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Jun 11, 2004

This week's theme
Verbs

This week's words
amerce
deracinate
wamble
embrangle
obtund

This week's comments
AWADmail 125

Next week's theme
Words to describe physical characteristics of people

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obtund

(ob-TUND) verb tr.

To blunt, deaden, or dull.

[From Middle English, from Latin obtundere (to beat against), from ob- (against) + tundere (to beat). Other words derived from the same Latin root are pierce and contuse.]

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

"Self-improvement books are narcotics in ink. They obtund with false promise."
Tom Tiede; Self-Help Nation; Atlantic Monthly Press; 2001.

"It seemed wise to attack when the better part of their foes, complacent with garrison duty, would be obtunded from holiday celebrations."
S.N. Dyer; Resolve and Resistance; Omni (New York); Apr 1, 1995.

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