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Oct 1, 2009
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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

analphabet

PRONUNCIATION:
(an-AL-fuh-bet)

MEANING:
noun: An illiterate; one who doesn't know the alphabet or the basics of something.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek analphabetos (not knowing the alphabet), from an- (not) + alphabetos (alphabet), from alpha + beta.

USAGE:
"For an auto-analphabet like me, this was big news indeed. Armed with these magical tires, I'd never have to lug around a spare."
Amy Gamerman; Tires -- No Pressure; The Wall Street Journal (New York); May 29, 1998.

See more usage examples of analphabet in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Nothing is illegal if one hundred businessmen decide to do it. -Andrew Young, author, civil rights activist, US congressman, mayor, and UN ambassador (b. 1932)

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