WORD OF THE WEEK: Eclectic

Summary: What's in a word? Well, in this one, a lot—starting foremost, in my opinion, with its beauty.

Here's a word I've had on the brain for a few days: eclectic. It's just so pretty (to me, anyway).

What does it mean? Well, it's like a hodge-podge or a potpourri, only not as scattered or scented. ... And if you get that, you're as big a word nerd as I.

Eclectic (EE - KLEK - tik) - (adj.) selecting the best of various doctrines, methods or styles (as in eclectic home décor or an eclectic taste in music); also composed of different sources, or heterogeneous (i.e., an eclectic approach to spirituality). First used in English in the 1600s, the word has a bit of an eclectic background, itself: Its present definition was used in the late 1840s, however before that, it referenced a group of ancient philosophers who selected doctrines from every system. Its etymology developed eclectically, too: It derived most recently from the beautiful French word eclectique; before that, from the Greek eklektikos (literally "picking out"); and before that from the ancient Greek eklegein, meaning to gather or choose in a lecture.

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