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A.Word.A.Day--retromingent retromingent (re-tro-MIN-jent) adjective Urinating backwards. noun An animal that passes urine backwards, e.g. raccoon. [From Latin retro- (back) + mingent, stem of mingens, present participle of mingere (to urinate).] "When my turn came, I discovered that the bathrooms had been designed for a retromingent. The rest of the flight? Rather uneventful." Jeffrey Levine; The Concorde, Firsthand: Built for Speed, Not for Comfort; The Washington Post ; Dec 17, 1989. "I can verify that camels are, indeed, retromingent." Sally Bixby Defty; Just Deserts Midnight at the Oasis Sing Your Camel to Bed; St. Louis Post-Dispatch; May 16, 1993. This week's theme: miscellaneous words. X-Bonus Writers, like teeth, are divided into incisors and grinders. -Walter Bagehot, economist and journalist (1826-1877)

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