Gullette's use, I see that she means the age anxiety is defeating in two ways at once.
Ageless	"In short, they have produced themselves and can be represented in midlife as competent, energetic, nurturing, tireless. 'Ageless'".	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	Gullette seems to be referring to not acting or showing one's age.	1. Seeming never to grow old. 2. Existing forever; eternal.	Looking at both definitions I now see that ageless is more than not showing one's age, but never seeming to grow old. Similar to a vampire, one is locked into a particular age for eternity.
Crone movement	"Feminist movements that attack only the pessimism - from Eliza Farnham in the antebellum period to the crone movement of today…"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	The author seems to be referring to a movement of wanting to recognize and respect the crone as a role model for women.	Today the Crone Movement takes its name from the archetype of the older woman, a symbol of wisdom and strength.	In looking at this found definition and Gullette's, it is clear that the old image of an old woman as being a negative thing, has been reconstructed to look at older women as good role model with wisdom to offer.
Wise independence	"…'wise independence' which includes not only the ability to plan and control one's life but also the ability to acknowledge one's limitations and accept help in ways that are gratifying to the helper."	Ruddick, Sara	Virtues and Age Women (Mother Time)	Being smart about one's independence. Being realistic about when and what should be delegated and doing so.	n/a	Ruddick's idea of "Wise Independence", made a great deal of sense.
heterogeneity	"Nor does it deny the heterogeneity of elderly lives…"	Ruddick, Sara	Virtues and Age Women (Mother Time)	Unfamiliar with this word, I was unclear what Ruddick meant.	heterogeneous adjective a heterogeneous collection of art diverse, varied, varying, variegated, miscellaneous, assorted, mixed, sundry, disparate, multifarious, different, differing, motley; informal hodgepodge, mixed-bag; literary divers. antonym homogeneous.	In looking at the use, and the definition, I see the reference to elderly lives as being diverse and varied.
Sui generis	"…in some ways age is sui generis."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	Unfamiliar with this word, I was unclear what Gullette meant.	a Neo-Latin expression, literally meaning of its own kind/genus or unique in its characteristics	I liked this word after learning its meaning. I agree with Gullette's use - age is definitely its own kind, containing unique characteristics. (an Antonym of Essentialism)
Pneuma	"Counternarrative is the speech of pneuma; pneuma the long-repressed voice of age identity."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	Unfamiliar with this word, I was unclear what Gullette meant.	the vital spirit, soul, or creative force of a person.	This use indicates the Gullette sees counternarrative as coming from the soul or spirit of a person. I liked her idea.
Ontological	"It has ontological status. (Every time I use the term, the mere mention lends midlife an effect of reality…"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	Unfamiliar with this word, I was unclear what Gullette meant.	the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being.	The nature of being and the reality it conjures.
Age identity	"…we are in the process of developing that substantial sense of self-over-time that I call age identity."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	Identity one develops by one's experiences build over time (determined by age.)	the fact of being who or what a person or thing is, the characteristics determining this	Gullette's use makes sense. What one identifies with does heavily rely upon experience over time, namely age.
Declining body	"…I was a different person - a 'declining body.'"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	A body that is declining, losing function.	standards steadily declined deteriorate, degenerate, decay, crumble, collapse, slump, slip, slide, go downhill, worsen; weaken, wane, ebb; informal go to pot, go to the dogs, go into/down the toilet.	A body that is in the process of deterioration. However, Gullette is referring to it as an identity as being considered a person in decline much like we consider those in chemo.
Identity-stripping	"…people are pressured to abandon their subjective sense of themselves, shedding precious stores of self-esteem, losing not only cumulative selfhood…but the prospect of becoming….Many chapters show how identity-stripping works."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	Removal of one's ability to identify themselves, their stories, their core.	All persons flying on commercial airlines would be identity-stripped by a database that would include their names, phone numbers, addresses, dates of birth, their traveling companions and itineraries, how tickets were paid, rental car information and destinations, names and addresses of businesses the passenger has used, all information about their current and past car ownership and even newspaper subscriptions.	Gullette's use is different from the one I found online. Gullette's idea is a more personal loss/sense of identity, whereas the second use I found refers to an exposure of one's personal information. Both uses make sense in their context: Being exposed personally and losing one's identity.
Insouciance	“I am sure that the fact that I was in England, freshly arrived from the Norwegian fjords and unemployed, helped to give me the insouciance required to write.”	Ray, Ruth E.	"Toward the croning of feminist gerontology"	motivation	nonchalance, unconcern, indifference, heedlessness, calm, equanimity, composure, ease, airiness; informal cool. antonym anxiety	An ease or heedlessness the author refers to was required to write material she would have been anxious to do so had her situation not been what it was.
eschews	"Neel eschews orthodox beauty norms and valorizes her octogenarian looks.	Meyers, Diana Tietjens	Appearance, Aging and Women (Mother Time)	Unfamiliar with this word, I was unclear what Meyers meant.	he firmly eschewed political involvement abstain from, refrain from, give up, forgo, shun, renounce, steer clear of, have nothing to do with, fight shy of; relinquish, reject, disavow, abandon, spurn, wash one's hands of, drop; informal kick, pack in; formal forswear, abjure.	In looking at the dictionary and Meyer's use, it is clear that this person shuns or renounces typical beauty norms and embraces her "octogenarian looks".
Age-graded narrative	"…a reconsolidation of an older age-graded narrative about women's lives."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	a narrative based on or graded by age	narrative: account, chronicle, history, description, record, report, story.	Gullette is referring to a life account, history or story being graded by age.
Biologism	"…the stain of biologism that reduces the powers of later life to an automatic mechanism."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	New word, that had a negative tone, if there was a negative applied to biology.	use of biological principles in explaining human behavior, especially social behavior. A theory or doctrine based on a biological viewpoint.	Using biology to explain human behavior. Combined with Gullette's use, it appears this is a limitation based on biological principles.
Age anxiety	"…explanations of the midlife soliloquy of age anxiety."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	A fear of age	his anxiety grew worry, concern, apprehension, apprehensiveness, uneasiness, unease, fearfulness, fear, disquiet, disquietude, inquietude, perturbation, agitation, angst, misgiving, nervousness,	I interpret "age anxiety" as a worry/fear/unease about one's age.
Age deficiencies	"My mind could scroll through a ready-made list of what I took to be age deficiencies…"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	Gullette's seems to be referring to deficiencies brought about by one's age.	the team's big deficiency defect, fault, flaw, imperfection, weakness, weak point, inadequacy, shortcoming, limitation, failing	I agree with Gullette's use - shortcomings or limitations due to age. I believe these are deciphered at any stage when one can no longer do what they one could at an earlier age.
Age-related grief	"…why are we so vulnerable to age-related grief? If midlife decline is so natural,…"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	Grief as that occurs in relation to one's age. The grief over lost youth.	sorrow, misery, sadness, anguish, pain, distress, heartache, heartbreak, agony, torment, affliction, suffering, woe, desolation, dejection, despair; mourning, mournfulness, bereavement, lamentation	This refers to sorrow or a sense of loss when considering one's age. I believe this could mean in midlife as Gullette describes it, or at any stage when one can no longer do what they once could or be who they once were.
Jagged episodes	"These jagged episodes of self-appraisal occurred unexpectedly…"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	Broken or sporadic episodes.	adjective - don't give your dog a jagged bone spiky, barbed, ragged, rough, uneven, irregular, broken; jaggy, snaggy; serrated, sawtooth, sawtoothed, indented.	These moments in time Gullette refers to are uneven or irregular. Additionally I think they are sharply acknowledged due to their rarity.
Seasick indecisiveness	"My seasick indecisiveness did not come from perfect belief;…"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	An indecisiveness that makes one queasy.	seasick - suffering from sickness or nausea caused by the motion of a ship at sea.	(No change in interpretation) A Queasy indecisiveness.
Playing in overtime	"By fifty, despite all the cheerful talk about expanded life spans, it is better to assume that one is already playing in overtime."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	Playing on borrowed time.	a. Sports A period of playing time added after the expiration of the set time limit.	One should not expect time to be added after expiration of (the game of) life.
Shot-clock	"…one realizes that one is no longer playing with a fully loaded shot-clock…"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	I was unclear what Gullette was trying to say. It sounded like a broken clock.	A shot clock is used in some sports to quicken the pace of the game.	In consideration of the two uses, I understand that one no longer has the ability to speed up activity at will as one ages. This metaphor makes sense.
Satori	"…what has been called…: epiphany, moments of being, revelation, satori, transcendence."	Walker, Margaret Urban	Getting Out of Line (Mother Time	A clearness of mind or awareness.	sudden enlightenment and a state of consciousness attained by intuitive illumination representing the spiritual goal of Zen Buddhism	A sudden awareness or enlightenment.
Transpersonal	“…the crone’s focus is personal, interpersonal, and transpersonal.”	Ray, Ruth E.	"Toward the croning of feminist gerontology"	Unfamiliar with this word, I felt Ray's use meant something that transcended across people or personal relationships.	Stages of psychological growth, or stages of consciousness, that move beyond the rational and precede the mystical.	In consideration of the two uses, Ray's and the found definition, I believe this to be a stage of psychological growth or a level of consciousness that is difficult to achieve.
denouement	"…tightly interconnected events that rises to a climax and then drops off in a denouement."	Nelson, Hilde Lindemann	Stories of My Old Age (Mother Time)	Unfamiliar with this word, I was unclear what Nelson meant.	the film's denouement finale, final scene, epilogue, coda, end, ending, finish, close; culmination, climax, conclusion, resolution, solution. antonym beginning.	This use indicates a finale, a final close or finish.
mise-en-scene	"One is the imagined mise-en-scene under the ground to hitch the Imam is prompting the right answers."	Edited by: Parkes, Colin Murray, et. All	Death and Bereavement Across Cultures	A scene of some sort.	Stemming from the theater, the French term mise en scène literally means "putting on stage." When applied to the cinema, mise-en-scène refers to everything that appears before the camera and its arrangement—sets, props, actors, costumes, and lighting	Acting out or playing the scene (in this case as if they were underground.)
Tableaux	"These were tableaux, movie moments, being seen as youthful."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	This seemed to refer to cheesy or embarrassing moments.	a domestic tableau around the fireplace scene, arrangement, grouping, group; picture, spectacle, image, vignette.	Gullette's use and the dictionary matched up. The moments she refers to were youthful scenes being played out.
Aged by culture	"…bodily strength as well as other powers that they lose through being aged by culture."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	Being aged by what the culture around one dictates.	n/a	Allowing culture around one to dictate/convince of one's acceptable activities, health levels, etc., through media, advertisements, etc. (i.e. taking to heart ads for supplements to prevent bone loss because ads are aimed at women post-menopause)
Milieu	“…and 30 years as a feminist in an academic milieu she calls “poisonous” for its sexism…”	Ray, Ruth E.	"Toward the croning of feminist gerontology"	Unfamiliar with this word, I was unclear what Gullette meant.	a person's social environment	Academic environment is what it appears Gullette meant although word could mean any social environment.
Sociohistorical	“…insisting on the importance of demonstrating how specific bodies in specific sociohistorical contexts are liberated and constrained by culture..”	Ray, Ruth E.	"Toward the croning of feminist gerontology"	A social history.	of, relating to, or involving social history or a combination of social and historical factors	This refers to a social history or combination of both (social/historical) factors.
Academe	“We have yet to take on the crone-like role of changing attitudes toward aging, particularly women’s aging, in the larger culture beyond academe.”	Ray, Ruth E.	"Toward the croning of feminist gerontology"	Beyond a study environment.	a: a place of instruction : school b: the academic life, community, or world <in the halls of academe>	Academe as a community of study or academic life.
Canonical	"Younger women get hit in the canonical ways, with sexual harassment and rape, abortion limits, pornography, battering and murder…"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	The author seems to be using canonical as a negative word. The ways in which she has described as canonical are abusive/limiting acts against women.	the canonical method recognized, authoritative, authorized, accepted, sanctioned, approved, established, orthodox. antonym unorthodox.	I had considered canononical to mean negative from this excerpt. However, after looking it up, I now see that the author meant that these were the approved methods of treatment towards women.
Age Ideology	"The particular beliefs and feelings about the life course...and the narratives we happen to tell at midlife compose a set of effects with a discernible history and…interlocking maintenance strategies. Age ideology is my shorthand term for the system that regulates it all.	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	System that regulates ideas on age.	a system of ideas and ideals, esp. one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy	A system that regulates economic or political theory and policy as it relates to age. Gullette's use pertains more to ideals of age inflicted on humankind, rather than policies surrounding age. I think both uses make sense.
Epistemological	"The stock answer makes this a feminist epistemological issue: the Baby Boomers want to know!"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	A system of belief, in this case a feminist system of belief.	the theory of knowledge, esp. with regard to its methods, validity, and scope	A feminist theory of knowledge, considering methods and validity.
Solipsism	"pulled me in good time away from the bodily solipsism and bone-deep resignation…"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	Unfamiliar with this word, I was unclear what Gullette meant.	the view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist.	The bodily self that is all one can know exists.
Social constructionism	"The basic idea we need to absorb is that whatever happens in the body, human beings are aged by culture first of all. This is social constructionism."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	A laid out or constructed view of what society should be.	Stems from epistemological position - not an explanatory theory. It is an approach to psychology (and other bodies of knowledge) which focuses on meaning and power. It focuses on meaning and power because its epistemological position dictates that meaning and power are all that we really can claim to know about. It is called ‘social constructionism’ because it aims to account for the ways in which phenomena are socially constructed.	All that is understood is constructed socially.
Age theory	"Age theory saved me. The idea I slowly came to understand - that age had to be socially constructed…"	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	A theory designated or designed by age.	The genetic theory of aging believes that the genes we inherit are the most important factor in determining how long we will live. While there is some evidence for this theory, it ignores our behaviors and exposures throughout life.	Gullette's use differs from what I could locate online. There are theories of aging, but Gullette refers to an age theory. I believe she means one must theorize their own understanding of age by relating it to society.
Life course	“…not just in old age but across the life course.”	Ray, Ruth E.	"Toward the croning of feminist gerontology"	The course of one's life, or the course one's life takes.	Thus the concept of life course implies age-differentiated social phenomena distinct from uniform life-cycle stages and the life span.	Looking at the course one's life as way (all of the connections).
Psychocultural	"Menopause is on its way to becoming a psychocultural disease for the age class of women who haven't had it yet."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	a cultural psychology	of or relating to the interaction of psychological and cultural factors in the individual's personality or in the characteristics of a group <a psychocultural study of suicide>	a combination of psychological and cultural factors
Aggrandize	"Aggrandized allocation of funding for elderly people in our collective practice is no substitute…"	Silvers, Anita	Aging Fairly (Mother Time)	Unfamiliar with this word, I was unclear what Silvers meant.	increase the power, status, or wealth of : an action intended to aggrandize the Frankish dynasty. • enhance the reputation of (someone) beyond what is justified by the facts : he hoped to aggrandize himself by dying a hero's death.	This use means either to increase funding or to improve the reputation of the funding.
Epigones	"…psychologists and their pop epigones tell us that most informants believe..."	Gullette, Margaret M.	Declining to Decline	Followers.	follower, disciple ; also : an inferior imitator	Followers or disciples. Accurate use by Gullette.

Paucity	"Although many have lamented the paucity of research…"	Nussbaum, J. F., et. al.	Communication and Aging
Companionate	"Their friendships are generally companionate, rather than comforting."	Nussbaum, J. F., et. al.	Communication and Aging