disjecta membra

[dis-jek-tuh mem-bruh]

plural noun

1. scattered members; disjointed portions or parts: applied to fragments of poetry or fragmentary quotations.

disjecta membra

/ dɪsˈdʒɛktə ˈmɛmbrə /

plural noun

1. scattered fragments, esp parts taken from a writing or writings

Word History and Origins

Origin of disjecta membra¹

< Latin, alteration of disjectī membra poētae limbs of a dismembered poet, a phrase in Horace