Register Log In Wordsmith Talk Forums (Old) Weekly themes. (have been consolidated into a single forum above) Words from medicine pollex Search Advanced Forum Search Forums Calendar Active Threads

Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread pollex #122451 02/09/2004 7:49 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 A spellingbee word! = thumb in Latin Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: pollex #122452 02/10/2004 3:44 AM Joined: Jan 2004 Posts: 1,475 California jheem veteran jheem veteran Joined: Jan 2004 Posts: 1,475 California Also means big toe. From Lewis and Short: "To close down the thumb (premere) was a sign of approbation; to extend it (vertere, convertere; pollex infestus), a sign of disapprobation." Premo 'to press (down)' and verto 'to turn'. Or as we say today, thumbs up and or down. (Reminds me of a 7Up soda drink in India called Thums Up. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: pollex #122453 02/10/2004 3:38 PM Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 11,089 Likes: 2 Worcester, MA wofahulicodoc Carpal Tunnel wofahulicodoc Carpal Tunnel Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 11,089 Likes: 2 Worcester, MA I think Big Toe is usually Hallux. Hallux valgus is a bunion. (Valgus is pointing inward; cf. varus, pointing outward. Both are also used for knees - knock-kneed is genu valgum, bowlegged is genu varum. Genu = knee, as you might gather, as in genuflect = bend the knee.) Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

Default Style BlackNTan Drab eBay GooG v2 infopop new dark new light original dark original stock rounded corners Slate snow sunny dropshadow theblues Touch Of Grey UBB.threads UBB.threads - Dark UBB.threads - Light UBBCentral UBBCentral - Crimson UBBCentral - Lime UBBCentral - Marshmallow UBBCentral - Mocha UBBCentral - Zen UBBT77 UBBT77 - Dark ubbthreads ubbthreads-dark Forum Rules · Mark All Read Contact Us · Forum Help · Wordsmith Talk