ext_147905 ([identity profile] prettygoodword.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] 1word1day2017-08-10 02:19 pm
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Thursday word: periapt

periapt (PER-ee-apt) - n., a charm esp. worn around the neck, an amulet.


I thought it had something to do with church architecture, but no. Not the most common word ever, but it does appear in multiple collegiate dictionaries, so not super-rare either. Borrowed in 1584 from Middle French periapte, from Greek períapton, amulet, from períaptein, to fasten around (oneself), from perí-, around + haptein, to fasten.

Almost instantly I discovered that my uncle's periapt was missing.

(Yes, that's a real quote, from one "Adventure of the Purloined Periapt". I have not attempted reading it.)

---L.

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