Edumacation

Edumacation is a purposefully altered form of the word “education” usually applied in a sarcastic, humorous way, implying the actual lack of education from the part of the speaker.

The term “Edumacation” is a statement toward the school system in which many experience the lack of proper, commonly applicable knowledge, while there is an absurdly large overabundance of otherwise useless lexical knowledge.

It is a playful way of being ironic with oneself, while it may also be used to poke fun at others taking themselves too seriously.

Example: 

Person A: “Who do you think you’re talking to? I’m a Professor Laureate of Brown University!”

Person B: “No worries, mate! I also got an edumacation!”

Perfect!

The term is derived from the English word “education”, with the added infix, –ma– which is a tool for adding ironic, pseudo-sophistication to a word, making the speaker sound a lot more scientific and factual, with a humorous intent.

Although the exact origin of “Edumacation” is not known, it began emerging in America during the late 19th century. One of the earliest publications to include the humorous expression was the 1904 book of R. G. Knowles, titled “Of Stories – Just a Few.”

It spread quickly and was a favorable expression during the 1920s, serving as something to laugh at while people were high on Jazz Cigarettes.

One of the most prominent propagators of “Edumacation” was the cartoon series “Popeye,” which included the expression in several episodes. However, the rest of the 20th century saw a steady decline in the popularity of “Edumacation.”

The expression was first defined on Urban Dictionary in 2003, with several entries to follow. “Edumacation” was also included in The Simpsons in Season 24 Episode 6, uttered by Cletus.

• Urban Dictionary – Edumacation