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Apr 13, 2017

This week’s theme
Eponyms from Greek mythology

This week’s words
orphic
myrmidon
nemesis
amazon
muse

The Wounded Amazon
Roman copy of the original by Kresilas (c. 430 BCE), Vatican, Rome

Photo: Nick Thompson

A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

amazon

PRONUNCIATION:

(AM-uh-zon, -zuhn)

MEANING:

noun: A tall, strong, powerful woman.

ETYMOLOGY:

In Greek mythology, Amazons were a race of women warriors in Scythia (in modern Russia). One of the labors of Hercules was to obtain the magical girdle from the Amazon queen Hippolyta. Earliest documented use: 1398.

USAGE:

“You’re tall ... I ask for a clerk, and they send me an Amazon.”
Kathleen Tessaro; Rare Objects; Harper; 2016.

See more usage examples of amazon in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. -Christopher Hitchens, author and journalist (13 Apr 1949-2011)

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