prophylactic
/pɹɒfəˈlæktɪk/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.59 in modern English
26
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "It is not clear whether such education is to be directed to homosexuals (for whom prophylactics are not a contraceptive) or to heterosexuals as well (for whom prophylactics are a contraceptive)."
- "Given the widespread use of coitus interruptus and male prophylactics as contraceptive practices in France […]"
- "Some men put the prophylactic on just the tip of the penis: this is a mistake, because the prophylactic will come off."
- "The securities laws are a prophylactic against stock fraud."
- "Since tere are increasingly powerful anti-free speech tendencies in the left in general and in the Lesbian and Gay movements in particular in the form of the antiporn movement and other tendencies, I will quote extensively from the second chapter of On Liberty, "On The Liberty Of Thought And Discussion," as a valuable and much needed prophylactic to these trends."
Etymology
From Latin prophylacticus, from Ancient Greek προφυλακτικός (prophulaktikós, “prophylactic”).
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: prophylacticus, προφυλακτικός
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /pɹɒfəˈlæktɪk/
Usage
- American usage