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Jul 11, 2012 This week's theme Words borrowed from French This week's words risque billet-doux femme fatale pudeur dishabille Mata Hari, the archetypal femme fatale Photo: Lucien Walery Discuss Feedback RSS/XML A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg femme fatale PRONUNCIATION: (fem fuh-TAHL) plural femmes fatales (fem fuh-TAHLZ) MEANING: noun: An attractive and seductive woman, especially one who leads others into disaster. ETYMOLOGY: From French, literally fatal woman. Earliest documented use: 1879. USAGE: "The film sees Depp's math teacher character falling for Jolie's femme fatale as she spins a web of mystery." John Irish; A Minute With: Angelina Jolie; Reuters (UK); Dec 9, 2010. Explore "femme fatale" in the Visual Thesaurus. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Insanity is relative. It depends on who has who locked in what cage. -Ray Bradbury, writer (1920-2012)

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