mottodecay
/ˈmɒtəʊ dɪˈkeɪ/nounVerified NewAlso in: Mottohalbwertzeit (Deutsch) · lemavida (Español) · devivie (Français)
The process by which a family motto, cited annually, loses all connection to actual family behaviour.
"We never go to bed angry" is recited at weddings by households who went to bed angry that afternoon. Mottodecay is gentle and complete: the words survive as decoration while the practice they described is uncovered by archaeology. Only visitors take the motto seriously, briefly.
Etym. — motto + decay — the slogan's half-life measured in generations.
Rel. — matriarchmurmur · mottodecay
Novelty check: APPROVE
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