Word of the Day: Hippophagy
A tray of horse meat is on sale at a shop in Bremen, northern Germany on February 14, 2013. scandal over horsemeat-tainted food spiraled after Britain announced the discovery of a potentially harmful drug in horsemeat sent to France and Germany.( INGO WAGNER/AFP/Getty Images)
Britain. Ireland. France. Romania.Norway. Austria. Bulgaria. Germany. Sweden. Switzerland. The Netherlands.
What do all these nations have in common (outside of being in Europe)?
You guessed it — they've all been tainted in some way by the horse meat scandal that has taken the media by storm these last few weeks.
So in light of this horsemeat hysteria that has recently gripped the public, we thought we'd shed some light on the fact that there is an actual word dedicated to the consumption of horse.
Yes, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines hippophagy as the act or practice of eating horseflesh.
And for those interested in ancient greek roots or etymology, here is a vocabulary breakdown:
1. hippo = horse
2. phagy = feeding on, consumption of
So there you have it.
And then….horse meat.
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