"unprepossessing" Glad I finally looked it up.

The meaning of "unprepossessing" is obvious, it means not prepossessing. It's the latter word that is challenging.

I was completely wrong in what I have interpreted it to mean for decades. It has always seemed from context that it was a kind way to say that a person was a bit slow witted. As in: un = not pre = ahead of, first, and possess = to acquire. So, I figured that it meant a person did not have the ability to quickly pick up on knowledge, in other words, they were slow witted. Instead, it means "not attractive." I take it that it is put together from: un = not, pre = ahead of, first, and possess = acquire. Hence, your face does not acquire my attention. You are unattractive.

I love the way language works.


The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.