This week’s theme
Words related to books

This week’s words
bibliotaph
bouquiniste
florilegium
bibliolater
pandect


This week’s comments
AWADmail 877

Next week’s theme
Eponyms

---

A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(PAN-dekt)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A complete body of the laws of a country, organization, etc.
2. A comprehensive treatise on a subject.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin pandectes (encyclopedia), from Greek pandektes (all-receiving), from pan- (all) + dektes (receiver), from dekhesthai (to receive). Ultimately from Indo-European root dek- (to take, accept), which also gave us dignity, discipline, doctor, decorate, docile, deign, condign, dogmatic, doxy, heterodox, philodox. Earliest documented use: 1531.

NOTES:

Originally, the Pandects (also known as the Digest), was a 50-volume compendium of Roman laws, compiled under the emperor Justinian during CE 530-533.

USAGE:

“Families were told that students at the near 100-percent African-American elementary school would not be allowed to ‘wear outlandish hairstyles in school,’ as mandated by the improved Saint Rose manual on student pandect.”
Michael J. Rochon; School Bans ‘Afro’ Hairdos; Philadelphia Tribune (Pennsylvania); Dec 1, 2000.

“The Queen Mother’s death cannot have taken him by surprise, yet, [Andrew Motion] says, he resisted the urge to have his pandect on the national grief written and ready to roll the moment Peter Sissons chose his mauve tie.”
Adam Newey; A Turnip Writes; New Statesman (London, UK); Oct 14, 2002.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: