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The question relates to a recent puzzle: One is outstanding, another doesn't belong : Says Grandpa

Take the word PARENT for example.

If you take 2 consecutive letters out, the remaining four letters give you valid words:

RENT PENT PANT PART PARE

Note you do not even have to anagram those 4 letters.

However, if you put another restriction:

Take ANY TWO LETTERS out from that word, the remaining four letters give you valid words

then it does not work. If you take A and E out, the remaining 4 letters do not form a word even if you allow anagrams.

It is very hard to find words with that restriction. So here is the question:

Find a six letter word which is a body part such that, if you take any 2 letters out, the remaining 4 letters or their anagram form words that are in Merriam Webster dictionary. No abbreviations, proper nouns or acronyms.

The anagram of the original word itself describes a type of material.

Another interesting thing about the same word: the same restriction described above also holds for taking any 1 letter out.

Hint

As many of you have thought of this already

Are there 4 letter words with consonants only?

Enjoy.

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    $\begingroup$ Want to put a no-computers tag on this? Otherwise someone is just going to brute-force a dictionary database to find it. $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Commented Mar 16, 2020 at 13:06
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    $\begingroup$ I was just about to start coding, @Randal'Thor, <sigh> $\endgroup$
    – Ébe Isaac
    Commented Mar 16, 2020 at 13:10
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    $\begingroup$ Is the word in medical terminology form or more commonly used? $\endgroup$
    – Prim3numbah
    Commented Mar 16, 2020 at 15:48
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    $\begingroup$ Probably Medically Named. Not very common like hand or ear $\endgroup$
    – DrD
    Commented Mar 16, 2020 at 16:00
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    $\begingroup$ @DEEM You can link to anything by using square and round brackets: [text](http://link.com) renders as text. For linking to another post on this site, you can simply paste the URL and it will render nicely when you post the question (as I did in your question here). $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Commented Mar 16, 2020 at 18:57

4 Answers 4

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Credit to VirtualValentin for his comment inspiring me to find the answer. The body part is:

STAPES, a bone in the ear

4 letter anagrams:

The key anagram is PSST which was inspired by VirtualValentin's comment and DEEM's response. List of anagrams:

STAP = PAST
STAE = EATS
STAS = TASS (a Scottish drinking bowl)
STPE = PEST
STPS = PSST
STES = SETS
SAPE = PEAS
SAPS = SAPS
SAES = SEAS
SPES = SEPS (a type of lizard)
TAPE = TAPE
TAPS = TAPS
TAES = SEAT
TPES = PEST
APES = APES

5 letter anagrams:

STAPE = TAPES
STAPS = PASTS
STAES = SEATS
STPES = PESTS
SAPES = APSES
TAPES = TAPES

The word itself is an anagram of:

PASTES, a type of material

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RETINA

4 Letters

tina anti
eina -inae
etna neat
etia itea
etin tine
rina rain
rtna rant
rtia airt
rtin trin
rena near
reia arie
rein rein
reta rate
retn rent
reti tire

5 Letters

etina tinea
rtina train
reina Irena
retna antre
retia irate
retin trine

6 Letters

retina ratine

As to the no-computers tag, I came up with the solution and found all the definitions by hand - but I used a computer to format it all nicely. =)

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    $\begingroup$ Erm. I didn't realise that the suffix "inae" would count :-) +1 to you good sir. $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Commented Mar 17, 2020 at 11:36
  • $\begingroup$ I do have an answer which is different $\endgroup$
    – DrD
    Commented Mar 17, 2020 at 14:10
  • $\begingroup$ -inae is a bit weak, I suppose, as is Irena (a genus of birds, maybe considered a proper noun). But once I found an entry in MW for everything, I didn't think it particularly plausible there could be two such words! $\endgroup$
    – David Lewis
    Commented Mar 18, 2020 at 5:50
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I'm not sure if it's what you had in mind, but I believe the word could be

TISSUE (which is both a part of the body and a material)

Words (each have an entry on Merriam-Webster Dictionary although two are not technically English):

SUES
UTES
ETUI
SITE
SITS
SUIT
EIUS (Latin)
SETS
SEIS
SUIS (French)

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    $\begingroup$ What do you get if you remove I and E? $\endgroup$
    – Daniel Mathias
    Commented Mar 16, 2020 at 14:04
  • $\begingroup$ @DanielMathias Looks like I may have missed that one. Maybe tuss (from Middle English)? $\endgroup$
    – DenverCoder1
    Commented Mar 16, 2020 at 14:08
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    $\begingroup$ Merriam Webster doesn't like that one. $\endgroup$
    – Daniel Mathias
    Commented Mar 16, 2020 at 14:13
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    $\begingroup$ @DanielMathias I noticed. OP probably has a better answer in mind, but this is almost an alternative answer. $\endgroup$
    – DenverCoder1
    Commented Mar 16, 2020 at 14:15
  • $\begingroup$ Almost :-) RETINA and BOWELS are almost alternative answers. I've found a few with lots of possible 2-letter removals, but not yet one with all. $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Commented Mar 16, 2020 at 14:21
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WEINER

Removing two letters:

WREN
REIN
WINE
WIRE
ERNE
WERE

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  • $\begingroup$ I am sorry but first of all I would not think of such a word. Secondly I could not find RINE in MW dictionary.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rine $\endgroup$
    – DrD
    Commented Mar 16, 2020 at 22:48
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    $\begingroup$ @DEEM REIN is there, though. And why wouldn't you think of such a word? It's not a body part, but it's a valid word. $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Commented Mar 16, 2020 at 23:01
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    $\begingroup$ @Rewan It does provide an answer to the question? $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Commented Mar 16, 2020 at 23:03
  • $\begingroup$ One line was : Another interesting thing about the same word: the same restriction described above also holds for taking any 1 letter out. Can you find words if you remove W or N? $\endgroup$
    – DrD
    Commented Mar 16, 2020 at 23:09
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    $\begingroup$ What three words can you form if you remove two consonants, leaving EEIN, EEIR, EEIW? $\endgroup$
    – aschepler
    Commented Mar 16, 2020 at 23:43

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