Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Popular Searches
Nearby Words

amphiscii

 - 2 dictionary results

am⋅phis⋅ci⋅ans

  [am-fish-ee-uhnz, -fish-uhnz]
Use amphiscii in a Sentence
–plural noun Archaic.
inhabitants of the tropics.
Also, am⋅phis⋅ci⋅i  [am-fish-ee-ahy] .

Origin:
1615–25; < ML Amphisci(ī) (< Gk amphískioi, pl. of amphískios (adj.) casting a shadow both ways, equiv. to amphi- amphi- + skí(a) shadow + -os adj. suffix) + -ans, pl. of -an
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To amphiscii
Word Origin & History

Amphiscians 
c.1622, from M.L. Amphiscii, from Gk. amphiskioi, from amphi- "on both sides" + skia "shadow." Inhabitants of torrid zones, so called because they are "people whose shadow is sometimes to the North, and sometimes to the South."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see amphiscii on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: