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A.Word.A.Day--eisegesis

eisegesis (eye-si-JEE-sis) noun, plural eisegeses (-seez)

An interpretation, especially of Scripture, that expresses the interpreter's own ideas, bias, or the like, rather than the meaning of the text.

[From Greek eisegesis, equivalent to eis- into + (h)ege- (stem of hegeisthai to lead) + -sis.]

"It should be noted that the Tenth Amendment does not say that powers not explicitly delegated to the United States are reserved to the states, even though the Supreme Court, in a startling example of eisegesis, once read the word explicitly into the text of the Tenth Amendment.
John A. Rohr; Public administration and comparative constitutionalism; Public Administration Review; Jul 8, 1997.

This week's theme: Words about words

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