This week's theme
18-letter words to mark Wordsmith.org's octodecennial

This week's words
preantepenultimate
gedankenexperiment
reductio ad absurdum
plurisignification
princesse lointaine

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(ploo-ri-sig-ni-fi-KAY-shuhn)

MEANING:

noun: The use of a word to convey multiple meanings at the same time.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin pluri- (plus) + significare (to signify), from signum (sign). Earliest documented use: 1940.

USAGE:

"The Norwegian Dahle understood that ambiguity and plurisignification were essential to Merina ways of speaking."
Lee Haring; Stars and Keys; Indiana University Press; 2007.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: