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A.Word.A.Day--noetic

noetic (no-ET-ik) adjective

Of or relating to the mind or intellect.

[From Greek noetikos, from noein (to think), from nous (mind).]

"This `noetic Casanova,' as Gleick calls him (Richard Feynman), put science next to sex, where it belongs in alphabetical order. His books are full of brainy pranks and skirt-chasing honed to a science of its own." Thomas A. Bass, Casanova of the Mind, Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman (book review), The Los Angeles Times, Nov 1, 1992.

"The former literature professor (Paul LeBlanc) says: `Before the invention of writing, the most important intellectual skill you could possess was the ability to memorize. After writing was invented, however, our noetic economy shifted.'" Linton Weeks, Ten-Track Mind: We Do Everything at Once. But Are We Forgetting Something?, The Washington Post, May 26, 1999.

This week's theme: miscellaneous words.

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