January 14, 2007

mirific

mirific: working wonders; wonderful adj. (my-RIF-ic) Also mirifical
as in "an absolutely mirific physical therapist"
--The Endangered English Dictionary, David Grambs.

Bloggin' John Comments
• At first glance, mirific might appear to be a conflation of miraculous and terrific: mir - ific. But not so. The word came from the Latin for "to wonder at," mirificus, which ultimately contracted to mirific.
Mirific also carries the sense of "marvelous" as "in mirific
adventures" -- W.J.Locke>.
--Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, 2002. http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com

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