LOGOLOG
a weblog of wordplay by Eric Harshbarger
Front Hook: D
My favorite front hook for the letter D involves two words which are, in fact, closely related; they are both rather exotic, however (at least in my opinion -- I don't know that I will ever have reason to use these in everyday conversation).
D is for Dextrorse
DEXTRORSE and EXTRORSE both have to do with the direction something twists or grows, usually in reference to leaves on a plant in relation to the stem.
The root DEXTRO- is from Latin for "right", and thus the first word refers to parts of a plant that spiral from left to right (the DEXTRO- root is probably more familiar in the word "ambidextrous" which essentially means "both right hands" -- being equally skilled with both hands).
The EXTRO- root means "outward" and thus refers to growth away from the axis or stem of a plant.
-- Eric
[23 August 2014]
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