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A.Word.A.Day--monestrous monestrous (mon-ES-truhs) adjective Of or related to mammals which experience one estrus (rut or period of heat) in a breeding season. [Combining form mon- (one) from Greek monos, mono- + oistros (gadfly, madness).] "The ova vaccine, Miller says, is a better choice for monestrous species, like coyotes, that come into heat only once a year, regardless of whether the female conceives." Mary Roach, One Marsupial Too Many, Discover (Chicago), Dec 2000. This week's theme: words that appear to be mis-spellings of everyday words. X-Bonus Work saves us from three great evils: boredom, vice and need. -Voltaire, philosopher (1694-1778)

AWADmail: Check out the latest issue, AWADmail 57, a compendium of readers' comments on words.