The Death of Fissiparous and Other Words: A Dictionary of Words & Phrases on the Verge of Extinction

a dictionary of words and phrases on the verge of extinction — updated daily — for the word obsessed!

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the death of fissiparous and other words

A dictionary in progress by CJ Cooney.

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I'm CJ Cooney, a writer on communication, ideas, culture and history. This blog is a chronicle of my adventures in lexicography.

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If reading were a sin, the average person today would be a saint. And this dictionary in progress would be blasphemy. More...

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REFERENCEER
REF-ren-sear. Noun. 1. Anyone who enjoys reading or browsing dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias, and other sundry reference materials. 2. A publisher of reference material. 3. CJ's book blog adventure.

isomorphic

ai-suh-MOR-fik

adjective

similar in form; identical in form

1968John NormanPriest Kings of Gor...it would be a physical model of that same history, an isomorphic analogue of her past as she had experienced it.1981Philip K. DickThe Divine Invasion'This apparently is a furtive life form. It's not isomorphic with us. It doesn't think the way we do.'1983Christopher StasheffThe Warlock WanderingBut there's a gadget in the back of the ship called an 'isomorpher,' and when the pilot turns it on, it makes us isomorphic with H-space.1988Umberto EcoFoucault's Pendulum...what is above is isomorphic to what is below.

Labels: Christopher Stasheff, John Norman, Philip K. Dick

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esurient

i-SUR-ee-uhnt

adjective

greedy; avaricious; hungry

1903George MooreThe Untilled FieldFather Maguire remembered the theological debates, sometimes prolonged till after three o'clock, and the passionate scholiast of Maynooth seemed to him unrecognisable in the esurient Vicar-General, only occasionally interested in theology, at certain hours and when he felt particularly well.1987John NormanVagabonds of GorHe heard Ina gasping and crying out, now totally at the mercy of the esurient males who so masterfully fondled and exploited her.

Labels: George Moore, John Norman

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