Porphyry
This rock was a big deal for the Romans; much less so for the Spelling Bee
Published in
5 min readJun 23, 2021
Today’s New York Times Spelling Bee letters:
A, H, O, R, T, Y, and center P (all words must include P)
Merriam-Webster says…
Silly little dictionary! Don’t you know that porphyry can’t possibly be a word if the New York Times says it ain’t?
For further fascinating facts, check out the Spelling Bee Master.
What’s your favorite dord* from today’s puzzle?
My Two Cents
The dictionary explains that the word porphyry comes from Middle English porphiri, from Medieval Latin porphyrium, an alteration of the Latin porphyrites, itself from the Greek porphyritēs (lithos), literally, “stone like Tyrian purple”, from porphyra purple.
With a lowercase “p” the word refers to the Egyptian rock or any igneous rock with or without porphyritic…
