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Oct 9, 2023
This week’s themeWords for body parts This week’s words hallux pinna canthus uvula gnathion 
Hallux, a device to geolocate furniture in the dark
Image: imgflip Previous week’s theme Tosspot words 
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu GargHow well do you know yourself? We are not suggesting an introspection, although that has its value. We are asking how well you know this body that you inhabit. Yesterday, as I was finishing a marathon in Victoria, Canada, I came to the conclusion that the hardest working part of me is my feet. They carry me around for miles on a race course, for hours on the dance floor, for thousands of feet up and down mountains. I’m ever thankful to my feet. Also, to the head -- the other end -- that governs the whole operation. Is the rest of the body a support system for the two? What do you think? Which part of your body are you most grateful for? Which part do you hate? Share on our website or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Include your location (city, state). In the meantime, we’ll explore five words for body parts you may not have realized have their own names. hallux
PRONUNCIATION:
(HAL-uhks)
MEANING:
noun: The big toe. More generally, the innermost digit on the hind foot of animals.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin hallux. Earliest documented use: 1831.
NOTES:
Interestingly, the big toe is not always the longest toe. When
the second toe is longer, this condition is known as Morton’s toe. It
is named after Dr. Dudley Joy Morton (1884-1960), who first described
it.
USAGE:
“‘I developed gigantism of the hallux so I just don’t wear shoes or
boots most of the time ...’ Billy says as he is gripping his large
black toe with his right hand.” Jeffrey M. Tulppo; The Carpenter; Xlibris; 2014. See more usage examples of hallux in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
From everything that man erects and builds in his urge for living, nothing
in my eyes is better and more valuable than bridges. They are more
important than houses, more sacred than shrines. Belonging to everyone and
being equal to everyone, useful, always built with a sense, on the spot
where most human needs are crossing, they are more durable than other
buildings and they do not serve for anything secret or bad. -Ivo Andric,
novelist, Nobel laureate (9 Oct 1892-1975)
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