A Logolept’s Diet of Obscure, Obsolete, Curious and Downright Odd “G” Words

Adult education, Creative Writing, Literary & Linguistics, Popular Culture

Hits the “G” spot!

G-words, words starting with the letter “G”, like “G-men” can be gritty, exacting and uncompromising…sometimes they salaciously and lustfully invoke “the beast with two backs”. Here’s some fairly unorthodox, non-mainstream “G” words you quite possibly have not encountered before.

Gallimaufry: a mixture of different things; a hodge-podge [MFr galimafree (“a kind of stew concocted from various ingredients)]

Galluptious: (or Goloptious) wonderful, delightful, delicious; provocative and sexually alluring [origin uncertain, perhaps alteration of “voluptous]

Gamic: carnal or sexual; requiring fertilisation (biol.) [Old Nth Fr. gam (from “animal’s leg”)]

Genoph: a pickpocket [origin unknown)

Geophilious: live in or near the ground [Gk geo (“earth”) + -phil (“love”)]

Gewgaw: a showy trifle; a trinket; useless, worthless [ME. giuegaue (orig. meaning uncertain)]

Gigantology: the study of giants [Gk. “giant” + -logy]

Glabrous: without hair; smooth [L. glaber (“smooth”; “bald”; “hairless”)] 👨🏾‍🦲

Glossoid: like a tongue [Gk. glōssoeidēs + -oid] 👅

Gnomic: a phrase that’s short, catchy and clever; puzzling, enigmatic and ambiguous yet seemingly profound [Gk. gnome (“an opinion”)]

Goliard: a learned person, esp in the humanities; (hist.) a wandering, fun-seeking scholar/clerical student in medieval Europe who wrote goliardy (irreverent , satiric Latin verse) [MF, origin uncertain)]

Medieval Goliards (Image: faculty.sgc.edu)

Grallator: someone who walks on stilts (taking quite long strides); an ichnogenus dinosaur [L. grallotores (“stilt-walker”)] 🦕

Gremial: pertaining to the lap or bosom; intimate [L. gremium (“lap”)]

Gymnogynomania: urge to rip women’s clothes off [Gk. gymnos (“naked”; “bare”) + gyn (-“wife”; “-woman”) + -mania

Gymnophoria: the sensation that someone is mentally undressing you [Gk. gymnos (“naked”; “bare”) + -phoria (“to bear”)

Gynotikolobo-massophilia: a proclivity for nibbling one’s earlobes [Gk. gyn + –lobos (“earlobe”) + -masáomai (“to chew”) + -phile] 👂

A Logolept’s Diet of Obscure, Obsolete, Curious and Downright Odd “F” Words

Creative Writing, Popular Culture, Regional History, Social History, Society & Culture

”F” bombs away!

The sixth letter in the alphabet is the consonant “F”. Pre-English, the Phoenicians used to write “F” with a symbol that looked a lot like “Y,” and pronounced it waw. The ancient Greeks changed it into digamma and put a tip on the “Y”, transforming it into the sixth letter in the alphabet we readily recognise today. The “f” sound has a kindred spirit in the “ph” as the two can be interchangeable in spelling, eg, people who live in the Philippines are called “Filipinos”. “F” for frank and forthright and “F” for frivolous and fickle…it would however be remiss of us to not acknowledge that the expression “F-word” has another, polarising, connotation which for many in society is still is a taboo one, as, to use a somewhat old-fashioned-sounding term, a “swear” word… “fuck” and its many derivatives such as “motherfucker”, “fucker”, etc. ad nauseam. So there you have it, “F”, all in all a letter for all seasons and dispositions!

Falerist (or Phalerist): someone who collects and studies medals, badges, pins, ribbons and other decorations [from the Greek mythological hero Phalerus: Gk. Phaleros]

Farraginous: consisting of a confusing mixture, orig. of grains for cattle feed (cf. Farrago); jumbled; messy; heterogenous[L. far “spelt” (ie, grain)]

Favonian: pertaining to the west wind (esp mild, gentle) 💨 [L. fovēre (“to warm”)] (cf. Zephyr)

Firmament: (Relig.) the vault or arch of the sky; the heavens; the field or sphere of an interest or activity [Late Latin. firmamentum, from L. firmare (“support”)]

Firmament

Flâneur: a man who saunters around observing society; a stroller (fem: approx comparable to Flaneuse). [Old Norse. flana (“to wander with no purpose)]

A metropolis full of flâneurs (image: The Art Story)

Flexiloquent: speaking evasively or ambiguously [L. flexibilis (“that may be bent”) + –loquēns (“speaking”; “talking”)]

Florilegium: an anthology esp excerpts of a larger work; collection of flowers [L. flos (“flower” +-legere (“to gather”)] 🌺

Frotteur: (Psycho-sex.) a person who derives sexual gratification—Frottage—thru contact with the clothed body of another person in a crowd [Fr. frotter (“to rub”)]

Funambulist/Funambulator: a tightrope walker; an acrobat who performs balancing acts on a taut, high horizontal rope (also known as an Equilibrist [L. funis (“rope”) + –ambulare (“to walk”)]

Funambulist ice-veined Philippe Petit with his flares at full mast, at his day job, Twin Towers 1974 (photo: Alan Welner/AP)

Fusilatelist: someone ( with a lot of time on their hands) who collects phone cards from telcos (origin unknown)

Fuselatelist: UK £5 telco cards (source: chinarfidfactory.com)

Futilitarian: a person devoted to futile pursuits; one who believes that human striving is futile [(19th neologism, a portmanteau word formed from blending “futile” and “utilitarian”]

Fysigunkus: a person devoid of curiosity [Scot. Eng, (19th. origin unknown]

A Logolept’s Diet of Obscure, Obsolete, Curious and Downright Odd ”E” Words

Adult education, Creative Writing, Literary & Linguistics, Popular Culture

“E” does it!

The fifth letter and second vowel in the modern English alphabet, “E” can trace its ancestry to the ancient Greek letter epsilon, which in turn has its source in the Semitic letter . Words beginning with “E” can be positive and affirmative—energetic, empathetic, etc—but they can also exclude, excise and excommunicate. Here’s some fairly unorthodox, non-mainstream “E” words you possibly have not encountered before.

Eccendentesiast: an insincere person who fakes a smile [L. ecce (“I present to you’) + –dentes (“teeth”) + –iast (“performer”)]

Ecdysiast: a striptease artist; erotic dancer [Gk. ekdysis (“a stripping or casting off”). Coined 1940 by HL Mencken]

Gypsy Rose Lee, famous US ecdysiast

Ectomorph: a person with a lean and delicate build of body; also can refer to someone with an introverted, thoughtful personality [Gk. ecto (“outside”, “external”) + –derm (“skin”) + –morphē (“form”; “shape”). Coined 1940 by WH Sheldon]

Eleemosynary: relating to or depending on charity; charitable [Gk. eleos (“mercy”; “pity”; “compassion”; (pertaining to alms)]

Encomium: a speech or piece of writing which praise someone or something highly (cf. eulogy) [Gk. en (“within”) + –komos (“revel”)]

Endomorph: a person with a heavy, rounded (big-boned) build of body [Gk. endon (“in”; “within”) + –morphē (WH Sheldon 1940)]

Endonym: (also known as Autonym) the native name for a national group, an individual, geographical place, language or dialect; used inside a particular group or linguistic community for self-identification [Gk. endon (“within) + –ónoma (“name”)]

Ennad: any group of nine; orig. a group of 9 deities in Egyptian mythology [Gk. ennea (the number 9)]

Epeolatry: the worship of words [Gk. epos (“word”) + -latry (“worship”)]

Epicrisis: something that follows a crisis, specifically a secondary crisis; a critical or analytical study, evaluation or summing up, esp of medical case [Gk. epíkrisis, (“determination”, “judgment”, “award”)]

Epigamic: attractive to the opposite sex, esp in zoological context [Gk. epi (“upon”; “on”; “near”) + –gamus (“wedding”; “marriage”)]

Epistolographer: a writer of epistles (elegant, formal didactic letters); a letter writer [Gk. epistellein (“send news”) + –graphe (“write”)] ✍️📝

Ergatocracy: rule by the workers [Gk. ergátēs (“workman”) + –crazy]

Ergatocracy (source: libcom.org)

Eschatological: theological considerations relating to death, judgement and the finality of the soul and humankind [Gk. éskhatos (“last”) + -logy]

Excoriate: to denounce or berate severely; verbally flay; to strip or remove the skin (Gk. ex (“out”) + –coríum (“skin”; “hide”)

Excursus: a diversion or digression in a book from the main subject which involves a detailed side-discussion [L. excurrere (“run out”)]

Exonym: (also known as Xenonym) the non-native name for a national group, an individual, geographical place, language or dialect [Gk. exo (“outside) + –ónoma (“name”)]; eg, the exonym for Deutschland (Germany) in Spanish is Alemania

Expiscate: to find out thru scrupulous examination or detailed investigation; fish out (something) (usage Scot.) [L. expicatus from Gk. ex (“out”) + –piscari (“to fish”)] 🎣 🐠

❘༻༺༻༺❘༻༺༻༺❘༻༺༻༺❘༻༺༻༺❘༻༺༻༺❘༻༺༻

A Logolept’s Diet of Obscure, Obsolete, Curious and Downright Odd “D” Words

Creative Writing, Literary & Linguistics

“D” day words

The letter “D” corresponds to the Semitic daleth and Greek delta (Δ). “D” is also the Roman numeral for 500. The form (D) is thought to derive from an early pictograph, possibly Egyptian, indicating the folding door of a tent. Later “D” got its more rounded shape, with which we are familiar, from the Chalcidian alphabet, which the Latins may have borrowed for their alphabet (https://www.britannica.com/topic/D-letter). Words beginning with “D”, numero quattro in the English alphabetical order, are an eclectic lot. They can be delightful, decadent or distasteful. Here’s a brief sampler of logophile-friendly “D” words for serious verbivores. 

(word) Dacnomania
(meaning) a compulsive urge to bite 
(derivation) Gk dáknō (“bite”) + -mania 🦷

Dactylogram
fingerprint
Gk Daktylos (“finger”) + –gramma (“that which is written/drawn”)

Daedalist

aviator; pilot
Gk from Didalos, L Daedalus (“skilfully wrought”)

Daedalist (Photo: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum)

Dapifer
one who brings meat to the table (ie, a servant)
origin unknown 🍖

Defenestration
throw someone through a window; remove or dismiss someone from a position of authority
L de “down from” + –fenestra (“window”)

The Defenestration of 1618 (Source: Habsburger.net)

Deimatic
pattern of behaviour of a bluffing character (zool)
Gk deimatóo (“to frighten”)

Deipnosophist
learned amateur
Gk deipnon (“dinner”) + –sophistēs (“knowledgeable in the arts” (from Athenaeus’‘Deipnosophistaí’)

Deltiologist
someone who collects and studies postcards [Gk. deltion (“writing tablet”) + -ist]

Deltiologist (image: emaniuz-collection.blogspot.com)

Depontification
throw someone off a bridge
L de + –pons (“bridge), following pattern of defenestration

Didascalar
Didactic; pertaining to teaching
origin unknown

Diddicoy
scrap dealer; Brit: group of caravan-dwelling travellers who adopt a Gypsy-like lifestyle
origin unknown

Diestrus
a period of sexual inactivity
New L dia + -estrus from Gk Oistros (“gadfly”, “sting”)

Digladiator
swordfighter
origin unknown

Dithyrambic
wildly irregular in form
Gk dithyrambos (unknown, pre-Hellenic?)

Diversiloquent
able to speak on different topics; in different ways
L. diversi (“diversus”) + –loquēns (“to speak”)

Docent
an academic immediately below the professorial rank; a voluntary guide at a museum, zoo or art gallery
L docēns (“to teach”)

Doctiloquent
speaking learnedly
L from doceō (“I teach”) +-loquēns (“to speak”)

Domatologist
professional housekeeper
origin unknown

Dontopedology
science of putting your foot in your mouth
Gk odoús (“tooth”) + –pes (“foot”) + –logos (“word”)

Douanier
customs official
Fr, origin unknown

Doulocracy
rule by slaves
Gk doûlos (“servant”, “slave”) + –kratéō (“rule)

Doulocracy: Spartacus, slave army leader

Dragoman
interpreter, translator or guide
Gk dragumanus from Arab targuman (“interpreter”)

Dulciloquent
speaking in a sweet, pleasant and agreeable way
L. dulcis (“sweet”) + -loquēns (“to speak”)

Durative
describing an action that is continuing, incomplete; transforming
L. durare (“to harden”)

Dysania
Difficult to wake up in the morning
origin unknown

Dyschromatopic
colour-blind
Gk dys (“bad”) + -chroma (“colour”) + -ops (“eye”)

Dysphemism
using an offensive word in the place of an inoffensive one
Gk dys (“bad”) + –pheme “speech”,

Dystelology
doctrine of purposelessness
Gk dys (“bad”) + –télos (“end”, “purpose”, “goal”) + –logos

⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎⚗︎