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From:wsmith@wordsmith.org
To:linguaphile@wordsmith.org
Subject:A.Word.A.Day--onychophagia
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Date:Wed, 28 Mar 2001 02:01:00 -0800 (PST)

onychophagia (on-i-ko-FAY-juh, -jee-uh) noun

The practice of biting one's nails.

[From Greek onycho, onyx, nail + -phagia, eating.]

"If bad-tasting polish, gloves or fake nails haven't cured your
onychophagia, these tips may help."
Maria Liberty, Easy, Essential Nail Care, Better Nutrition for Today's
Living (Atlanta), Mar 1994.

This week's theme: uncommon words with common suffixes.

............................................................................
Books are good enough in their own way, but they are a mighty bloodless
substitute for life. -Robert Louis Stevenson, novelist, essayist, and poet
(1850-1894)

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Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/onychophagia.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/onychophagia.ram