OT: What does \'Lyproscopic\' mean?
 

It's a real word. Apparently, it's a very obscure word.

It came up in my brother's homework and now we're curious.

Thanks.

Re: OT: What does \'Lyproscopic\' mean?
 

Looks to me like a case of a typo or an "invention" in a somewhat reliable source being spread around. All searches for it bring up the exact same information, on Lithium in a periodic table, with a description that states the salt lithium chloride is one of the most lyproscopic materials known.

If the homework came from a textbook, you might be able to make a pretty big stink with the publisher about plagarism. If the teacher made up the homework, your brother could put the teacher on the spot for not being very dilligent with information sources.

If it is a scientific term, there would exist more than one sentence using it, and a definition somewhere. So, I would say that it's a word so obscure, that it technically doesn't exist http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: OT: What does \'Lyproscopic\' mean?
 

If the creator of this word actually used Greek, it would mean something like "someone/something slim/skinny" (from the adjective lupros (a,on), slim, "causing grievances" => not sure what that one means).

I am not sure if that would be the meaning of the word though, since I know literally nothing about Lithium, elements and the like.

Re: OT: What does \'Lyproscopic\' mean?
 

Top three hits when I do a Web search for it from Dictionary.com:

Ermm OK.....

Re: OT: What does \'Lyproscopic\' mean?
 

Strategia, don't know about the first one, but the other two are mispellings of Laparoscopic, which is basically a form of surgery in which a small endoscope is insterted into the abdominal cavity through a small incision. Sound like a text book, don't I? My mom had one a few years back and I remember subjecting the doctors to a serious grilling as to exactly what they intended to do.

Re: OT: What does \'Lyproscopic\' mean?
 

And that connection with LiCl/LiBr would be better served with hygroscopic, so maybe that's a typo too...

Re: OT: What does \'Lyproscopic\' mean?
 

Narf, in what context was "lyproscopic" used in the homework?

Re: OT: What does \'Lyproscopic\' mean?
 

...I'll have to read the page...

Re: OT: What does \'Lyproscopic\' mean?
 

"Lyproscopic"

Like "Lycanthropic", but smaller. Kind of a were-midget, I guess.

Re: OT: What does \'Lyproscopic\' mean?
 

LOL a were-mouse! Beware of the Were-Narf! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif