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Feb 16, 2016
This week’s theme
Words formed in error

This week’s words
megrim
posthumous
lutestring
messuage
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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

posthumous

PRONUNCIATION:
(POS-chuh-muhs)

MEANING:
adjective: Happening after someone’s death, but relating to something done earlier.
For example, a book published after the death of the author, a child born after the death of the father, an award given after the death of a person.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin posthumus, alteration of postumus, superlative of posterus (coming after). The word literally means “subsequent” but since it was often used in contexts relating to someone’s death, people began associating the word with humus (earth) or humare (to bury) and amended the spelling. Earliest documented use: 1608.

USAGE:
“President Aquino has authorized the posthumous conferment of Medal of Valor to two SAF commandos who died during the Mamasapano mission.”
Pres. Aquino to Confer Posthumously Medal of Valor; Asia News Monitor (Bangkok, Thailand); Jan 26, 2016.

See more usage examples of posthumous in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Politics, as a practice, whatever its professions, has always been the systematic organization of hatreds. -Henry Adams, historian and teacher (16 Feb 1838-1918)

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