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 Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 7:23 am
prodigy • PRAH-duh-jee • noun
1 : something extraordinary : wonder
*2 : a highly talented child
Example Sentence:
Musical audiences are fascinated by the prodigy, that rare and remarkable youngster who possesses technical mastery to rival that of the best adult performers.
Did you know?
Is a prodigy a genius or a monster -- or both? Nowadays, it's the talent that shines through, but back in the 15th century the word's meaning was more strongly influenced by that of its Latin ancestor, "prodigium," meaning "omen" or "monster." Back then, a prodigy could be any strange or weird thing that might be an omen of things to come. Even in modern English, the word sometimes refers to an extraordinary deed or accomplishment. P.G. Wodehouse used that sense when he described how a character named Pongo Twistleton was "performing prodigies with the [billiard] cue."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
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Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 11:30 am
i have heard that it originally meant anything which manifested itself unnaturally, especially ahead of time.
so it naturally fits the child prodigy!
but it equally applies to the biblical "prodigal son" (same word root(, who was unnaturally ahead of his time in wishing to receive his inheritance while his father was still alive.
in my opinion, his demand was truly monstrous.
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