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A.Word.A.Day--heteroclite
heteroclite (HET-uhr-uh-klyt) adjective 1. Deviating from the ordinary rule; eccentric. 2. (In grammar) Irregularly inflected. noun 1. A person who is unconventional; a maverick. 2. A word that is irregularly formed. [From Middle French, from Late Latin heteroclitus, from Greek heteroklitos, from hetero- + klinein (to lean, inflect). Ultimately from the Indo-European root klei (to lean). Other words derived from the same root are decline, incline, recline, lean, client, climax, and ladder.] "They (candidates) are a heteroclite bunch." Philip Revzin; Will Italians Vote To Send a Scotsman To EC Parliament?; The Wall Street Journal (New York); Jun 16, 1989. "I might have imagined. Nor could I have dreamed the heteroclite crew - men I had met aboard Tzadkiel's ship ..." Gene Wolfe; The Urth of the New Sun; Tor Books; 1997. This week's theme: words to describe people.
X-BonusPromises are like the full moon: if they are not kept at once they diminish day by day. -German proverb |
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