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superfluous: msg#00013culture.language.word-of-the-day
***************************************************************** More new words! The 2004 copyright version of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition now available! http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/book.pl?c11.htm&1 ***************************************************************** The Word of the Day for July 14 is: superfluous \soo-PER-floo-us\ adjective *1 : exceeding what is sufficient or necessary : extra 2 : not needed : unnecessary Example sentence: The textbook includes so much superfluous information that students often overlook key points. Did you know? If you think that "superfluous" must mean "extra 'fluous,'" along the pattern of such words as "superabsorbent" and "superabundant," you're actually not far off. "Superfluous" comes from the Latin adjective "superfluus," meaning literally "running over" or "overflowing." "Superfluus," in turn, derives from the combination of the prefix "super-" (meaning "over" or "more") and "fluere," "to flow." ("Fluere" also gave us "fluid," "fluent," and "influence," among others.) Since its first appearance in English in the 15th century, "superfluous" has referred to an "overflowing" of some supply, as of time or words, which hearkens back to its Latin origins. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. |
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