A collection of literary fragments, excerpts, or selected passages from various sources, often of a classical author.
From Late Latin analecta, plural of analectum, derived from Greek analekta (things gathered up), from ana- (up) + legein (to gather, collect). The term originally referred to leftover pieces or scraps that were collected together.
The most famous 'analecta' are Confucius's Analects—sayings and ideas collected by his students after his death. This word reminds us that some of history's greatest wisdom wasn't originally written as books, but preserved as fragments pieced together like a puzzle.
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