mala

[Dave]

Just for a change, this obscure word comes from entomology.  Insects can be very irritating, can't they?!

Main Entry: ma·la   
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural ma·lae
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, jaw, cheek -- more at MAXILLA
1 : a single lobe of the maxilla of an insect
2 a : the grinding surface of a mandible of an insect b : the third segment of a mandible of some myriapods

Citation format for this entry:

"mala." Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, 2002. http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com (1 Oct. 2007).

[Binkie]

Watch it, Dave - "a single lobe of the maxilla of an insect"  .....you are edging perilously close to sub-atomic levels here!

[Dave]

Well, as far as I can remember the puzzle DOES accept things like boson and muon, and I can't say that I have ever dropped those casually into the conversation!

[Binkie]

[Dave]

Angels, sound your trumpets loud
and make the world's high places ring.  Proud
Binkie's at a loss for words --
Dave triumphs, lord of inkhorn nerds!








(I think this poetry thing is getting to me...)

[Binkie]

     
                                             

[Alan W]

Mala actually seems to have a multitude of other meanings:

• the arch of bone beneath the eye that forms the prominence of the cheek
• South Asia, flower garland: a garland of flowers given to somebody as a sign of welcome
• in Buddhism, a string of beads used in meditation, esp. for counting recitations; a Buddhist rosary

The first of these is obviously related to the insect meanings, and would also take the Latin-style plural malae, I presume.

So I suppose it would be rather maladroit of me not to allow mala and malae.