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ERRANT

PRONUNCIATION: (ER-uhnt)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Traveling, especially in search of adventure.
2. Erring, straying, or moving aimlessly.

ETYMOLOGY: For 1: From Old French errer (to travel), from Latin iterare (to travel), from iter (road, trip).
For 2: From Old French errer (to err), from Latin errare (to wander or to err).
Earliest documented use: 1400s.

NOTES: How in the world can a word have so many different meanings? Blame homographs, two different words having the same spelling (lead, the verb & lead, the metal). In the case of today’s word, two Latin words (iterare and errare) evolved into the Old French errer. This homographic confusion continued when the words traveled to English. As if this weren’t enough, the word errant has morphed into another word resulting in further confusion: arrant.
Only the first adjective form is used postpositively.
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TERRANT - Earthlike

E.R. RANT - there's a madman yelling and screaming in the Emergency Room!

'ERRANG - what you caught yesterday when you were fishing (past tense of 'ERRING)

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AFORETHOUGHT

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-FOHR-thot)

MEANING: adjective: Planned or premeditated; not by accident.

ETYMOLOGY: From afore (before) + thought, from Old English thoht. Ultimately from the Indo-European root tong- (to think or feel), which also gave us the words think and thank. Earliest documented use: 1472.
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AFRO RETHOUGHT - reconsidering your 60s hairdo

AMORE THOUGHT - When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie (see also ADORE THOUGHT)

"A" FOR E THROUGH T - accolades for the middle (though chunky) volume of an encyclopedia

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IMMEMORIAL

PRONUNCIATION: (im-uh-MOHR-ee-uhl)

MEANING: adjective: Very old; beyond memory or recorded history.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin in- (not) + memoria (memory). Earliest documented use: 1593.
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IN MEMORIAL - where Abraham Lincoln's statue is in Washington, D.C.

VIM MEMORIAL - a tribute to my get-up-and-go, which (no surprise!) has got-up-and-went

GIMME-MORIAL - describing the behavior of the insatiably greedy

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LAUREATE

PRONUNCIATION: (LOR-ee-uht)

MEANING: adjective: Having special distinction or recognition in a field.
noun: A person honored for achieving distinction in a field.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin laureatus (crowned with laurel), from laurea (crown of laurel), feminine of laureus (of laurel), from laurus (laurel). Earliest documented use: 1395.

NOTES: In ancient Greece, a wreath or a crown of laurel sprigs was used to honor people. The word baccalaureate as a synonym for bachelor’s degree was formed from the alteration of Latin baccalarius to conform to bacca lauri (laurel berry).
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L.A. URATE - what gives many kidney stones in Los Angeles

LAURA, TE... - attempted words of affection from Laura's bashful Latino boy-friend

FAURÉ ATE - Gabriel the composer did this in restaurants

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BIBLIOPHILIA

PRONUNCIATION: (bi-blee-uh-FI-Lee-uh)

MEANING: noun: The love of books.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek biblio- (book) + -philia (love).
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BILIOPHILIA - love of anger

BIBIOPHILIA - love of Netanyahu

BIBLI-OPHELIA - beloved of Hamlet, reads a lot of books

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CHRESTOMATHY

PRONUNCIATION: (kres-TOM-uh-thee)

MEANING: noun:
1. A volume of selected literary passages, usually by one author.
2. A selection of literary passages from a foreign language, especially one assembled for studying a language.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek chrestomatheia, from chrestos (useful) + manthanein (to learn). These two parts of the word ultimately derive from Indo-European gher- (to like or want) which gave us yearn, charisma, greedy, exhort; and mendh- (to learn) that resulted in the terms mathematics and polymath. Earliest documented use: 1832.
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CHRESTOMATH - numerology applied to literature

CHRESTOPATHY - your father's selection of one author's works

CHRISTOMATHY - a concordance of the New Testament

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BIBLIOCLAST

PRONUNCIATION: (BIB-lee-uh-klast)

MEANING: noun: One who destroys or mutilates books.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek biblio- (book) + -clast (breaker). Earliest documented use: 1880.
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BIBLICOCLAST - mutilator of Bibles

BIBLIOCLASH - when my book says your book is wrong

BI-CLIO-CLAST - one who breaks statues of the Muse of History, who swings both ways

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FEUILLETON

PRONUNCIATION: (FOI-i-ton) [the final syllable is nasal]

MEANING: noun:
1. The part of a European newspaper devoted to light literature, criticism, and the like; also something printed in this section.
2. A novel published in installments.
3. A short literary piece

ETYMOLOGY: From French, from feuillet (sheet of paper), diminutive of feuille (leaf), from Old French foille, from Latin folium (leaf). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhel- (to thrive or bloom), which also gave us flower, bleed, bless, foliage, blossom, and blade. Earliest documented use: 1845.
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FEUILLE-TONE - part of a palette of red/orange/brown autumn-leaf colors

FEW ILL ETON - only a couple of cases at the school

FE QUILL ETON - the school is known for requiring an iron pen for writing

FEU ISLET ON - power has been restored to Fire Island

FEU I'D LET ON - fire has permission to come aboard

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BIBLIOPHAGE

PRONUNCIATION: (BIB-lee-uh-fayj)

MEANING: noun: One who loves to read books; a bookworm.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek biblio- (book) + -phage (one who eats).
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BIBLIOPHASE - a stage of cell division when the cell consults its book to decide how to replicate its chromosomes

BIBLIOPLAGE - a beach in Nice which requires reading a book for admission

BI-GLIO-PHAGE - a brain cell important to the process of pruning and remodeling synapses

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MOLOCH

PRONUNCIATION: (MOH-lahk, MAH-luhk)

MEANING: noun: Someone or something to which extreme sacrifices are made.

ETYMOLOGY: After Moloch, a Canaanite god of the Bible, associated with the practice of child sacrifice. From Latin Moloch, from Greek Molokh, from Hebrew Molekh, from melekh (king). Earliest documented use: 1615. Moloch has turned into a verb as well: molochize.
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G.M.O. LOCH - a secluded lake in Scotland where research on genetically-modified marine plants is conducted

MORLOCH - the bad guys in H.G.Wells' The Dundee Time Machine

MO BLOCH - little-known brother of Henry and Richard, the accountants

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