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LauraDoliner
Posted: 28 January 2004 01:23 AM   [ Ignore ]
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A colleague of mine slipped the word "fissiparous" into a conversation the other day.  For anyone thinking about political parties or other interest groups, this word is an essential descriptor!
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Stargzer
Posted: 28 January 2004 06:38 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 1 ]
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Welcome, Laura!  That’s a good one.  I hope Dr. Language picks it up quickly.  

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Regards//Larry &&&&“Her heart was as cold as a stone at the bottom of a mountain lake.”)&&    Travis McGee on Bonita Hersch, Nightmare in Pink (John D. MacDonald)

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Sitran
Posted: 28 January 2004 07:07 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 2 ]
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AHD:

fis·sip·a·rous

adj.

  1. Reproducing by biological fission.
  2. Tending to break up into parts or break away from a main body; factious.

fis·sipa·rous·ly adv.
fis·sipa·rous·ness n.

I am concerned that the etymology is not given here!

Sitran

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“Science in its ideology sees itself as doing a fearless exploration of the unknown. Most of the time it is a fearful exploration of the almost known.”&&&&- Rupert Sheldrake &&&&

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Stargzer
Posted: 28 January 2004 07:49 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 3 ]
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[quote author=Sitran link=board=wordsuggest;num=1075303416;start=0#2 date=01/28/04 at 16:07:36]AHD:

I am concerned that the etymology is not given here!

Sitran

Since the stem of the prefix looked related to fission and fissile and the suffix seemed related to oviparous, I did some left-hand searching on the AHD:

fissi-

pref.


1.  Fission: fissiparous.

2.  Split; cleft: fissipalmate.


[hr][From Latin [tt]fissus[/tt], past participle of [tt]findere[/tt], to split; see [tt]bheid-[/tt] in Indo-European roots.]

-parous
suff.
Giving birth to; producing:  multiparous .


[hr]

[From Latin [tt]-parus[/tt], from [tt]parere[/tt], to give birth; see [tt]per[sub]http://www.yourdictionary.com/images/ahd/gif/schwa.gif[/sub]-[/tt][sup]1[/sup] in Indo-European roots.]

 

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Regards//Larry &&&&“Her heart was as cold as a stone at the bottom of a mountain lake.”)&&    Travis McGee on Bonita Hersch, Nightmare in Pink (John D. MacDonald)

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Sitran
Posted: 28 January 2004 08:01 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 4 ]
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Good job, Stargzer!  Thanks!

Sitran

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“Science in its ideology sees itself as doing a fearless exploration of the unknown. Most of the time it is a fearful exploration of the almost known.”&&&&- Rupert Sheldrake &&&&

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