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A.Word.A.Day--thanatopsis

This week's theme: words related to death and taxes.

thanatopsis (than-uh-TOP-sis) noun

A reflection upon death.

[From Greek thanatos (death) + -opsis (appearance, view).]

Thanatos is the Greek personification of death; thanatophobia is an abnormal fear of death. Thanatopsis is the title of an acclaimed poem by poet and journalist William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878).

-Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org)

"Subject to constant death threats, Dr. [Martin Luther] King 'had a thread of thanatopsis, a preoccupation of his death.' It blistered through his oratory. Canaan portrays a man aware his time would be brief and despairing of realizing his dreams." The Philadelphia Inquirer; King Chronicler to Speak at Free Library; Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News; Jan 24, 2005.

X-Bonus