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Wheat·ley (wētlē, hwēt-), Phillis 1753?-1784.

African-born American poet considered the first widely recognized black writer in America. Her works include Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (1773).

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Phillis Wheatley

1773 portrait by Scipio Moorhead (active c. 1773) from the frontispiece of her book Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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