words I like

 a compendium of unusual yet fun-to-use words

Below I have listed some of my favorite words from reading or conversation (or just from perusing the dictionary). Most of these definitions come from my medium-sized Merriam Webster's College Dictionary, but some are distillations of definitions from monstrous unabridged dictionaries. Some also come from Eugene Ehrlich's The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate,which is a must-have. Enjoy. NEW: You may also want to check out Spizzerinctum, a fantastic site that features some of the rarest of the rare from various sources in the news. This guy must comb the media for these little marvels. Incidently, I couldn't even find "spizzerinctum" in the 2nd edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (which is now merely the penultimate tome of lexicography, as the third edition was recently released -- featuring terms such as "homeboy"[!]). I found out about this site thanks to NPR's Weekend Edition.















New: OBSCURE MEDICAL JARGON page. Check it out.


New word:

meracious
unadulterated, full strength, pure -- "meracious lies"

Previous entries (alphabetical):

abecedarian -- n. a beginner in any field

adscititious -- adj. supplemental, additional || derived or added from an external source

aleatory -- adj.['A-lE-&-"tOr-E, -"tor-] (Etymology: Latin aleatorius of a gambler, from aleator gambler, from alea a dice game, 1693): depending on an uncertain event or contingency as to both profit and loss || relating to luck and especially to bad luck

alembic -- n. an apparatus used in distilling || anything which distills or refines ("the alembic of the imagination")

anacreontic -- adj. in the style or meter of Anacreon's poems || light, elegant, convivial, erotic

analeptic -- n. tonic, restorative, strengthening || a medicine with these properties

apocope -- n. [uh-PAH-coh-pee] dropping the final sound or syllable of a word ("an" as in "thick an thin")

arenicolous -- adj. (a zoological term) living in the sand

bildungsroman -- n. a type of novel concerned with the education, development, and maturing of a young protagonist

boluliform -- adj. shaped like a sausage

bozozok -- n. Japanese for "arrogant young males noisily riding on motorcycles." [I heard this one during a neuroscience seminar class; interestingly enough, a mutation in a gene that codes for an early developmental anomaly in zebrafish goes by this name.]

braggadocio -- [pron. "brag-a-DOE-she-oh"] n. a boaster || v. windy boasting

callipygian -- [pron. kal-ih-PIJ-ee-an] adj. having shapely buttocks

carminative -- n. a drug curing flatulence

catachresis -- n. the incorrect use of a word or term

caterwaul -- n. a cat's scream || v. to make a noise like a cat's scream || to quarrel like cats

chthonic -- adj. ['thä-nik] of or relating to the underworld : INFERNAL "chthonic deities"

concinnity -- n. (in lit. criticism) neatness and formal elegance of style

concupiscence -- n. sexual desire, lust || (theol.) desire for earthly things

confabulate -- v. to converse or chat

consuetude -- n. custom, habit, social usage (rhet.)

contumacious -- adj. obstinately disobedient, rebellious, esp. against lawful authority.

contumelious -- adj. contemptuous, arrogant, insolent in language or behavior.

coprophobia -- n. irrational fear of feces

coruscation -- n. a sudden flash of intellectual brilliancy

coxcomb -- n. a conceited, silly man

crapulence -- n. gross drunkenness

crinite -- adj. [pron. CRY-night] (biol.) hairy

deglutition -- n. the act of swallowing

demulcent -- n. (med.) soothing || a preparation for soothing raw, inflammed patches of skin

eleemosynary -- adj. related to the giving of alms or charitable works (or just charitable)

ensiform -- adj. shaped like a sword, xiphoid

esculent -- adj. edible

execrable -- adj. arousing horror and detestation || very bad

facundity -- n. eloquence (not to be confused with fecundity, although pronounced similarly)

faitour -- n. an imposter, fake

falderol (also folderol) -- n. mere nonsense; foolish talk or ideas || a trifle, gimcrack, gee-gaw

fatuous -- adj. foolish, esp. empty-headed and vacuously self-satisfied

fey -- adj. slightly mad, crazy || attuned to the supernatural world || supernatural

frigorific -- adj. causing coldness; chilling.[Thanks to Taylor Kirkpatrick for this.]

fulgurant -- adj. flashing as in lightning

fuliginous -- adj. like soot, sooty

fulham -- n. a die loaded at one corner to favor either a 4, 5, or 6 (high fulham) or a 1, 2, or 3 (low fulham)

fustian -- adj. bombast, pretentious nonsense || (of language) pompous, pretentious

Gobshaite - noun, Celtic origin. Roughly translates to "dumbshit". Mildly offensive, but can be meant as an endearment. Plus, it sounds funny. I heard this story on NPR last week about how Scottish and Irish words are all the rage among the hipsters in England. I felt it is my duty to further the trend on this side of the pond. Just go see 'Trainspotting' and repeat phrases from the movie until your friends tell you to shut up." [Thanks to Laura Bauer for this.]

graveolent -- adj. having a strong or offensive smell; rank, fetid

hincty -- adj. (slang) conceited or snobbish [1920-25; origin unknown]

incunabula -- n. collectively, books published before 1501

infundibuliform -- adj. funnel-shaped

jactation -- n. (medical) excessive bodily restlessness || (law) a false claim or statement which is injurious to another

jejune -- n. (rhet.) lacking substance or nourishment || (of a speech, writing) lacking interest or substance || juvenile, immature

ken -- n. the range of one's knowledge

lepid -- adj. ("rare" according to the OED 2nd ed.) pleasant, jocose, facetious, amusing. Sometimes charming, elegant.

leporine -- n. resembling a rabbit

ligneous -- adj. of or similar to wood

logomachy -- n. [pron. loh-GOM-ih-kee] a dispute about words || a meaningless battle of words

louche -- adj. dubious; shady; disreputable

lucubrate -- v. to study or write laboriously

mephetic -- adj. offensive to the smell

moloch -- n. (pron. MOW-lock) something regarded as requiring a dreadful sacrifice (From "Moloch," a Canaanite fire god to whom children were sacrificed)

muliebrity -- n. [myoo-lee-EB-rih-tee] womanhood || normal characteristics of a woman

multislack -- v. to squander time on-line

myrmidon -- n. [pron. MUR-mi-don] an unscrupulously faithful follower; a henchman

nepenthe -- adj. [pron. nih-PEN-Tee] a drug thought by the ancient Greeks to relieve sorrow and pain

objurgation -- [äb-j&r-'gA-sh&n] n. a harsh rebuke

obloquy -- [ä-bl&-kwE] n. 1 : a strongly condemnatory utterance : abusive language || the condition of one that is discredited : bad repute

omphaloskepsis -- n. deep contemplation of the navel

oneiric -- n. [oh-NEIGH-rick] of or relating to dreams

onolatry -- n. ass worship

orthoepy -- n. [or-THOUGH-eh-pee] the correct pronuncitation of (or the study of) the words of a language

pabulum -- n. nourishment [L.]

paladin -- n. a hero or champion [from one of the 12 peers of Charlemagne's court]

panegyric -- [pan-ih-JIHR-ic] n. a speech or writing eulogizing someone or something

panjandrum -- n. a mock title for a person of great self-importance

parlous -- adj. involving danger or risk

pelagic -- [p&-'la-jik] adj. of, relating to, or living or occurring in the open sea : OCEANIC "pelagic sediment," "pelagic birds"

pharisaic -- adj. self-righteous and hypocritical [from the Pharisee, a strict Jewish religious sect]

platitude -- n. a flat, stale, or commonplace remark or statement uttered asif it were informative or important || (in speech, writing, etc.) the quality of being dull or commonplace

poltroon -- n. an abject coward || (rhet.) cowardice

prognathous -- adj. having projecting jaws

promulent -- [unknown definition - Heard on Simpsons; one of those beauties that the teachers invent. Not in any dictionary that I can get my lex-greedy hands on.]

propinquity -- adj. nearness in time or place || nearness of kinship

pulchritude -- adj. physical beauty

purulent -- adj. consisting of, or exuding pus

pusillanimous -- adj. showing a lack of moral courage

quidnunc -- n. a busybody or gossip

quisling -- n. a person who collaborates with an enemy power occupying his (her) country

sangfroid -- n. composure under trying conditions [from Fr. "cold-bloodedness"]

sartorial -- adj. of or pertaining to men's clothes

schadenfreude -- n. delight at the misfortune of another person [from Ger. "damage" + "joy;" pronounced "SHAHD-n-Froy-duh"]

screed -- n. a tiresomely long discourse || a long, chatty letter or some other informal piece of writing || a long list

sesquipedalian -- adj. of a word, having many syllables || of a writer, tending to use long words

simper -- v. to smile foolishly or self-consciously

slattern -- n. a trollop

sobriquet -- n. [pron. SO-brih-kay] an epithet || a nickname

spiv -- n. [British term] a man who lives by trading in ways of doubtful honesty, does no hard work, and dresses flashily

swingeing -- (British, popular, of a fine or judicial sentence) adj. enormous

sybarite -- n. a person inordinately attached to comfort, pleasure, and luxury [from Sybaris, an Italian town]

tarantism -- n. a disease that causes madness, manifested by a spirited, whirly dance; originated in S. Italy and supposedly caused by the bite of a tarantula.[Thanks to Taylor Kirkpatrick for this.]

temulent -- adj. intoxicated [unabridged dictionary classified this one as "rare."]

termagant -- n. a woman who is a terrible scold

tintinnabulation -- n. the ringing, jingling, or tinkling sound of bells

truckle -- v. to act in a subservient manner (etymology: from the lower position of the truckle bed, 1667) velleity -- n. a weak desire or resolution, esp. one so weak that it does not lead to action

viand -- n. (usually pleural, rhet.) food

vitiate -- {VISH-ee-ate] v. to spoil, make defective, lessen the quality of || to corrupt (morals or taste)

ultramundane -- adj. beyond the limits of the known universe

ululate -- v. to wail and lament

ursine -- adj. of, relating to, or characteristic of a bear

uxorious -- adj. excessively fond of one's wife

vassalage -- n. servitude, esp. political servitude

weltschmertz -- n. (G., literally "world pain;" pron. VELT-schmirtz) sadness from a gloomy view of world philosophy

yegg -- n. a burglar, esp. a safebreaker

zaftig -- adj. fully bosomed; confortably and pleasingly plump. (etymology: Yiddish) [Thanks to Taylor Kirkpatrick for this.]

zeitgeist -- n. the dominant moral and intellectual character of a particular period


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