vorpaladj.
/ˈvɔːpəl/ A word invented by ‘Lewis Carroll’ apparently with the sense ‘keen, deadly’; also in subsequent allusive uses.
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the world > space > shape > sharpness of edge or point > [adjective] > of edge
sharpc825
sharp-edgedc1000
well-edged1572
sheary1597
razored1613
blady1622
razor-edged1807
blade-like1859
knife-edged1863
vorpal1871
knife-edge1876
knifey1906
1871 ‘L. Carroll’ Through Looking-glass i. 22 The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
1941 W. H. Auden New Year Let. ii. 44 Wave at the mechanized barbarian The vorpal sword of an agrarian.
1970 New Yorker 10 Jan. 6/1 A frabjous sort of place in a somewhat vorpal neighborhood.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1986; most recently modified version published online March 2018).
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adj.1871