disjecta membra

/dɪsˈdʒɛk.tə ˈmɛm.bɹə/

//dɪsˈdʒɛk.tə ˈmɛm.bɹə// noun

"disjecta-membra" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“disjecta membra” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
15
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Scattered fragments, especially of written work.

Corpus desk

Index EN-disjecta-membra · disjecta membra · English

disjecta membra · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 15 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for disjecta membra
PropertyValue
Headworddisjecta membra
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪsˈdʒɛk.tə ˈmɛm.bɹə/
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “disjecta membra” in English

disjecta membrasits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

disjecta membra is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /dɪsˈdʒɛk.tə ˈmɛm.bɹə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Scattered fragments, especially of written work.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for disjecta membra, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Alteration of Horace’s Latin phrase disjecti membra poetae (“limbs of a dismembered poet”). The correct English form is disjecta membra, spelled D-I-S-J-E-C-T-A- -M-E-M-B-R-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Scattered fragments, especially of written work.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how disjecta membra appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. […]though the whole construction be taken to pieces, are still the disjecta membra, with which the work of renovation must be begun.
  2. A thoughtful spirit drifting upon this tide in a large city like Paris cannot but often think of this, and shiver with the feeling that beneath and all around are scattered thickly, if invisibly, putrescent corpses and whitening skeletons. But sometimes strange things do come to the surface—featureless, formless, unrecognizable objects, upon which men gaz…

Etymology

Alteration of Horace’s Latin phrase disjecti membra poetae (“limbs of a dismembered poet”).

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "disjecta membra"?
"disjecta membra" is spelled D-I-S-J-E-C-T-A- -M-E-M-B-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪsˈdʒɛk.tə ˈmɛm.bɹə/.
What does "disjecta membra" mean?
As a noun, "disjecta membra" means: Scattered fragments, especially of written work.
How do you pronounce "disjecta membra"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "disjecta membra" is /dɪsˈdʒɛk.tə ˈmɛm.bɹə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "disjecta membra"?
Alteration of Horace’s Latin phrase disjecti membra poetae (“limbs of a dismembered poet”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list