Thursday, September 22, 2016

Interesting words: Fissiparous

Definition: Fissiparous is an adjective meaning "tending to break into parts".  In biology, it means reproducing by splitting.

Pronunciation:  fi-ˈsi-p(ə-)rəs

Origin: Fissiparous comes from Latin: fissus the past participle of findere "to split" and parus "bearing" (as in producing).

Why use it?  Another single word that has no exact synonym.

Examples:  In the 1960s, Lyndon Johnson's embrace of civil rights highlighted fissiparous tendencies in the Democratic party.  Today, however, it is the Republicans who have nominated a fissiparous candidate.
 

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