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Oh joy! Recondite lexicographical entries are among my favourite subjects for indulgent and otiose investigation. That having been said, some of the words posted thus far I would deem to be insufficiently obscure. So that I might remedy this, and alleviate my own boredom in the process, I offer here a few of my favourite words, one for each letter of the alphabet, which I have stored back in the recesses of my numinous vocabulary. I hope that I have selected words which one might come to actually use, rather than list off narrowly focused and arcane technical or academic terms. Apophthegm, (From the Greek ἀποφθέγγομαι "I speak loudly") n. A short epigrammatic saying generally held to be true, a witty maxim or aphorism Bellibone, (From the French belle et bonne) adj. A woman who excels in both beauty and goodness. Charientism, (From the Greek χαριεντισμός "wittiness; including a vein of irony".) n. An elegantly or gracefully veiled insult. Dasypygal, (From the Greek δασύς "dense, hairy" + πυγή "buttock".) adj. Having a hairy buttocks. A useful way of naming someone an "rear end in a top hat" when circumstances dictate you unable to use the coarser word. Emunctory, (From the Latin phrase ex mungere "to blow one's nose".) n. & adj. Serving to carry waste out of the body; a part of the body which accomplishes this. Another word useful when seeking to insult someone in a concealed manner. Floccinaucinihilipilification, (Derived from the Latin words floccus "a piece of wool" + naucum "a trifle" + nihil "nothing" + pilus "a hair; a trifle" + the suffix -fication, itself is derived from the Latin supine ending -ficatio which was used to indicate as a noun the result of the action of a verb.) n. The habit of valuing something as being worthless, of little value, or unimportant. One of the longest non-technical words in the English lexicon. Galactophagous, (From the Greek, γαλακτοφάγος) adj. A Milk drinker. Hebetate, (From the Latin hebetare "to grow dull") v. To grow dull or stupid. Ithyphallic, (from the Ancient Greek ιθυφαλλικός) adj. Pertaining to the erect phallus, and by extension something considered obscene. The term ithyphallophobia, or fear of the erect penis, is derived from it. Jocoserious, (From the Latin iocosus "humourous" + serius "grave; serious".) adj. Simultaneously serious and humourous; the quality of mixing mirth with grave matters. Kitthoge, adj. & n. Left-handed or awkward, or a left-handed or awkward person. Lalochezia, (From the Greek λαλιά "speech" + χέζω "to defecate"). Vulgar words used to relieve stress or pain. Manqué, (From the French manqué the past participle of manquer "to be lacking in".) adj. The state of having not achieved a condition desired or deemed suited for, because of some fatal and inherent flaw; a "could've been". The term does not just imply the lack of the realized ambition, but also the painful desire for the desired state and the regret over what might have been. Nepenthe, (From the Greek νηπενθής "sorrow banishing") n. Something, generally a drug, that brings about forgetfulness of sorrow and suffering. Oligophrenia, (From the Greek ὀλίγος "few" + φρήν "mind; seat of intellect".) n. Extreme mental retardation; an exceptionally feeble-minded individual. Pauciloquy, n. (From the Latin pauci- "few" + loquor "I speak".) Using few words; laconism. Quodlibetarian, (From the Latin quod "what" + libet "it is pleasing".) n. One who discusses any subject at pleasure. Rejectamenta, (From the Latin reicio "I throw back".) n. Things that have been discarded as being worthless or useless. Sciolism, (From the Latin sciolus, the diminutive of scius "knowing".) n. Superficial knowledge, the quality of displaying knowledge that lacks any sort of substantial base or understanding. Useful as a veiled insult. Thelyphtoric, (From the Greek θῆλυς "female" + φθορεύς "corrupter". First used in 1780 by Martin Madan as part of the title of his treatise THELYPHTHORA; OR A TREATISE ON FEMALE RUIN, IN ITS CAUSES, EFFECTS, CONSEQUENCES, PREVENTION, AND REMEDY; CONSIDERED ON THE BASIS OF THE DIVINE LAW: Under the following HEADS, viz. MARRIAGE, WHOREDOM, FORNICATION, ADULTERY, POLYGAMY, and DIVORCE; with many other Incidental Matters.) adj. Something, frequently someone, that is corruptive to the morals of women, particularly young women. Ultracrepidate, (From the Latin phrase "ultra crepidam", "beyond the sandal".) v. To criticize beyond the scope of one's knowledge. Velleity, (From the Latin velle "wish".) n. The lowest amount of desire, with no intention of acting upon; a faint wish that is not given any effort to attain. Witzelsucht, (From the German witzeln "to joke" + sucht "addiction; obsession".) n. The habit of telling inappropriate and poor jokes, or pointless stories, especially as part of a medical condition. Xanthodont, (From the Greek ξανθός "yellow" + the suffix -dont "pertaining to teeth" derived from the Medieval Latin dentalis "teeth".) adj. Someone with yellow teeth. Yclept, (From the Old English ġeclipod, the past participle of clipian "to call out; to cry out".) adv. Called; named. Zugzwang, (From the German zug "move" + zwang "compulsion".) n. In chess, a situation in which any of the legal movements available for a player would damage his position irrevocably. Can be used in a figurative sense to fantastic results. If demand calls for it, I could likely perform another jaunt or two through the alphabet. Hellequin has a new favorite as of 14:39 on Jun 13, 2014 |
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Jun 13, 2014 14:32
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 16:14 |
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