discerptor, n.

[‘ A person who pulls something apart; a person who divides or separates something.'] Pronunciation: Brit. /dɪˈsəːptə/, U.S. /dᵻˈsərptər/ Etymology:Probably partly < post-classical Latin /discerptor/ person who separates something (1748 in the passage translated in quot. 1854; already in 14th cent. in sense ‘adversary’), and partly directly < classical Latin /discerpt-/, past participial stem of /discerpere/ discerp v. + -or suffix.  Now rare.  A person who pulls something apart; a person who divides or separates something.

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hapax legomenon, n.

[‘ Chiefly in linguistic and literary studies: a word or word form which is recorded only once in a text, in the work of a particular author, or in a body of literature.'] Pronunciation: Brit. /ˌhapaks lᵻˈɡɒmᵻnən/, ˌhapaks lᵻˈɡɒmᵻnɒn, U.S. /ˌhæpæks ləˈɡɑməˌnɑn/ Inflections: Pl. *hapax legomena*. Forms: 16 *apax legomenon*, 17– *hapax legomenon*. Etymology: < Hellenistic Greek /ἅπαξ λεγόμενον/ something that has been said once < ancient Greek /ἅπαξ/ once ( < the same Indo-European base as same adj.

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gammer, v.

[‘ /intr./ To idle, trifle, gossip; to lounge about; to fritter away (time).'] Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈɡamə/, U.S. /ˈɡæmər/ Etymology: < gammer n. With the likely semantic motivation compare gossip v., gossip n., cummer n.  /Eng. regional/ (chiefly north.). Now rare.  /intr./ To idle, trifle, gossip; to lounge about; to fritter away (time). 1788 W. Marshall /Provincialisms E. Yorks./ in /Rural Econ. Yorks./ II. 331 To Gammer, to idle.

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ahimsa, n.

[‘ The doctrine of non-violence; avoidance of killing or causing harm out of respect for all living things.'] Pronunciation: Brit. /əˈhɪmsɑː/, U.S. /əˈhɪmˌsɑ/ Forms: 18– *ahimsa*, 18– *a-hinsa*, 18– *ahinsa*, 19– *a-himsa*. Etymology: < Sanskrit /ahiṃsā/, ahiṉsā non-violence < /a-* un- prefix1 + /hiṃsā* injury ( < /hiṃs-/ to injure, harm, kill).  /Hinduism/, Jainism, and Buddhism.  The doctrine of non-violence; avoidance of killing or causing harm out of respect for all living things.

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pluranimity, n.

[‘ Diversity of opinions; (also) an instance of this.'] Pronunciation: Brit. /ˌplʊərəˈnɪmᵻti/, ˌplɔːrəˈnɪmᵻti, U.S. /ˌplʊrəˈnɪmᵻdi/ Etymology: < classical Latin /plūr-, /plūs more (see plus prep., n., adv., and adj.) + -animity (in unanimity n.). Compare pluranimous adj.  /rare/.  Diversity of opinions; (also) an instance of this. 1647 N. Ward /Serm. before House of Commons/ 13 The Lord mingles a perverse spirit amongst them, there is nothing but contradiction and prevarication, objections interjections, puzlings and counterpuzlings, pluranimities and pluranimosities amongst them.

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perissology, n.

[‘ Use of more words than are necessary; redundancy or superfluity of expression, pleonasm; an instance of this.'] Pronunciation: Brit. /ˌpɛrɪˈsɒlədʒi/, U.S. /ˌpɛrəˈsɑlədʒi/ Forms: 15–17 19– *perissology*, 17 *parissology* /irreg./. Etymology: < post-classical Latin /perissologia/ use of more words than are necessary (4th or 5th cent. in grammarians; already in classical Latin (Quintilian) as a Greek word) < Hellenistic Greek /περισσολογία/ < ancient Greek /περισσός/ redundant (see perissad adj. and n.

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multiloquence, n.

[‘ Excessive talkativeness or loquaciousness; prolixity.'] Pronunciation: Brit. /ˌmʌlˈtɪləkw(ə)ns/, U.S. /məlˈtɪləkw(ə)ns/ Etymology: < post-classical Latin /multiloquentia/ (Vetus Latina; translating ancient Greek /πολυλογία/ polylogy n.) < /multi-/ multi- comb. form + /-loquentia/ -loquence comb. form. Compare earlier multiloquent adj. and multiloquiousness n., multiloquy n.  Now rare.  Excessive talkativeness or loquaciousness; prolixity. 1760 ‘J. Copywell’ /Shrubs Parnassus/ 147 Where Clamour wages war with Sense, And Oratory centres in Multiloquence. 1846 J.

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prosopopoeia, n.

[‘ A rhetorical device by which an imaginary, absent, or dead person is represented as speaking or acting; the introduction of a pretended speaker; an instance of this. Now rare.'] Pronunciation: Brit. /ˌprɒsə(ʊ)pəˈpiːə/, U.S. /prəˌsoʊpəˈpiə/, ˌprɑsəpəˈpiə Forms: 15 *prosopopeya*, 15 *prosopopoiia*, 15–16 *prosopopaeia*, 15–16 *prosopopaia*, 15–16 *prosopopoia*, 15–17 *prosopopoea*, 15– *prosopopeia*, 15– *prosopopoeia*, 16 *prosopopaea*, 16 *prosopopeiae*, 16 *prosopopoeja*. Etymology: < classical Latin /prosōpopoeia/ speech composed and delivered in the character of another person, impersonation (Quintilian), in post-classical Latin also representation of inanimate or abstract thing as speaking or as displaying other characteristics of an animate, conscious being (from 13th cent.

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largifical, adj.

[‘ Liberal, generous, bountiful.'] Etymology: < classical Latin /largificus/ bountiful, lavish (Lucretius; < /largus/ large adj. + /-ficus/ -fic suffix) + -al suffix1.  /Obs./ /rare/. Chiefly humorous.  Liberal, generous, bountiful. 1656 T. Blount /Glossographia/, /Largifical/, that bestows bountifully, that gives frankly, liberal. 1708 /Brit. Apollo/ 2 June, Through the Benignity of our Largifical Essence, always inclin’d to succour the Egestuosity of our Vorarie’s Conceptions;..we will now descend from our Innubilous Empireum.

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parviscient, adj.

[‘ Knowing little; ignorant.'] Pronunciation: Brit. /pɑːˈvɪsɪənt/, U.S. /pɑrˈvɪʃ(ə)nt/ Etymology: < parvi- comb. form + scient adj., probably after omniscient adj.  Now rare.  Knowing little; ignorant. 1862 F. Hall tr. N. N. Gore /Rational Refut. Hindu Philos. Syst./ iii. iii. 210 The ignorance of a single soul..keeps it parviscient, parvipotent. 1884 T. J. Scott in J. M. Reid /Doomed Relig./ 160 Brahma alone..is neither parviscient nor omniscient. 1890 /Overland Monthly/ Oct.

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