FLORILEGIUM

PRONUNCIATION: (flor-uh-LEE-jee-uhm, FLOR-)

MEANING: noun: A compilation of excerpts; anthology.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin florilegium, from flor (flower) + legere (to gather). Ultimately from the Indo-European root leg- (to collect), which also gave us lexicon, lesson, lecture, legible, legal, select, cull, subintelligitur (something that is not stated but understood), prolegomenon (an introduction to a text), lignify (to turn into wood), and lection (a version of a text in a particular edition). Earliest documented use: 1621.

NOTES: If you think of compiling an anthology as arranging flowers in a bouquet, you wouldn’t be far off: the word comes to us from Greek anthos (flower). Florilegium is the Latin equivalent, from flor (flower). Both words have also been applied to a collection of flowers or a collection of writing about flowers. Now, you might think a bouquiniste (a dealer in old and used books) has a similar connection too, but no, this word comes to us from French bouquin (slang for book).
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FLORILEGGUM - to throw lily-painted Easter eggs at the house (that'll teach 'em not to be so cheap next Halloween!)

GLORILEGIUM - the girl has one remarkable gam

FLORILERIUM - to visit the Botanical Gardens while having hallucinations