Chrysti The Wordsmith: Ex- Words - 3

I'm Christie the wordsmith lately on this series we've been examining some outstanding words headed up with the prefix X such as expect a rate expert gait and extravagant. When the X prefix is attached to a root word it most often means out or out of or out from. For instance the verb exhale literally means breathe out. Consider today's word X Zorba tent and adjective meaning exceeding all bounds inordinate immoderate. When this word is dissected by syllables it reveals a delightful etymology. First comes the X prefix which here means out of and next nestled right in the middle is the word orbit. A term we typically associate with the path of the planets around the sun. Ex orbit tent literally means that which is out of orbit or an established track. In other words a natural irregular. The word has been used in lots of interesting ways over the centuries it has described things aberant as in an X didn't beast with

only three legs so called Mad Men were considered exorbitant in the 16 and 17 hundreds. But today we most often associate this adjective with the unreasonable cost of an item or a service. When we complain that new car prices or health care costs are x orbit and were etymologically saying that those expenses are out of orbit from Montana State University in Bozeman this is Christie the wordsmith. CHRISTIE The wordsmith is sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Zoot enterprises. A high tech firm in Bozeman Montana offering challenging careers and innovative solutions for the financial services industry sued web dotcom.