"Do you know what an antimetabole is?"
That was the question he posed in the email.
He was a sharp guy with a curious mind that was especially fond of linguistics.
He continued that antimetabole is a noun meaning "the repetition, in a transposed order, of words or phrases in successive clauses."
And provided a couple of examples that made it all clear:
"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country" - JFK
"We do not stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing -Ben Franklin
A few months after that, he continued with his fascination for words, when he wrote in an email:
xenodochy: hospitality
xenodochial: hospitable or kind to strangers
xenodochium: a hostel or guesthouse, or room set aside for receiving visitors
All those exchanges happened when he was undergoing painful treatment.
He passed away earlier this morning. He was only 37!
An indescribable tragedy!!!
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