Word To Use Today: plexor.

 Plexor sounds like a super-hero, but it's not.

A plexor is a small hammer with a rubber head. It's the thing with which the doctor hits you on the knee to check your reflexes.

photo by Sven Volkens

I've never wanted to be a doctor, but I suppose that is probably one fun bit.

Word To Use Today: plexor. This word comes from the Greek plēxis, a stroke, from plēssein, to strike.

The word plexor has got nothing to do with most other words with plex- in them, like complex, which comes from the Latin plectere, to plait, or complexion, which comes from more or less the same idea as complex, but has the idea of bodily characteristics (Latin complexiō) mixed up in it, too.