Have you ever looked a word up in the dictionary and it wasn't there?

[Seanirl]

AFAIR, I looked up emonate in this big huge dictionary I have, and online to prove to someone it was a word.

I didn't find it. But it IS a word, emanate, but I didn't find that either...

 

[betazed]

Curiously, this has not happened to me before. but today while reading a book I came across this line...

... the human gene pool is afflicted with the worst form of logotaxis...

Now can anyone tell me what logotaxis means. Google and dictionary.com failed to identify the word.

 

[The Last Conformist]

AFAIR, I looked up emonate in this big huge dictionary I have, and online to prove to someone it was a word.

I didn't find it. But it IS a word, emanate, but I didn't find that either...

Never heard of 'emonate', but 'emanate' isn't very obscure, is it? It means to come forth or proceed from some source. The AHD has it.

"Logotaxis" apparently means a compulsive quest for knowledge with no heed for the consequences.

 

[Yom]

Curiously, this has not happened to me before. but today while reading a book I came across this line...

... the human gene pool is afflicted with the worst form of logotaxis...

Now can anyone tell me what logotaxis means. Google and dictionary.com failed to identify the word.

A google search gave me this web page: http://www.srhe.ucsb.edu/lectures/text/ruseText.html

... The noblest among them are sure that humanity migrates toward knowledge by logotaxis, an automatic orientation toward information,...

Edit: I hate you TLC!!! Damn you and your crossposting!

By the way, I'm pretty sure he just misspelled "emanate" when he looked for "emonate" and couldn't find the definition even when he looked for the right word.

 

[The Last Conformist]

Edit: I hate you TLC!!! Damn you and your crossposting!

By the way, I'm pretty sure he just misspelled "emanate" when he looked for "emonate" and couldn't find the definition even when he looked for the right word.

Ah, right, I seem to've misread him.

 

[betazed]

@tlc, @Yom: Thanks. That meaning makes sense.

 

[homeyg]

Let me say that this has only happened to me once. The word antidisestablishmentarianism is in no dictionary I've ever seen nor is it at dictionary.com. Most other words I can find.

 

[The Last Conformist]

Let me say that this has only happened to me once. The word antidisestablishmentarianism is in no dictionary I've ever seen nor is it at dictionary.com. Most other words I can find.

The AHD has 'disestablishmentarianism'. I suppose you get to supply the 'anti-' yourself.

 

[homeyg]

What is AHD? American Heritage Dictionary?

 

[The Last Conformist]

The American Heritage Dictionary.

 

[Bluemofia]

what is the definition of "is"? can you give a legible definition without using is?

 

[homeyg]

The conjugation of the verb 'to be' in the he/she form.

 

[Yom]

what is the definition of "is"? can you give a legible definition without using is?

If you meant "to be" (rather than the definition stating it's a conjugation, like homeyg), then you could define it as "to exist or have certain qualities."

 

[The Last Conformist]

The conjugation of the verb 'to be' in the he/she form.

AKA third person singular present indicative.

 

[Tomoyo]

Third person present indicative active.

 

[The Last Conformist]

Since English doesn't have synthetic voice, indicating the voice of a single word is meaningless.

 

[punkbass2000]

I voted 'no'...; I wasn't expecting it to be such a rare choice... Then again, I rarely look words up so..

 

[Tomoyo]

Since English doesn't have synthetic voice, indicating the voice of a single word is meaningless.

Still, you also missed "imperfect".