Showing posts tagged as: Vernacular words
A Logolept’s Diet of Obscure, Obsolete, Curious and Downright Odd ”E” Words
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 hê. 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]
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]
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
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”)
⍔⌼⌼⌼⌼⌼⌼⌼⌼⍠⌼⌼⌼⌼⌼⌼⌼⌼⍔
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”)
⍔⌼⌼⌼⌼⌼⌼⌼⌼⍠⌼⌼⌼⌼⌼⌼⌼⌼⍔
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
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A Logolept’s Diet of Obscure, Obsolete, Curious and Downright Odd “C” Words
Continuing the A–Z series of out-of-the-norm, non-mainstream quirky words…this time exploring lexical items starting with the ostentatiously curvy letter “C“, the third letter and second consonant of the modern English alphabet. “C” comes from the same letter as “G”. The Semites named it gimel. The sign is possibly adapted from an Egyptian hieroglyph for a staff sling, which may have been the meaning of the name gimel. Another possibility, contested by some classical scholars, is that it depicted a camel, the Semitic name for which was gamal. The utility of “C” extends to the Romans’ numeral system where it represents the number for “100”, “C” for century!
Word | Meaning | Derivation |
Cacodoxy | bad doctrine or wrong opinion | Gk caco ("bad") + -doxia ("opinion") |
Cacogen | an anti-social person | Gk caco ("bad") + -genēs ("offspring") |
Cacophemism | a perjorative expression used instead of a mild one | Gk caco ("bad") + -logía ("speech") |
Cagamosis | an unhappy marriage | origin unknown |
Calcographer | one who draws with crayons and pastels✍️ | L calco ("thread", "trample on") + graphe ("write") |
Callpygous | having beautiful buttocks | Gk kallos ("beautiful") + -pūgē ("buttocks") |
Camelot | newspaper vendor ️ | F origin unknown |
Carpophagous | fruit-eating | Gk karpós ("fruit") + -phágous ("eating") |
Catapedamania | an impulse to jump from high places | Gk cata ("downward") + -ped ("ground") ⛰️ |
Catchpole | sheriff's deputy, esp one who makes an arrest for failure to pay a debt | OE cace ("catch") + Med L pullus (a chick") |
Celerity | swiftness of movement | L celer ("speedy"; "swift") |
Celsitude | loftiness, esp in rel. to position or standing | L celsus ("high"; "lofty") |
Cenobite | monk; member of religious order | Gk koinos ("common") + -bios ("life") |
Cereologist | someone who studies crop circles, esp one who believes they are not man-made or formed by other terrestrial processes ⭕️ | L Ceres (Roman goddess of agriculture ") + -logy ("study") |
Chaetophorous | having bristles | Gk khaítē ("hair") + -phoros ("bearing") |
Chasmaphilous | fond of nooks & crannies | Gk chasma ("abyss"; "cleft") + phil |
Chiliad | divide into parts of 1,000; Millennium | Gk khilioi ("thousand") |
Chorizent | someone who challenges the authorship of a major work, esp one who believes that the Iliad & the Odyssey were not penned by Homer ✍️ | origin unknown |
Chryosophist | a lover of gold ⚱️ | Gk chrys ("gold") + -philos ("phile") |
Cicisbeo | male companion of a married woman | origin unknown |
Cicerone | a guide for tourism information ℹ️ | L from Cicero, agnomen of Roman orator, (2th BCE |
Clerisy | class of the intelligentsia; group of learned & literary people | Gk klēros ("heritage") |
Concision | tenseness & brevity of speech & writing; saying much in a few words | L concīsus ("cut short") |
Consign | deserved & appropriate, esp a fair & fitting punishment | L con ("altogether") + -dignus ("worthy"; "appropriate" |
Copacetic | completely satisfactory; in good order | origin unknown |
Coruscating | sparkling; glittering | L coruscatus ("to vibrate", "glitter") |
Cosmocracy | rulership of the world; global government ️ | Gk cosmo ("universe") + -krátos ("rule"; "power") |
Coterminous | having the same boundaries | Eng, (18th. |
Crepuscular | resembling or rel to twilight | L crepusculum ("twilight") |
Cruciverbalist | one who is skilled at or enjoys solving crosswords 里 | L cruci ("cross" + -verbum ("word"). Neologism, 1977) |
Cryptarcy | secret government or rulership | Gk kryptos ("hidden"; "secret") |
Cryptogenic | (disease) of unknown origin | Gk kryptos ("hidden"; "secret") + genēs ("offspring") |
Cryptonym | a code or secret name | Gk kryptos ("hidden"; "secret") + -nym ("name") |
Cumbent | "lying down"; "reclining" | L incumbere ("lie or lean on") |
Curiosa | pornographic books | L curiosus ("curious") |
Curlicue | calligraphic twist or curl in the design object; decorative | Eng, (18th. "Curly" + "cue" ("pigtail") |
Cursoril | limbs adapted to running (zool.) | Med L cursorius ("of running") |
Cyesolagnia | attracted to pregnant women | Gk cyeso(?) + -lagnia ("lust") |
Cynoid | dog-like; canine | Gk kyn ("dog") + oid ("resembling") |
Cynosure | anything that attracts attention; object of interest | Gk kunosoura (lit. "dog's tail") an association der. from the shape of the constellation Ursa Minor |
Cereologist: pondering the enigma of the crop circle ⭕️
Chorizent: Not Homer!
The Cruciverbalist’s playground
Cynosure: all eyes on Ursa Minor, aka “the Little Dipper”
A Logolept’s Diet of Obscure, Obsolete, Curious and Downright Odd “B” Words
The letter “B” has quite a backstory on route to its destination in the English alphabet. Its equivalent second letter in Phoenician, beth, was part of that ancient language’s alphabet more than 3000 years ago. It looked a little different, but it made the same sound as “B”/”b”. The shape of the letter resembled the floor plan of a house, and the word beth meant “house.” In Hebrew, the letter was called beth, bet or bayt which also means “house.” (‘The Letter B Once Had A Much Longer Name’, (2014), www.dictionary.com). Here’s a far from definitive selection of unusual, obscure and archaic words beginning with “B” – useful additions to the vocabulary of any budding lexiphile, logophile or verbivore out there.
Word | Meaning | Derivation |
Babeldom | a confused sound of noise | ME babble + OE -dōm ('state') |
Bacchanal | drunkard; reveller | L bacchanalis (from the god Bacchus) |
Bahadur | self-important official | Persian bahādur ('brave', 'valiant') |
Balatron | joker; clown | L balatrō ('jester'; 'buffoon') 嵐 |
Barmecide | an insincere benefactor (someone who promises but doesn't deliver) | Per Barmeki ('The Arabian Nights', family name) |
Barratry | inciting riot or violence | OF Barraterie (der from 'deceive') |
Bathykolpian | deep-bosomed | Gk bathys ('deep') + kolpos ('breast') |
Bedswerver | an unfaithful spouse | Eng (17th, Shakespeare |
Benedict | benign; a newly-married after being a long-time bachelor | L bene ('good') + -dicte ('speak') |
Bersatrix | babysitter | Fr berseaux ('cradle') + trix (fem. suffix) |
Bibliognost | well-read individual: person with a wide knowledge of books | Gk biblio ('book') + -gnōstēs ('one who knows'j |
Bodacious | remarkable; unmistakable; sexy; voluptuous | Eng 'bold' + 'audacious' |
Boursocrat | Stock exchange official | origin unknown |
Brio | enthusiastic vigour | It 'mettle'; 'fire'; 'life' |
Bromaphile | lover of food; a "foodie" | Gk brôma ('food') + -phile ('lover') |
Bromopnea | bad breath | Gk brômos ('stink') + nea |
Brumal | wintry; of, like or pertaining to winter 略 | L brūmalīs ('relating to the winter solstice') |
Burrole | an eavesdropper | origin unknown |
Bywoner | agricultural labourer | Afrikaans from Mid Dutch bi + ('dweller') |
ADDENDUM | ||
Barbigerous | bearded; bearing a beard 倫♂️ | L barbiger ("beard"; + -gero ('bearing') |
Bavian | baboon; insignificant or unskilled poet | D baviaan |
Belliferous | bringing war | L bellum ('war') + ferō ('to bear') |
Bloviate | talk at length in empty, pompous, inflated fashion | Eng (19th. 'blow' (as in boasting, orig. to describe politicians) |
Brobdingnagian | immense in size; gigantic | Eng (18th. novel by Jonathan Swift ✍️ |
A Logolept’s Diet of Obscure, Obsolete, Curious and Downright Odd “A” Words
The Big A! In the beginning was A.
“Words, Words, Words”, mused Shakespeare’s brooding and enigmatic eponymous protagonist in Hamlet [Act II, Scene II]. Indeed, for those wordsmiths, verbivores and aficionados in the grips of logolepsy (fascination or obsession with words), words, lexemes, morphemes, lógos, verba, call it whatever you like, are the very stuff of the world. If you are like me and take a delight in being exposed to new words, always looking to add to the building blocks of your vocabulary, then your interest might be piqued enough to browse the following list of words, a select lexicon with entries which include the obscure, the archaic, the unusual, the peculiar and (sometimes) the downright creepily weird. To begin at the beginning, the letter “A”, primus intra pares among the strictly-ordered glyphs. “A” in the Latin alphabet is similar in shape to the Ancient Greek letter Alpha, from which it derives.
Word | Meaning | Derivation |
Abactor | cattle thief or rustler | L Late Latin abigō ('drive away') |
Achloropsia [cf. Acyanopsia colour-blind blue] | colour-blind green | Gk a + clor ('green') + -podia (rel. to 'sight') |
Acephalous | lacking a (clearly defined) head | Gk akephalous ('headless') |
Acersecomic | one who has never had his or her hair cut | Gk akersekómēs ('young with unshorn hair') |
Acrologic | pertaining to initials; using a sign to represent a word denoting its initial letter or sound, assoc with hieroglyphics & acronyms | Fr acrologique |
Adelphogamy | a form of polyandry; marriage of 2 or more brothers & 1 or more wives (context: Royal marriages in Ancient Egypt, usually between siblings) | Gk adelphi ('brothers') + -gamus ('marriage') 戮 |
Adventitious | occurring as a result of an external factor or by chance, rather than by design or inherent nature; coming from outside, not native | L adventicious (coming to us from abroad") |
Agelast | someone who never laughs; a humourless person | Mid Fr agélastos ('not laughing') |
Agersia | not growing old in appearance | Gk a ('not') + geras ('age') |
Agnomen | an epithet; an appellation appended to a name (eg, Rufus the Indolent) | Anc Rome a 4th name occasionally bestowed on a citizen in honour of some achievement |
Agnosy | ignorance esp universal ignorance; unenlightened; bereft of spiritual understanding or insight | Gk agnōsia ('ignorance') |
Aleatory | something dependent on the throw of dice or on chance; random; (esp in indurance) | L alea a kind of dice game |
Amanuensis | Iiterary or artistic assistant, in particular one who takes dictation or copies manuscripts | L a manu + -ensis ('slave at handwriting') + 'belonging to') |
Ambivert | someone who a balance of extrovert & introvert features in their personality | L ambi ('on both sides') + vertere ('to turn') |
Aneabil | unmarried; single | origin unknown |
Anecdotage | someone with a tendency to be garrulous; anecdotes collectively | Gk anekdota ('unpublished') + -age |
Anemocracy | government by the wind or by whim | Gk anemo ('wind') + -cracy ('rule') |
Anhedonia | inability to feel pleasure in normally pleasurable activities | Fr anhédonia+ ('without pleasure') |
Animadvert | criticise or censure; speak out against | L animadvert-ere ('to notice or remark on a subject') |
Antanaclasis | a literary trope whereby a single word is repeated, but in 2 different senses (for effect, a common form of punning) | Gk antanáklasis ('reflection'; 'bending back') |
Antelucan | pre-dawn | L ante ('before') + luc ('light') |
Antemundane | existing before the creation of the world | L ante ('before') + Fr mondain ('of this world') |
Antipudic | covering one's private parts | anti + L pudendum ('genitals'; shame') |
Apodysophilia | feverish desire to undress (a form of exhibitionism) | origin unknown |
Appurtenance | accessory associated with particular lifestyle, eg, luxury | OFr from L appertinere ("belong to") |
Aptronym§ | the name of a person which neatly matches or is amusingly appropriate to their occupation or character (eg, possessor of the highest-ever recorded IQ, Marilyn vos Savant; a Russian hurdler by the name of Marina Stepanova) | neologism, purportedly coined by US columnist Franklin P Adams |
Archimage | great magician, wizard or enchanter 慄♂️ | New Latin from Late Gk archimagus |
Aristarch | a severe critic | after Aristarchus of Samothrace, a Greek grammarian, (2nd BC) |
§ the concept of aptronym gives legs to the theory of nominative determinism which hypotheses that people tend to gravitate towards jobs that fit their surname, eg, a BBC weather presenter with the name Sara Blizzard ️ | |
ABACTOR (Image: American Fine Art)
ADELPHOGAMY
ARISTARCH: Aristarchus of Samos