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   expletive

   /ɪkˈspliːtɪv/

   noun

   • 1. an oath or swear word: "he was greeted by a stream of expletives" Similar swear wordoathcurseobscenityprofanityepithetimprecationfour-letter wordexclamationbad languagefoul languagestrong languageswearinginformal:dirty wordcuss wordcuss
   • 2. a word or phrase used to fill out a sentence or a line of verse without adding to the sense. Similar fillerfill-instopgapmeaningless word/phraseredundant word/phrasesuperfluous word/phraseunnecessary word/phrase

   adjective

   • 1. (of a word or phrase) serving to fill out a sentence or line of verse.

   Word Origin late Middle English (as an adjective): from late Latin expletivus, from explere ‘fill out’, from ex- ‘out’ + plere ‘fill’. The noun sense ‘word used merely to fill out a sentence’ (early 17th century) was applied specifically to a swear word in the early 19th century.

   Scrabble Points: 21

   • E

     1

   • X

     8

   • P

     3

   • L

     1

   • E

     1

   • T

     1

   • I

     1

   • V

     4

   • E

     1

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