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Apr 30, 2010
This week's themeBack-formations This week's words cathect sass callithump accrete cerebrate This week's comments AWADmail 409 Next week's theme Verbally speaking 
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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Gargcerebrate
PRONUNCIATION:
(SER-uh-brayt)
MEANING:
verb tr., intr.:
To use the mind: to think, reason.
ETYMOLOGY:
Back-formation from cerebration (act of thinking), from cerebrum (brain).
Ultimately from the Indo-European root ker- (horn or head) that is also the
source of words such as unicorn, horn, hornet, rhinoceros, reindeer, migraine,
carrot, carat, and Hindi sirdar (leader, from Persian sar: head).
USAGE:
"Since Galatea, Richard Powers has been cerebrating more than he's been
feeling, but with his latest book, as if in wild overcompensation, he
has led with his heart and entirely lost his head."
Thomas Mallon; Going to Extremes; The Atlantic (Boston); Jan/Feb 2003.
See more usage examples of cerebrate in Vocabulary.com's dictionary. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours. -Stephen Roberts, database architect (b. 1967)
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