Word of the Day for Friday, October 5, 2012

hirtellous \hur-TEL-uhs\,
verb:
Minutely hirsute.

Any noticeable hirsute or even hirtellous shadings visible upon the represented, unclothed, female form, anywhere below the eyebrows, say, is, in the judgment of this Department…
-- Frank Yerby, "Tobias and the Angel"

A small annual herb commonly 20 to 40 cm. tall, sparingly branched above, hirtellous on the stems with small downwardly curled hairs…
-- Carnegie Institution of Washington, "Botany of the Maya Area"

Hirtellous comes from the Latin word hirt meaning "hairy." The suffix -ellus is a diminutive adjective suffix.

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