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  Pons, Lily Ponselle, Rosa Melba  
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   The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition.  2000.
 
pons asinorum
 
SYLLABICATION:pons as·i·no·rum
PRONUNCIATION:  pnz s-nôrm, -nrm
NOUN: A problem that severely tests the ability of an inexperienced person.
ETYMOLOGY:New Latin pns asinrum, bridge of fools (nickname of the Fifth Proposition in the Elements of Euclid, due to its difficulty) : Latin pns, bridge + Latin asinrum, genitive pl. of asinus, ass, fool.
 
 
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS · INDEX · ILLUSTRATIONS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD
  Pons, Lily Ponselle, Rosa Melba  
 
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