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Monday, March 19, 2012

A Word A Day: DOXY

DOXY

The word for Sunday in Wordsmith's Word A Day was:  doxy:


MEANING:
noun:
1. A mistress or a promiscuous woman.
2. Opinion or doctrine

ETYMOLOGY:
For 1: Of uncertain origin, perhaps from obsolete Dutch docke (doll). Earliest documented use: around 1530.
For 2: Back-formed from orthodoxy, heterodoxy, etc. From Greek doxa (opinion), from dokein (to think). Ultimately from the Indo-European root dek- (to take or accept), which is also the root of words such as paradox, orthodox, doctor, disciple, discipline, doctrine, dogma, decent, decorate, dignity, disdain, condign, and deign
. Earliest documented use: around 1730.
USAGE:
"The arresting officer would still be filling out paperwork and the doxy would be collecting her things and heading back to the street."
Neil Steinberg; Blinded by Race; Chicago Sun-Times; Dec 31, 2008.

"In that twilight zone of the Anglican double standard, orthodoxy is really just a word for my doxy. Heterodoxy means everyone else's doxy."
Hywel Williams; Let Us All Err and Stray; The Guardian (London, UK); Jul 8, 2003.


Merriam-Webster provides these synonyms:
Synonyms: bimbo [slang], chippie (also chippy), floozy (also doxie), fancy woman, hoochie [slang], hussy, Jezebel, minx, quean, slut, tramp, trollop, wench, whore
Related Words: siren, temptress, vamp; grisette, harlot, prostitute, trull

Dachshund Lovers may be best off just spelling it Dachsie!

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