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A.Word.A.Day--supernumerary

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supernumerary (soo-puhr-NOO-muh-rer-ee, -NYOO-) adjective

More than required; extra.

noun

1. A supernumerary person.

2. An actor who appears in a drama or film with no speaking part.

[Latin supernumerarius : super, above- + numerus, number.]

"When his boss wrote the word supernumerary in his performance review, Crousherd was ecstatic. Only when he got the pink slip next day did he realize he wasn't a super employee but a superfluous one."

This week's theme: WordPix, words drawn so that they explain themselves.

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To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

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