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Draconian

[drey-koh-nee-uhn, druh-] Example Sentences Origin

Dra·co·ni·an

[drey-koh-nee-uhn, druh-]
adjective
1.
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Draco or his code of laws.
2.
(often lowercase) rigorous; unusually severe or cruel: Draconian forms of punishment.
Also, Draconic.


Origin:
1810–20; < Latin Dracōn- (stem of Draco) + -ian

Dra·co·ni·an·ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Draconian is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
Example Sentences
  • This was and is perceived by my colleagues as draconian, but it works.
  • But these diets can be draconian.
  • And the new state law that is going into effect in July is even more draconian.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
draconian or draconic (dreɪˈkəʊnɪən, dreɪˈkɒnɪk)
 
adj
1.  of or relating to Draco, 7th-century Athenian statesman and lawmaker, or his code of laws, which prescribed death for almost every offence
2.  harsh: draconian legislation
 
draconic or draconic
 
adj
 
dra'conianism or draconic
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

draconian
1876 (earlier Draconic, 1680), from Draco, Gk. statesman who laid down a code of laws for Athens 621 B.C.E. that mandated death as punishment for minor crimes. His name seems to mean lit. "sharp-sighted" (see dragon).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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