Word(s) of the Day, Part 7

I felt like my Word of the Day emails were trying to tell me something last week... First there was this:

pyknic \PIK-nik\, adjective:
1. Having a rounded build or body structure.
2. noun. A person of the pyknic type.

So, in other words, a pregnant woman is pyknic. Who knew?

Then I got this the very next day:

grouse \grous\, verb:
1. To grumble; complain.
2. noun. A complaint.

I felt like maybe it was being hinted that I should stop grousing about feeling sick. Point taken, random Word of the Day emails, point taken.

Also, these are funny words:

pettifog \PET-ee-fog\, verb:
1. To bicker or quibble over trifles or unimportant matters.
2. To carry on a petty, shifty, or unethical law business.
3. To practice chicanery of any sort.

hircine \HUR-sahyn\, adjective:
1. of, pertaining to, or resembling a goat.
2. Having a goatish odor.

Or, used together, don't pettifog over who is more hircine, okay?

Word(s) of the Day, Part 6b

Okay, I had to do a follow-up. I just keep getting more crazy words!

birr \bur\, noun:
1. A whirring sound.
2. Emphasis in statement, speech, etc.
3. A whirring sound. (Wait, again?)
verb:
1. To move with or make a whirring sound.

hotchpot \HOCH-pot\, noun:
The bringing together of shares or properties in order to divide them equally.

(Plain ol' "hodgepodge" isn't good enough for us anymore, apparently.)

Tim and I decided to start coming up with our own new words; so far we have "ahaps" (instead of "perhaps"), "strall" (instead of "stroll"), and instead of using "ing" at the end of words, we use "ib": I was walkib to the store and talkib on my phone, etc. Why? Because we can, and that's apparently how it works. Gotta love the English language!

Word(s) of the Day, Part 6

Lately I've had a run of Word of the Day words that either sound a lot like other words and mean almost the same thing, or just sound completely made up. I'm starting to think someone is letting the monkeys hit the keyboard again. Take a look:

alate \EY-leyt\, adjective:
1. Having wings; winged.
2. Having membranous expansions like wings.

natheless \NEYTH-lis\, adverb:
Nevertheless.

slimsy \SLIM-zee\, adjective:
Flimsy; frail.

educe \ih-DOOS\, verb:
1. To draw forth or bring out, as something potential or latent.
2. To infer or deduce.

bleb \bleb\, noun:
1. A bubble.
2. Medicine/Medical. A blister or vesicle.

outrance \oo-TRAHNS\, noun:
The utmost extremity.

viscid \VIS-id\, adjective:
1. Having a glutinous consistency; sticky; adhesive.
2. Botany. Covered by a sticky substance.

sprat \sprat\, noun:
1. A small or inconsequential person or thing.
2. A species of herring, Clupea sprattus, of the eastern North Atlantic.

lave \leyv\, verb:
1. To wash; bathe.
2. (Of a river, sea, etc.) to flow along, against, or past; wash.
3. Obsolete. To ladle; pour or dip with a ladle.
4. Archaic. To bathe.

noun:
1. The remainder; the rest.

adjective:
1. (Of ears) large and drooping.

fusty \FUHS-tee\, adjective:
1. Having a stale smell; moldy; musty.
2. Old-fashioned or out-of-date, as architecture, furnishings, or the like.
3. Stubbornly conservative or old-fashioned; fogyish.

hiemal \HAHY-uh-muhl\, adjective:
Of or pertaining to winter; wintry.

calvous \KAL-vuhs\, adjective:
Lacking all or most of the hair on the head; bald.

See what I mean? "Bleb"? "Slimsy"? "Calvous"? Really? I mean, who comes up with this stuff!?

Word(s) of the Day, Part 5

Sometimes my favorite part of words is where they come from. And of course, how they sound and what they mean! See exhibits 1 through 9:

milquetoast \MILK-tohst\, noun:
A very timid, unassertive, spineless person, especially one who is easily dominated or intimidated.
Milquetoast is after Caspar Milquetoast, a character in The Timid Soul, a comic strip by H. T. Webster (1885-1952), American cartoonist.

weltschmerz \VELT-shmerts\, noun:
Sentimental pessimism; sorrow that one feels and accepts as one's necessary portion in life.
Weltschmerz comes from German welt, "world" and schmerz, "pain." The term was coined by Jean Paul Richter in 1810.

gadabout \GAD-uh-bout\, noun:
Someone who roams about in search of amusement or social activity.
Gadabout is formed from the verb gad, "to rove or go about without purpose or restlessly" (from Middle English gadden, "to hurry") + about.

bellwether \BEL-weth-uhr\, noun:
A leader of a movement or activity; also, a leading indicator of future trends.
Bellwether is a compound of bell and wether, "a male sheep, usually castrated"; from the practice of hanging a bell from the neck of the leader of the flock.

chichi \SHEE-shee\, adjective:
Affectedly trendy.
From the French word that literally means "curl of false hair"; used figuratively in the phrases faire des chichis, "to have affected manners, to make a fuss"; and gens à chichis, "affected, snobbish people." Sometimes spelled "chi-chi."

holus-bolus \HOH-luhs-BOH-luhs\, verb:
To cleanse.
Holus-bolus comes from a mock-Latin rhyming compound based on the phrase "whole bolus."

pecksniffian \pek-SNIF-ee-uhn\, adjective:
Hypocritically and smugly affecting benevolence or high moral principles.
Pecksniffian is named after Seth Pecksniff, a character in "Martin Chuzzlewit, a novel" (1843), by Charles Dickens.

And sometimes there is just this:

willowwacks \WIL-oh-waks\, noun:
A wooded, uninhabited area.
Willowwacks is of uncertain origin.

Love it.

Word(s) of the Day, Part 4

For your enjoyment, here are a smattering of silly words from my daily emails:

pecksniffian \pek-SNIF-ee-uhn\, adjective:
Hypocritically and smugly affecting benevolence or high moral principles.

foofaraw \FOO-fuh-raw\, noun:
1. Excessive or flashy ornamentation or decoration.
2. A fuss over a matter of little importance.

prink \PRINGK\, transitive verb:
1. To dress up; to deck for show.

bumptious \BUMP-shuhs\, adjective:
Crudely, presumptuously, or loudly self-assertive.

bedaub \bih-DOB\, transitive verb:
1. To smudge over; to besmear or soil with anything thick and dirty.
2. To overdecorate; to ornament showily or excessively.

vociferate \voh-SIF-uh-reyt\, verb:
To speak or cry out loudly or noisily; shout; bawl.

futz \FUHTS\, verb:
1. To pass time in idleness (usually followed by around).
noun:
1. A fool; a simpleton.

corybantic \kawr-uh-BAN-tik\, adjective:
Frenzied; agitated; unrestrained.

prolix \pro-LIKS; PRO-liks\, adjective:
1. Extending to a great length; unnecessarily long; wordy.
2. Tending to speak or write at excessive length.

fanfaronade \fan-fair-uh-NAYD; -NOD\, noun:
1. Swaggering; empty boasting; blustering manner or behavior; ostentatious display.
2. Fanfare.

pusillanimous \pyoo-suh-LAN-uh-muhs\, adjective:
Lacking in courage and resolution; contemptibly fearful; cowardly.

gimcrack \JIM-krak\, noun:
1. A showy but useless or worthless object; a gewgaw.
adjective:
1. Tastelessly showy; cheap; gaudy.

What do we take from all this? Well, if nothing else, we've learned that there are a lot of really impressive sounding words for describing exactly how someone is being ridiculous.

Word(s) of the Day, Part 3

I'm not even kidding, these are the words that showed up in my email from the last seven days:

mansuetude \MAN-swi-tood\, noun:
Mildness; gentleness.

autoschediastical \aw-toh-SKEE-dee-az-tik-uhl\, adjective:
Something improvised or extemporized.

lickerish \LIK-er-ish\, adjective:
1. Fond of and eager for choice food.
2. Greedy; longing.
3. Lustful; lecherous.
So now when people say they like licorice, you can be all smart (aleck) and ask if they are referring to the candy or if they enjoy being greedy and/or lecherous. I bet it wins you points...maybe not.

byzantine \BIZ-uhn-teen\, adjective:
1. Complex or intricate.
2. Characterized by elaborate scheming and intrigue, esp. for the gaining of political power or favor.
3. Of or pertaining to the Byzantine Empire.

sockdolager \sok-DOL-uh-jer\, noun:
1. A decisive reply, argument.
2. Something unusually large, heavy, etc.
3. A heavy, finishing blow.

katzenjammer \KAT-suhn-jam-er\, noun:
1. The discomfort and illness experienced as the aftereffects of excessive drinking; hangover.
2. Uneasiness; anguish; distress.
3. Uproar; clamor.
The next time you are offered an alcoholic beverage, just tell them you're trying to avoid having a katzenjammer. They will be so confused they won't press the point.

chatoyant \shuh-TOI-uhnt\, adjective:
1. Having changeable lustre; twinkling.
2. (Of a gem, esp a cabochon) displaying a band of light reflected off inclusions of other minerals.

Between those six words, we are only missing six letters of the alphabet. That's impressive. And slightly ridiculous.

Here are some similarly impressive (and unpronouncable) words (and yes, I picked them for their unpronounceableness):

Hogmanay \hog-muh-NEY\, noun:
1. a gift given on New Year's Eve.
2. (proper noun) New Year's Eve in Scotland.
If I'd known about this word, I would have given lots of hogmanays (hogmanaies?) this year. As it is, I shall just have to expect some next year now that you all know there is a word for it.

gambrinus \gam-BRAHY-nuhs\, noun:
A mythical Flemish king, the reputed inventor of beer.
And consequently very widely worshipped.

eschatological \es-kuh-tl-OJ-i-kuhl\, adjective:
1. Regarding last, or final, matters, often of a theological nature.
2. Regarding any system of doctrines concerning theological endings, such as death, the Judgment, the future state, etc.
Why don't we hear this word more often in church? That's what I want to know.

eleemosynary \el-uh-MOS-uh-ner-ee\, adjective:
1. Of or for charity; charitable; as, "an eleemosynary institution."
2. Given in charity; having the nature of alms; as, "eleemosynary assistance."
3. Supported by or dependent on charity; as, "the eleemosynary poor."

lagniappe \LAN-yap\, noun:
1. A small gift given with a purchase to a customer, for good measure.
2. A gratuity or tip.
3. An unexpected or indirect benefit.
I would like a lagniappe, please.

horripilate \haw-RIP-uh-leyt\, verb:
To produce a bristling of the hair on the skin from cold, fear, etc.; goose flesh.
Doesn't this word make you horripilate? Wow, that just sounds wrong...

consanguineous \kon-san(g)-GWIN-ee-us\, adjective:
Of the same blood; related by birth; descended from the same parent or ancestor.

What better way to start the year than with a list of words no one has ever heard of and which you probably won't be able to pronounce? Gotta love the English language.

Word(s) of the Day, Part 2

I included my own sentences to help clarify the meanings. And to give you an idea of how such intelligent language can be used in everyday conversations...heh.

fossick \FOS-ik\, verb:
1. To search for any object by which to make gain.
2. Mining. To undermine another's digging; search for waste gold in relinquished workings, washing places, etc.
3. To hunt; seek; ferret out.
For example, I watched him fossick for his phone for an hour before telling him it was in his front pocket.

rigmorole \RIG-muh-rohl\, noun:
1. An elaborate or complicated procedure.
2. Confused, incoherent, foolish, or meaningless talk.
There was quite a bit of rigmorole surrounding the rigmorole of asking his date to the Prom.

hobbledehoy \HOB-uhl-dee-hoy\, noun:
An awkward, gawky young fellow.
If I get asked out by one more hobbledehoy, I'm joining a convent.

diaphanous \dy-AF-uh-nuhs\, adjective:
1. Of such fine texture as to allow light to pass through; translucent or transparent.
2. Vague; insubstantial.
Well, that's a diaphanous argument if I ever heard one.

soupcon \soop-SAWN\, noun:
A slight trace, as of a particular taste or flavor.
The party had a soupcon of inebriety although no alcohol was consumed (must have been a Mormon party).

kenspeckle \KEN-spek-uhl\, adjective:
Conspicuous; easily seen or recognized.
I'd know that kenspeckled red hair anywhere.

cachinnate \KAK-uh-neyt\, verb:
To laugh loudly or immoderately
I can never stop myself from cachinnating at the most inopportune times.

anacoluthia \an-uh-kuh-LOO-thee-uh\, noun:
Lack of grammatical sequence or coherence, esp. in a sentence.
I spoke with a--well, what I mean to say is--there anacoluthia is the--but not very often--though I never did say that.

beek \BEEK\, verb:
1. To bask or warm in the sunshine or before a fire.
2. (Of wood) to season by exposure to heat.
Beek is related to the same Middle English root that results in bake. So it would be entirely appropriate to say to someone, Go beek yourself by the fire.

foudroyant \foo-DROI-uhnt\, adjective:
1. Overwhelming and sudden in effect.
2. Pathology. (Of disease) beginning in a sudden and severe form.
3. Striking as with lightning.
I could only take his foudroyant personality in small doses.
-or-
If I am around him too long, my negative reactions are likely to be foudroyant.

incunabulum \in-kyoo-NAB-yuh-luhm\, noun:
1. The earliest stages or first traces of anything.
2. Extant copies of books produced in the earliest stages (before 1501) of printing from movable type.
The incunabulum of this list is but a distant memory...

Word(s) of the Day

impedimenta \im-ped-uh-MEN-tuh\, noun:
1. Baggage or other things that retard one's progress.
[2. (Harry Potter) Incantation for stopping or slowing the progress of a person or object.]

shivaree \SHIV-uh-ree\, noun:
1. A mock serenade with kettles, pans, horns, and other noisemakers given for a newly married couple.
2. An elaborate, noisy celebration.

scuttle \SKUHT-l\, verb:
1. To run with quick, hasty steps; scurry.
2. To sink (a vessel) deliberately by opening seacocks or making openings in the bottom.
noun:
1. A deep bucket for carrying coal.
2. A short, hurried run.
[3. A character in Disney's The Little Mermaid.]

malapert \MAL-uh-purt\, adjective:
1. Unbecomingly bold or saucy.

muliebrity \myoo-lee-EB-ri-tee\, noun:
1. The state of being a woman.

sesquipedalianism \ses-kwi-PEED-l-iz-uhm\, adjective:
1. Given to using long words.
2. (Of a word) containing many syllables.

defenestrate \dee-FEN-uh-strayt\, transitive verb:
1. To throw out of a window.

tarradiddle \tair-uh-DID-uhl\, noun:
1. A petty falsehood; a fib.
2. Pretentious nonsense.

And my favorite one of all...

nebbish \NEB-ish\, noun:
1. A weak-willed, timid, or ineffectual person.