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multifarious: msg#00003

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Subject: multifarious

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The Word of the Day for June 4 is:

multifarious \mul-tuh-FAIR-ee-us\ adjective
: having or occurring in great variety : diverse

Example sentence:
John listed his multifarious interests and activities on his college
application.

Did you know?
Dictionary makers have dated the first appearance of "multifarious" in
print as 1593 — and rightly so — but before that time another word
similar in form and meaning was being used: "multifary," meaning "in many ways"
and appearing (and disappearing) in the 15th century. Before either of the
English words existed, there was the Medieval Latin word "multifarius" (same
meaning as "multifarious"), from Latin "multifariam," meaning "in many places"
or "on many sides." "Multi-," as you may know, is a combining form meaning
"many." A relative of "multifarious" in English is "omnifarious" ("of all
varieties, forms, or kinds"), created with "omni-" ("all") rather than
"multi-."





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