Conflated

/kənˈfleɪtɪd/ adjective

Definition

Combined or merged into one; having had two or more things joined together so that they lose their separate identities.

Etymology

From Latin conflatus, the past participle of conflāre meaning 'to blow together' or 'to melt together,' from con- (together) and flāre (to blow).

Kelly Says

When ancient scribes copied texts by hand, they would sometimes conflate similar stories—accidentally merging two versions—and those accidents are now clues to how texts evolved and were passed down through centuries.

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