This week’s theme
Long words

This week’s words
chintz
sesquipedalian
dermatoglyphics
hemidemisemiquaver
supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

---

A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(duhr-mat-uh-GLIF-iks, -muh-tuh-)

MEANING:

noun:
1. The ridge patterns of skin on the inner surface of the hands and feet.
2. The scientific study of these skin patterns.

NOTES:

It is one of the longest words with no repeated letters. Can you find another one of the same length? Here’s a hint: you can’t copyright it. It’s ‘uncopyrightable’.

ETYMOLOGY:

Coined in 1926 by Dr Harold Cummins (1893-1976) from Greek dermato- (skin) + glyphein (to carve). Ultimately from the Indo-European root gleubh- (to tear apart), which is also the source of cleave, glyph, clever, and clove (garlic). And that’s also where we get cleavage, cleft palate, and cloven hooves. Earliest documented use: 1926.

USAGE:

“Finger patterns can show the presence of inherited diseases. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about dermatoglyphics.”
Jessica Matthews; Maverick in the ER; Harlequin; 2011.

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

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: