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1word1day2017-03-09 07:45 am
prettygoodword.livejournal.com) wrote in 1word1day2017-03-09 07:45 am
Thursday word: quisquilian
quisquilian (kwiz-KWIL-ee-an) - adj., worthless, trivial, consisting of rubbish.
That last being the root sense -- for this is from Latin quisquiliae, trash/rubbish. Another 17th century Latinate borrowing, and I have to wonder whether it was by Sir Thomas Urquhart -- I mean, he would, if someone didn't grab it first. As one blog post helpfully points out, this is potentially useful for covert insults:
"My, what a quisquilian prom dress you have, dear."
---L.
That last being the root sense -- for this is from Latin quisquiliae, trash/rubbish. Another 17th century Latinate borrowing, and I have to wonder whether it was by Sir Thomas Urquhart -- I mean, he would, if someone didn't grab it first. As one blog post helpfully points out, this is potentially useful for covert insults:
"My, what a quisquilian prom dress you have, dear."
---L.
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