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None of these ideas are the stuff of great geopolitical doctrines
What you been doing?
Nov 11, 2018 11:47
5 yrs ago
6 viewers *
English term

polyfacetic

English Social Sciences Education / Pedagogy Diversity in schools / Special Ed.
Does this actually exist or not? I was going to use it in a translation rather than the literal "multiple" (su naturaleza múltiple )... But was surprised to find that some people consider that it is "not a word". I can't find many definitions for it online and a lot of the references appear to be from texts by authors with suspiciously non-native sounding names.
Responses
4 +7 multifaceted
3 many-sided
3 Multifaceted

Discussion

Charles Davis Nov 11, 2018:
Speaking as a fellow long-term resident I think you may have been infected by Spanish. It happens to me too. You mentally docket words and expressions you hear all the time with a literal English equivalent in your mind. Now and then one slips out when I'm talking to folks back home and they say "what??". I honestly think "polyfacetic" would produce that kind of reaction in any English speaker.
neilmac (asker) Nov 11, 2018:
@Charles That's odd, because it was the first thing that sprang to mind here. Oh well, as long as I don't have to call it "diverse" again, multifaceted will do nicely :)
Charles Davis Nov 11, 2018:
I don't think "polyfacetic" is a genuine English word. I would never use it to translate "polifacético" in any context.

Responses

+7
13 mins
Selected

multifaceted

is what you need in English I think


Never seen or heard polyfacetic/ed in English.

I'd say you're right to be suspicious


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Note added at 45 mins (2018-11-11 12:32:28 GMT)
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:-)

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Note added at 2 days 4 hrs (2018-11-13 16:06:45 GMT) Post-grading
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Ah Neil! I don't understand your attachment to this :-)? You'll just have to use the Spanish version in general conversation to get your fix!

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Note added at 2 days 4 hrs (2018-11-13 16:09:07 GMT) Post-grading
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And Charles is right about source language interference. I found I came out with some real humdingers when I lived abroad.
Note from asker:
Hmmm.. I just thought polyfacetic flowed nicely... :/
Peer comment(s):
agree Charles Davis : This is probably what's required.
19 mins
Many thanks:-)
agree Shekhar Banerjee : https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20131011184842A...
29 mins
Many thanks:-)
agree Carol OConnor (X) : exactly
42 mins
Many thanks:-)
agree katsy
59 mins
Many thanks:-)
agree writeaway
1 hr
Many thanks:-)
agree Uygar Kibar
3 hrs
Many thanks:-)
agree Katalin Horváth McClure
11 hrs
Many thanks:-)
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Still disappointed that "polyfacetic" isn't considered a valid word. I checked and almost all of the usage examples were in texts by authors with foreign-sounding names, many of them Spanish (although my Dragon seems to have no problem with it). Thanks to everyone for helping out on this one. "
24 mins

many-sided

You're right; don't touch 'polyfacetic' with a barge pole;
Something went wrong...
1 hr

Multifaceted

It appears that it exists but it's the kind of word a cautious person will never use.
Something went wrong...
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