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The Learning Kingdom's Cool Word of the Day for June 7, 1999
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pamphlet [n. PAM-flit]
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A pamphlet is a small publication, usually unbound and with a paper
cover, and a pamphleteer [n. pam-fli-TEER] is someone who publishes
or distributes pamphlets.
Some etymologists have been stumped by this word. With its second
syllable "-let" it seems to be a diminutive like "booklet," but the
apparent root "pamph" does not make sense. Did our word come from the
Spanish papeleta (slip, card)? Is there a link with the Egyptian
papyrus (paper made from pressed rushes)?
Actually, our word traces back to a very popular love poem from the
twelfth century. It was called "Pamphilus, seu de Amore" (Pamphilus,
or on love). The main character's name, Pamphilus, means "beloved by
all," from pan- (all) and philos (beloved).
The poem was widely reproduced, and its title entered common usage.
By the 14th century, a pamphlet was any unbound text shorter than a
book.
Essay about the history and uses of pamphlets:
http://www.sils.buffalo.edu/faculty/ellison/Syllabi/519Complete/scans/Pamphlets.html
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