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A.Word.A.Day--eximious

eximious (eg-ZIM-ee-uhs) adjective

Excellent, distinguished.

[From Latin eximius (select, choice), from eximere (to take out, remove).]

"Example" and "exempt" are examples of a few other words that are derived from the same root.

"The dead greatness of the past is something Argentina is unable to forget. In the last few years, two eximious episodes have been added to this endless funeral minuet." Tomas Eloy Martinez, Tombs of Unrest, Transition (Durham, North Carolina), 1998.

Usually the words in AWAD are organized in a theme but once in a while we simply feature words that are engaging by themselves. Consider this a cross-country drive through the dictionary, with no itinerary in hand. We'll make several stops along the way, but who knows where we might stop and why? Let's see what kind of words we might come across. Perhaps we'll meet words that are long and short and unusual and uncommon, but all of them, just like people, are interesting only if we care enough to learn about them. -Anu

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