eupeptic

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The Word of the Day for July 3 is:

eupeptic   \yoo-PEP-tik\   adjective
     1 : of, relating to, or having good digestion 
    *2 : cheerful, optimistic 

Example sentence: 
     "The generous outpouring of writings devoted to public libraries ... makes me positively eupeptic about the future of scholarship in this area." (E. A. Goedeken, _Libraries & Culture_, March 22, 2004)

Did you know? 
     "Eupeptic" first appeared around 1700 and was probably created from "eupepsia," a word meaning "good digestion." ("Eupepsia" was cooked up from "eu-," meaning "good," and "-pepsia," meaning "digestion," ingredients that are ultimately of Greek origin.) It seems reasonable that good digestion might enhance one's outlook on life -- and indeed, "eupeptic" can suggest a happy frame of mind as well as a happy digestive system. Along similar lines, someone with poor digestion might be cranky, and the antonymous counterparts of "eupeptic" and "eupepsia" -- "dyspeptic" and "dyspepsia" -- can suggest either indigestion or ill humor.

*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.





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