misanthrope

****************************************************************
Ready to march? Strike up the brand with a 14-day free
trial to Merriam-WebsterCollegiate.com!
http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/collegiate_sub.pl?refr=C_wod
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for March 2 is: 

misanthrope   \MISS-un-throhp\   noun
     : a person who hates or distrusts humankind

Example sentence:
     Moliere's 1666 satiric comedy _Le Misanthrope_ portrays 
the life of Alceste, a misanthrope who is completely intolerant 
of society and everyone in it.

Did you know?
     The word "misanthrope" is human to the core. Literally. 
One of its parents is the Greek noun "anthropos," 
meaning "human being." Its other parent is the Greek 
verb "misein," meaning "to hate." "Misein" also gave 
English "misogamy" ("a hatred of marriage"), "misogyny" 
("hatred of women"), "misology" ("a hatred of argument, 
reasoning, or enlightenment"), and "misoneism" ("a hatred, 
fear, or intolerance of innovation or change"). "Anthropos" 
joined forces with "phil-" (a combining form meaning "loving") 
to form the Greek ancestor of "philanthropy" ("active effort to 
help other people"). We also dig up "anthropos" when we 
excavate the foundations of the word "anthropology."