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ANDROGYNIC

PRONUNCIATION: (an-druh-JIN-ik)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Exhibiting traits associated with male as well as female identities.
2. Having a gender presentation that blends or transcends traditional binary categories.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek andro- (man) + -gune (woman). Earliest documented use: 1834.
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H AND R O'GYNIC - an Irish women's firm that assists in filling out tax returns

ANS: ROGYNIC - Ques: What means "Of or pretaining to a hair-growing medicine?"

ANDROGY: NICE - statement of a clear preference for things male

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ANDROGENIC

PRONUNCIATION: (an-druh-JEN-ik)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Relating to the development of male characteristics.
2. Having origin in the male sex.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek andro- (man) + -genic (producing). Earliest documented use: 1919.
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AND OROGENIC - coming out of the mouth, as well

ANDROPENIC - having a shortage of eligible males

ANDEOGENIC - creating a mountain range in South America

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IDEOPHONE

PRONUNCIATION: (ID-ee-uh-fon)

MEANING: noun: A vivid, evocative word that depicts sensory experiences.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek ideo- (idea) + -phone (sound). Earliest documented use: 1881.
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VIDEOPHONE - an advanced Dick Tracy gadget, upgrading his wrist radio. (Not such a far-fetched idea these days, he Facetimed)

ILEOPHONE - a borborygmus arising in the third portion of the small intestine

DEOPHONE - direct line to Heaven

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IDIOPHONE

PRONUNCIATION: (ID-ee-uh-fon)

MEANING: noun: Any musical instrument that produces sound through its own vibration without requiring any strings, membranes, etc. For example, the gong or the bell.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek idio- (one’s own) + -phone (sound). Earliest documented use: 1940.
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MIDI-O-PHONE - a Nice phone in the south of France

ICI-O-PHONE - There's one here, too!

I-DO PHONE - instrument whose purpose is to complete wedding ceremonies

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THANATOPSIS

PRONUNCIATION: (than-uh-TOP-sis)

MEANING: noun: A reflection upon death.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek thanatos (death) + -opsis (appearance, view).
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THAT A TOP SIS - my favorite female sibling - and she's the best!

THE NATO PSIS - North Atlantic Treaty Organization is recruiting ESP adepts

THANATOPSIST - Lord High Executioner

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THANATOSIS

PRONUNCIATION: (than-uh-TOH-suhs)

MEANING: noun: The act of pretending to be dead, often as a defensive tactic against predators or enemies.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek thanatos (death). Earliest documented use: 1860.
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CHANATOSIS - acting like an old movie detective named Charlie, who solved crimes with the help of a white suit, a Chinese accent, and a Number One Son (Never send to know for whom the bell Tollers...)

HANATOSIS - emulating a crackerjack space pilot who does a lot of Solo flying while Jeding around the Galaxy. Although sometimes he's accompanied by a Wookie. It was a long time ago, and the Galaxy was far, far away.

ETHANATOSIS - playing the role of a Vermont patriot, or maybe (from the sublime to the ridiculous) a furniture salesman (or maybe, even, drunkenness)

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THANATUSSIS - fatal coughing fit

THANETOSIS - localized disease found in the far south-eastern corner of England

THANE O'TROSSACHS - medieval Scottish nobleman

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DAMOCLEAN

PRONUNCIATION: (dam-uh-KLEE-uhn)

MEANING: adjective: Involving imminent danger.

ETYMOLOGY: After Damocles of Greek legend. Earliest documented use: 1888.
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DAME CLEAN - husband of that bald guy in the bottle

DAMN CLEAN - how the kitchen is when they get done with it!

DAM-OCEAN - what the Dutch are trying to do, with variable success

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PENELOPEAN

PRONUNCIATION: (puh-nel-uh-PEE-uhn)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Involving repetitive or cyclical efforts, often with little apparent progress.
2. Characterized by steadfast loyalty and resilience despite prolonged adversity.

ETYMOLOGY: After Penelope, the wife of Odysseus and mother of Telemachus in Greek mythology. Earliest documented use: 1627. Some other words coined after her are penelope and penelopize. Also see sisyphean.
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PENELOPAEAN - a solemn song or chant of fidelity, cleverness, tenacity, and triumph, inspired by the story of Odysseus' wife

OPENELOPEAN - mail in an unsealed packet, with no pretense of privacy

PENTELOPEAN - having run away to marry five times

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MELPOMENISH

PRONUNCIATION: (mel-POM-uh-nish)

MEANING: adjective: Tragic; related to tragedy.

ETYMOLOGY: After Melpomene, the Muse of tragedy in Greek mythology. Earliest documented use: 1801.
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ME POMENISH - I was born and raised in Pomen.

MEL POMEN ICH - (it's in Germany.) My first name is Melvin.

HELP-OMEN-ISH - a sort of sign of assistance in the future

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ALICIAN

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-LISH-uhn)

MEANING: adjective: Surreal, whimsical, or illogical.

ETYMOLOGY: After Alice, the heroine of Lewis Carroll’s books Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871). Earliest documented use: 1898. See also: words coined by Lewis Carroll.
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GALICIAN - pertaining to the northwest corner of Spain, between Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean.
(Not "from France," which you might guess; that would have 2 Ls)

AÖLICIAN - garlicky, and on the oily side

APICIAN - animal doctor who specializes in primates

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ATLANTEAN

PRONUNCIATION: (at-lan-TEE-uhn)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Extremely strong, often alluding to mythical or superhuman capabilities.
2. Related to the legendary island of Atlantis said to have sunk into the Atlantic Ocean.

ETYMOLOGY: After Atlas, a Titan in Greek mythology. After the defeat of the Titans, he was condemned by Zeus to support the heavens. Earliest documented use: 1667.
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AT-LAST-EAN - terminating a long period of waiting

A TANTE-AN - like my mother's French sister, who has a plume on my Uncle's chest of drawers

ATLAN TEAL - a species of duck found mainly in the mountains of northwest Africa, between the Sahara Desert and the southwestern Mediterranean Sea

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PARTURITION

PRONUNCIATION: (par-chuh/too-RISH-uhn)

MEANING: noun: The act of giving birth.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin parturire (to be in labor). Earliest documented use: 1646
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MARTURITION - what the name should have been all along, since it's a she who does it

PARTURATION - the portion you dole out sparingly

PASTURITION - subjecting to 140 degrees (F) to reduce the rate of spoilage

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AVARICE

PRONUNCIATION: (AV-uh-ris)

MEANING: noun: An extreme desire for wealth or material gain.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin avaritia (greed), from avarus (greedy), from avere (to crave). Earliest documented use: 1386.
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OVARICE - how I like my whiskey

ALAR ICE - what caused many airplane delays last winter

'AVARIDE? - response to a roadside upright thumb, in Britain

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PANACEA

PRONUNCIATION: (pan-uh-SEE-uh)

MEANING: noun: A remedy for all difficulties or diseases; a universal cure.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin panacea, from Greek panakeia, from panakes (all-healing), from pan (all) + akos (cure). In Greek mythology, Panacea was the goddess of universal remedy. Earliest documented use: 1548.
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PAN-ACERA - bread so stale that in Mexico City they would walk on it

PAN ACE - bread and butter to a Madrid cardsharp, in the form of a high card up his sleeve

PAN AREA - a region where the subsoil forms a hard layer limiting penetration by plant roots

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SCEPTER or SCEPTRE

PRONUNCIATION: (SEP-tuhr)

MEANING: noun: A wand held by a sovereign as an emblem of authority and power.
verb tr.: To invest with authority and power.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French sceptre, from Latin sceptrum, from Greek skeptron (staff), from skeptesthai (to prop oneself). Earliest documented use: 1340.
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SCENTER - perfume detector; sometimes, an aroma dispenser

'S COPTER - Whazzat sound I hear coming from the helipad?

SIC ETRE - thus to be in Paris

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VERITY

PRONUNCIATION: (VER-i-tee)

MEANING: noun:
1. The quality of being true.
2. Something that is true: a universally accepted truth.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin veritas (truth), from verus (true). Earliest documented use: 1422.
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VERSITY - rhymingness

OVERITY - the truthiness of an Irishman's story

VEXITY - the index of refraction of a magnifying lens; 2) the degree of irritation produced by such distortion

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EXUBERANT

PRONUNCIATION: (ig-ZOO-buh-ruhnt)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Overflowing with energy, enthusiasm, and joy.
2. Plentiful; productive; growing abundantly.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin exuberare (to be abundant), from ex- (out) + uberare (to be fruitful), from uber (fertile). Earliest documented use: 1504.
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EXTUBERANT - delighted to have had the endotracheal tube removed

ENUBERANT - overflowing with happiness, but not showing it; Appolonian, rather than Dionysian

EXUBERANT - a person who, having had a bad experience with an Uber trip, declines to use that ride service again. Ever. Anything else in preference.

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SENESCENT

PRONUNCIATION: (si-NES-uhnt)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Growing old; aging.
2. Deteriorating or decaying with the passage of time.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin senescere (to grow old), from senex (old). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sen- (old), which is also the ancestor of senior, senate, senile, Spanish señor, sir, sire, and surly (which is an alteration of sirly, as in sir-ly). Earliest documented use: 1656.
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SENESCANT - Why, you've hardly aged at all since I saw you !

SENASCENT - the lament of Sisyphus - this pushing a rock uphill over and over is getting old already...

SENSE:SCENT - usually considered the fifth of the five ways we get information about the outside world

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AVUNCULAR

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-VUNG-kyuh-luhr)

MEANING: adjective: Kind, friendly, and helpful, like an uncle, especially in a benevolent or indulgent way.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin avunculus (maternal uncle), diminutive of avus (grandfather). Ultimately from the Indo-European root awo- (an adult male relative), which is also the source of atavism, uncle, and ayah. Earliest documented use: 1831.
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RAVUNCULAR - pertaining to the teacher's parent's brother. (either parent will do)

AVINCULAR - without any periwinkles

AVONCULAR - like a miniature of a beauty product that was formerly sold door-to-door

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SYCOPHANTIC

PRONUNCIATION: (sik/sy-kuh-FAN-tik)

MEANING: adjective: Excessively flattering or fawning, especially in an attempt to win favor or gain advantage.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin sycophanta (informer, slanderer), from Greek sykophantes (informer, slanderer), from sykon (fig) + phainein (to show). Earliest documented use: 1698.
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SYSCOPHANTIC - prividing food and catering services to pachyderms

SYCOPHRANTIC - the crazies are getting desperate

MYCOPHANTIC - the yeast organism that causes Babar's athlete's foot

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INDEFATIGABLE

PRONUNCIATION: (in-di-FAT-i-guh-buhl)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Incapable of being tired out.
2. Persistently energetic or tireless, even in the face of challenges.

ETYMOLOGY: From Obsolete French indéfatigable, from Latin indefatigabilis, from in- (not) + de- (away, completely) + fatigare (to wear out). Earliest documented use: 1586.
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IN DEFEAT, I, GABLE... - the first few words of movie star Clark's concession speech

FIND "FATIGABLE" - Look in the dictionary bewteen "fascinating" and "faucet;" and don't be surprised if you find yourself getting tired.

IN DE FAT I GARBLE - if you give me too much lard I get mixed up

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EARWITNESS

PRONUNCIATION: (EER-wit-nis)

MEANING: noun: One who testifies or can testify to something heard.

ETYMOLOGY: From ear, from Old English eara + witness, from Old English witnes. Earliest documented use: 1539.
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BEARWITNESS - The person who testified for the Plaintiff when the little girl was on trial for all the bad things she did in the Three Bears' house.

HEARWITNESS - what a Trial Court does

EARFITNESS - healthy hearing

EARWIGNESS - being like a Pincher Bug

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DIACHRONIC

PRONUNCIATION: (dy-uh-KRON-ik)

MEANING: adjective: Relating to changes occurring over time.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek dia- (across) + khronos (time). Earliest documented use: 1857.
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DICHRONIC - two-timing

DIAL "CHRONIC" - my phone number is 247-6642

DITCH, RON? ICK - No, Co-Pilot, the thought of abandoning the plane is repugnant

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CONSANGUINITY

PRONUNCIATION: (kon-sang-GWIN-i-tee)

MEANING: noun:
1. A relationship by blood or by a common ancestor.
2. A close connection or kinship.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin consanguineus, from con- (with) + sanguis (blood). Earliest documented use: 1380.
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ICON-SANGUINITY - bloody idol-worship

CON-SANG-UNITY - the Alcatraz Chorus preached cooperation

CON-PANGUINITY - very negative for a flightless black-and-white seabird who stands upright on short legs

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PLEBIAN

PRONUNCIATION: (pluh-BEE-uhn)

MEANING: adjective: 1. Belonging to or relating to the common people.
2. Relating to or characteristic of lower social classes.
3. Common; vulgar.
noun: 1. A commoner.
2. A member of the lower social class.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin plebeius (of the common people), from plebs (common people). Earliest documented use: 1533.
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PLEBIANI - the latest Italian tenor sensation

PRE-BIAN - before there was carbon-based life

PLEA-BIAN - constantly begging

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ALLOPATRIC

PRONUNCIATION: (al-uh-PAT/PAYT-rik)

MEANING: adjective: Existing or occurring in geographically distinct areas.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek allo- (other) + patra (homeland), from pater (father). Earliest documented use: 1942.
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'ALLO, PATRICK - a Frenchman greets an Irishman

ALTO-PATRIC - my father had an unusually high voice

ALLOPATHIC - referring to traditional Western medicine (that one's real; YCLIU)

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DISCHRONIC - timeless

DIACONIC - conic section, e.g. ellipse, parabola

DIANOMIC - Double, double toil and trouble

DIAGONIC - (pronounced dia-GON-ic) - 'woke' term for diagonal (students complained that 'diagonal' sounds too much like 'agony')

DIIRONIC - doubly ironic, e.g. 'a thin lot of good' instead of 'a fat lot of good'

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BEACON

PRONUNCIATION: (BEE-kuhn)

MEANING: noun: 1. Something that provides a guiding or warning signal, such as a lighthouse.
2. Someone or something that illuminates, inspires, or guides.
verb tr.: 1. To serve as a beacon.
2. To furnish with a beacon, such as outfitting a ship to mark shoals.
verb intr.: To emit a signal like a beacon.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English beacen (sign, signal). The word beckon is a cousin. Earliest documented use: before 1150.
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BEECON - annual meeting of the Society of Apiarists

BETACON - not quite at the top of the heap in the penitentiary

BE AN ON - represent a social obligation to a Samurai or other honorable person

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PSYCHORANTIC - extreme style of oratory

SYCOPATHIC - addicted to figs

CYCLOPHANTIC - making the sign of a circle between the thumb and a finger, e.g. to signify zero

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SECURITY BLANKET

PRONUNCIATION: (si-KYOOR-i-tee blang-kit)

MEANING: noun:
1. A small blanket held by a child for comfort and reassurance.
2. Something that provides a feeling of safety, comfort, or emotional stability.
3. Protective measures designed to prevent the unauthorized dissemination of sensitive information.

ETYMOLOGY: From security, from Latin securus (free from care), from se- (without) + cura (care), and blanket, from French blanc (white), referring to undyed wool + -et (diminutive suffix). Earliest documented use: 1944. The term was popularized by Charles Schulz’s comic strip Peanuts, where the character Linus famously clings to his security blanket.
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SECURITY BLINKET - opening and closing the eyes quickly so the contact lenses don't fall out

SCURITY BLANKET - an orange quilt for the prevention of Vitamin C deficiency

SECURITY BLACKET - obscuring a document with an opaque magic marker to render it unreadable

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INCANDESCENT

PRONUNCIATION: (in-kuhn-DES-uhnt)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Emitting light when heated.
2. Extremely bright.
3. Displaying intense emotion, such as anger, affection, or zeal.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin incandescere (to become hot, glow), from in- (intensive prefix) + candere (to shine or glow), from candidus (white). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kand- (to shine) which also gave us candle, incense, candid, candida, candent, and candidate (in reference to white togas worn by Romans seeking office). Earliest documented use: 1794.
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TIN CAN DESCENT - kicking the tomato soup container down the stairs

ZINC ANDES CENT - a unusual old metal coin discovered recently in the mountains of Chile

"I CAN" DESCENT - downfall caused by unwarranted optimism

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NUCLEAR OPTION

PRONUNCIATION: (NOO/NYOO-klee-uhr op-shuhn)

MEANING: noun:
1. The option to use nuclear weapons in a conflict.
2. The most drastic or extreme measure among a range of available options.
3. In the US Senate, a change to the rules that allows a simple majority vote to overcome a filibuster instead of the usual supermajority requirement.

ETYMOLOGY: From nuclear, from nucleus (kernel), from Latin nucula (little nut), from nux (nut) + Latin optare (to choose). Earliest documented use: 1962.
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NaCl EAR OPTION - to try to clear the wax out of your ears with saline, not peroxide

NUN CLEAR OPTION - the choice to have your Parochial School teacher wipe all the data from your computer

NU LEARN OPTION - to decide to study Greek instead of Latin

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LILY-HANDED

PRONUNCIATION: (LIL-ee-han-did)

MEANING: adjective
1. Having delicate, pale hands, unaccustomed to manual labor.
2. Dandy; foppish; overly refined.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English lilie, from Latin lilium, from Greek leirion. Earliest documented use: 1847.
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LILY-WANDED - how the Faerie Queene can perform Magick

LILY HANDEL - the composer's wife; her influence is the reason some of his music is so flowery

OILY-HANDED - most mechanics after giving your car its 7,500-mile servicing

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AROHA

PRONUNCIATION: (UH-ruh-ha, uh-RO-ha)

MEANING: noun: Love, compassion, empathy, warmth of feeling.

ETYMOLOGY: From Māori aroha. The Hawaiian word aloha is a linguistic cousin. Earliest documented use: 1846.
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TARO-HA! - that recipe with the Indonesian vegetable root is laughable

AGROHA - have fun on your tour of the pineapple farm

ARTHA - Mr Fiedlah, whose name for many years was synonymous with the Bahston Pops

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TAPU

PRONUNCIATION: (TAH-poo)

MEANING: noun: A restriction or prohibition; taboo.
adjective: Sacred, restricted, or forbidden.

ETYMOLOGY: From Māori. The English word taboo is borrowed from Tongan tapu, part of the broader Polynesian concept of sacred restriction. Earliest documented use: 1822.
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YAPU - French baby-talk for "All Gone !" and said with the samesing-song intonation as in English "Aw-Gone": elision of "Il n'y a plus!"

TOPU - "formless;" from Genesis I.2, often associated with "v'BOPU" = "empty" ("...and the Earth was without form, and void...")

TUPU - a platter made of modest amounts of assorted appetizers; intended to be shared by two people dining

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KORERO

PRONUNCIATION: (KOR-uh-roh, kuh-REE-roh)

MEANING: noun: A meeting, discussion, conversation, or storytelling session.
verb intr.: To speak, talk, or discuss.

ETYMOLOGY: From Māori. Earliest documented use: 1834.
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SKORERO - matador 1, bull 0

KOREARO - large marsupial in the Pyongyang zoo

KORRO - The famed masked vigilante, featured in a story set in late 18th/early 19th century California, filled with swashbuckling action, romance, and suspense, only...our hero is dyslexic and can't tell a Z from a K, with sometimes hilarious results...Subject of a TV series in the late 1950s

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NOA

PRONUNCIATION: NOH-uh

MEANING: adjective: Free from taboo, restrictions, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Māori, Hawaiian, and Tahitian. The opposite of tapu. Earliest documented use: 1854.
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NOA - the name of the fella in the Bible who built the Ark (Cockney pronunciation; it drops the "H")

NO I? - "Are you aware of the reason for that?"

NOFA - a piece of parlor furniture for nymphomaniacs (think Ado Annie in Oklahoma)

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MANA

PRONUNCIATION: (MAH-nuh)

MEANING: noun: Power, energy, force, or prestige.

ETYMOLOGY: From Māori. Earliest documented use: 1843.
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M. ANU - How the founder of this site is respectfully but semi-formally addressed when he gives a talk in Paris

m-DNA - a recently-discovered genetic material that carries information from one chromosome to another

MINA - a Bostonian youth under 18 years of age

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HIGHT

PRONUNCIATION: (hyt)

MEANING: adjective: Named or called.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English hatan (to call). Earliest documented use: c. 450.
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pH I.G. HT. - the acidity of the elevation of the Inspector General above sea level

HIGH-O - how the Lone Ranger tells his horse Silver to gallop away

HIGH-R - a quantity which, when squared, will equal the volume of a circle

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