pathic

[David A. Daniel]

It's Gothic

-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Paul Frank
Sent: Friday, February 11, 2011 3:29 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: pathic



What did Marlon Brando mean by pathic (if that's what he wrote) in
this letter? Or is it fathic?

http://www.lettersofnote.com/2011/02/you-have-something-graceful-and-tender.html?showComment=1297445186855#c7106019559001693760

The OED defines pathic as follows:

B. adj.

1. Relating to or designating the passive partner in homosexual anal
intercourse; homosexual.

2. Relating to suffering or disease; morbid. rare.

†3. Undergoing something, passive. Obs. rare—0.

4. Involving feeling, perception, or intuition, rather than cognition
or deliberation.


Paul


Paul Frank
Translator
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Espace de l'Europe 16
Neuchâtel, Switzerland
mobile +41 79 957 5318
paulfrank at bfs.admin.ch
paulfrank at post.harvard.edu

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