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INDO-EUROPEAN & SEMITIC ROOTS APPENDICES
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
OPEN DICTIONARY PROJECT
Share your ideas for new words and new meanings of old words!
n. 1. Something false; a sham. 2. A small hairpiece; a toupee. [French, from Italian posticcio, from posto, added (from Latin positus, past participle of pōnere, to place) or from Vulgar Latin *appostīcius (alteration of Latin appositus, past participle of appōnere, to place by, to add : ad-, ad- + pōnere, to place; see apo- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2017 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Curious George's Dictionary
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The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots
The American Heritage Student Grammar Dictionary
The American Heritage Desk Dictionary + Thesaurus
The American Heritage Science Dictionary
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