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A.Word.A.Day--pollex

Pronunciation RealAudio

pollex (POL-eks) noun, plural pollices

The thumb.

[From Latin.]

Hallux is the equivalent term for the big toe.

"He caught his thumb between his gun and a sharp rock. It was a nasty cut spurting blood. I said, `Ben, that's it. We've got to get you to a doctor.' "`Heck no, let's get a turkey first,' answered Ben, quickly wrapping his dripping pollex with a handkerchief." Fred LeBrun, Just Another Turkey Shoot, The Times Union (Albany, NY) Nov 13, 1997.

This week's theme: terms related to the body.

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