POLLEX

thumb, pollex

(noun) the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

pollex (plural pollices)

The thumb; the first, or preaxial, digit of the forelimb, corresponding to the hallux in the hind limb. In birds, the pollex is the joint which bears the alula or bastard wing.

Source: Wiktionary


Pol"lex, n.; pl. Pollices. Etym: [L., the thumb.] (Anat.)

Definition: The first, or preaxial, digit of the fore limb, corresponding to the hallux in the hind limb; the thumb. In birds, the pollex is the joint which bears the bastard wing.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

10 May 2025

BEATIFY

(verb) declare (a dead person) to be blessed; the first step of achieving sainthood; “On Sunday, the martyr will be beatified by the Vatican”


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Coffee Trivia

The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.

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