The term debunk was first introduced by author William Woodward in his 1923 satirical novel Bunk, where the protagonist aimed to expose the fallacies in various situations. The term bunk in this context refers to “nonsense,” a slang term that originated from the word bunkum, a misspelling of Buncombe, the name of a county in North Carolina. The association of this term with nonsense can be traced back to a tedious speech delivered by Democratic-Republican Congressman Felix Walker regarding Missouri’s admission to the Union. Despite numerous requests to conclude his unending speech, Walker persisted, claiming it was not for the benefit of Congress but rather a “speech for Buncombe,” forever linking his town to meaningless political rhetoric. It is important to note that this definition of bunk is distinct from its meaning as a type of bed, which is related to bunker.
