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Aug 8, 2007

This week's theme
Red-herring words

This week's words
malefactor
incommode
axenic
hardscrabble
breastsummer

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axenic

adjective: Free from contamination.

[From Greek a- (not) + xenikos (foreign). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ghos-ti- (stranger, guest, or host, literally one who has a reciprocal duty of hospitality) that also gave us host, hostel, hostile, hostage, hospice, hospital, xenophobia, and xenon (a gas).]

"Operation Axenic was launched in July to help improve the streets in New Shildon. Action was taken following complaints about antisocial behaviour and litter."
Helen Miller; Arrests Made in Joint Bid to Clean Up the Streets; Northern Echo (Darlington, UK); Oct 30, 2004.

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

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