100 Words

Complete List of 100 Words

2010-04-02T19:42:00.003+01:00

There's a full list of words here, but please browse the word lists at the side to view complete posts or else just read on below. Enjoy.

congé

2010-03-11T16:07:00.010Z

So today is day 101, properly referred to as "no longer part of the project". The big 100th day celebration was last night, and a load of the 100 day participants brought photos and papers documenting their exploits for the Museum of 100 Days exhibition.

The museum was in a dimly lit Dalston warehouse with rough walls, odd corners and low ceilings, but the combination of the London Word Festival team's decorations and the magic of the exhibits themselves meant the end result was like walking into someone's obsessive, half-crazed collection of curios and novelties: a true hobbyists' curiosity shop in all its glorious weirdness.

Seeing all the projects together was powerful because it made me appreciate the immense range of what had been happening: people making things out of Lego every day, people singing a song to themselves every day, people talking to strangers every day, people going for a walk every day (sponsored, for charity, I might add), people drawing, photographing, writing and creating things every day. Marking the end of the project by bringing together all these disparate, private activities was a wonderful thing. No gimmicks, no spin, just: things we made and did.

There was some great music and standup from Josie Long, Isy Suttie, Sara Pascoe and The Pictish Trail, all connected to their own experiences with the project. The standup was great in all kinds of ways: entertaining, funny, of course, but also inspiring and intelligent (Josie also dealt admirably with some fantastic heckling from a nine-year-old girl). I think the overwhelming message of the night was best summed up by comedian Sara Pascoe. I'm paraphrasing slightly, but it was something along the lines of: no one ever tells you that you're good enough to do something, no one ever tells you that what you're doing is right - you just have to shut up and get on with doing it.

I hope I won't seem ungrateful for saying though that the best bit of the night for me was browsing through the museum, opening a window into everyone's private routines for the last 100 days. Although we were all doing things with the idea that it would "make us better people", I think the main feeling of satisfaction has been generated not by the daily activities themselves, but from having had an end point, marking out a period of sustained achievement. It's a paradox though - it's only in looking back from the finishing point that I can say "wow, look - I did that", when the achievement is simply the accumulation of 100 small, simple acts. If only I could get the same satisfaction from each individual act every time, because that's where the real achievement lies I think.

I do feel a sense of satisfaction in having got through the project. I'm also mildly surprised to look back on quite how much I actually managed to do. I was learning a new word a day, but I don't think it really would have mattered what my activity was (unless it was something bad like "Punch a person every day.") What matters, I think, is that all of us actually did something, every day. If only everything in life was as simple as saying "I want to try and do this" to yourself and then going off and doing it - oh wait a minute: it is.

Another highlight from last night was meeting the couple who exhibited 100 love letters, written from one partner to the other, although I'm a little embarrassed to say I've forgotten their names. The recipient partner wrote something to introduce the exhibit along the lines of "I don't know if it made him a better person, but it made me a happier woman, which I think has probably meant he's been made happier too." Their presentation letter-box was overflowing, as was the wall behind it, and there was something admirably earnest and honest about that project - something really human - that I liked a lot. Of course, my second thought about the love letters was "my boyfriend and I are going to have words about this", but let's not spoil the moment.

I thought about continuing the project beyond the 100 days. It's been genuinely fun uncovering words I didn't know, words like roquelaure, jingbang and paxwax. Imagine if I continued at that rate for the next 100, 1000, 10000 days? Why - I'd be the best scrabble player alive. But inevitably something would interfere with it, or it would quietly trail off and die in a forgotten corner of the internet. That would be a sad ending to the current feeling of resolution I have about the project. As I said above anyway, I don't think the actual words or the specific activities were the important thing. It was about doing something every day just because you said you would; something you didn't always feel like doing; something you sometimes considered to be pointless; but, ultimately, something that was part of a wider project that you decided to be part of for no better reason than because it sounded like a good idea. A bad idea, by contrast, is the suggestion that we now restore the karmic imbalance by doing something for each of the next 100 days to make ourselves worse people (back to the punching people plan). But it illustrates a point: whatever we decide to do every day affects us. We affect other people, so what we do affects them. Small things accumulate into big things. This means that small things matter. What do you want to do today? Can you make time to do something small, or will you do nothing?

If I'm taking anything from this project, it's that good ideas are all around us all the time, as are creative people who are willing to dive in and play around with them. People are awesome, often, as this project has shown, in private, quiet, understated ways. It was nice to talk to people last night who hadn't been keeping blogs or showing off on the internet - they'd just been getting on with it, not looking anywhere else for validation. There's a lesson there.

I'm going to finish up with a few words from a Roisin Tierney poem that feel relevant, and that hopefully go some way towards explaining what I think the 100 days project offered us and what I think about small acts of kindness and creativity:

     and I picked up my pen and found true north,
     and formed an intention as solid as any:

     to write what can be said,
     do what can be done.

Thanks to Josie Long and the London Word Festival team for thinking up the whole thing in the first place, and here's my final, hundredth word. So long, and thanks for all the nouns:

congé n formal or authoritative permission to depart; an abrupt dismissal; a leave-taking; a formal bow.

penultimate post

2010-03-10T09:09:00.002Z

FYI there will be a word chosen today, the final day, but all 100dayers are going to be doing their thing at the same time at the party tonight. I'll update the blog with the final entry and a tidy downloadable list of all the words (if anyone wants one) tomorrow. Until then...

dalmahoy

2010-03-09T08:06:00.003Z

Well, well, well - day 99 of the 100 days project. How strange to be coming to the end of it. As such, I've tried to pick a word that I felt had some weight to it, something with great universal meaning that could be absorbed into our emotional makeup and give a new insight into our characters. Handpicked from the dictionary just for you, here's the 99th offering:

dalmahoy n a bushy bob-wig worn in the 18c. [Said to be named from a wearer.] Chambers, 1998

Whose life isn't a little richer for knowing that the word "dalmahoy" exists, eh?

For anyone interested, end of project celebrations and an exhibition are being held tomorrow night:

100 Days To Make Me A Better Person with Josie Long
Weds 10th March 2010
7pm £12 on the door

Work Dalston
Stamford Works
Gillett Street
Dalston
London N16 8JH

apocope

2010-03-08T11:26:00.002Z

Aha! So this is what that's called!

apocope n loss or omission of the last letter, syllable, or part of a word.

This dictionary's got me hangin' on every word. Ever' word. Ever' wo.

slummock

2010-03-07T09:19:00.002Z

Brilliant. A nice one to pair with dratchell, I think:

slummock vi to move slowly and awkwardly. - n (dialect or colloq) a slovenly person, esp a woman, a slut. Chambers, 1998

Yes, because that's the one thing you always notice about really scantily dressed promiscuous women or sex workers - their slow, awkward movements.

It also follows on quite nicely from yesterday's lurdan, too. Presumably you could have a slummocking lurdan then. Or a slummocking dratchell. In fact, a slummocking just-about-anything sounds good to me. Slummock away, people, slummock away.

lurdan

2010-03-06T12:22:00.002Z

This word feels a bit like I do this morning, as I may have slightly pushed the boundaries of social drinking last night:

lurdan, lurdane or lurden (archaic) n a dull, heavy, stupid or sluggish person. Also adj. [Origin from Old French lourdin dull, from lourd heavy] Chambers, 1998

foughty

2010-03-05T08:04:00.002Z

This word caught my eye despite being fairly unassuming, but the way we store our perishable goods in this house, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to put it to good use.

foughty (dialect) adj musty; mouldy; tainted. [Origin from Old English fuht moist] Chambers, 1998

Mormops

2010-03-04T07:59:00.002Z

Mormops n a genus of repulsive looking American leaf-nosed bats. [Origin from Greek mormo a bugbear, and ops face] Chambers, 1998

I love the etymology: "let's take the word for bloody annoying and put it together with your face".

Anyone wanting a little visual reference, here is a mormops, otherwise known as a ghost-faced bat.

limicolous

2010-03-03T07:22:00.002Z

Mm, splendidly oozy, this:

limicolous adj living in mud. - adj limous (archaic) muddy; slimy. [Origin from Latin limus mud and colere to dwell] Chambers, 1998

Can't believe there's only a week left of the 100 days project (this is already day 93). It's gone so quickly. I'd better pick some good words to go out on.

desipient

2010-03-02T08:15:00.005Z

Going through words starting with "de-" in the dictionary is depressing. They're all about losing or leaving: deforestation, defloration, deflation, deformation - that is until you find defenestration, which is still one of my favourite words (the act of flinging someone out of a window). Oh, er - and delight too I suppose. Yes, that's not a sad word. Anyway, here's a word that was new to me for today's choice:

desipient adj playing the fool; trifling - n desipience. [Origin from Latin desipiens, -entis, pr p of desipere, from de- (negative) and sapere to be wise] Chambers, 1998

I think I like it because it's such a formal word to use for something so bumbling. Suggested usage: Who is this desipient joskin?

FYI I almost picked datolite, which I misread as "a hydrated silicate of bacon and calcium". (It was boron.)

fremescent

2010-03-01T08:06:00.002Z

I'm sure I've sat next to this guy on the bus before:

fremescent (rare) adj growling or muttering. - n fremescence. [Origin from the Latin fremere to growl] Chambers, 1998

tatterdemalion

2010-02-28T12:52:00.003Z

I love this word, even though I could have guessed the meaning:

tatterdemalion n a tattered person, a ragamuffin [Origin from tattered or tatter, with termination of uncertain formation] Chambers, 1998

I don't know where the ending comes from either, but maybe it's something to do with the Latin word malus meaning bad. Or, uh, something do with lions?

mallemaroking

2010-02-27T09:45:00.003Z

mallemaroking (naut; rare) carousing of seamen in icebound ships [Obscure Dutch mallemerok, a romping woman, from mal foolish, and marok, from French marotte a favoured object]

The word itself sounds amazing (sort of "mally-ma-ROOking"), but the etymology is fascinating too - we're talking about a word that means crazy drunken sailors. And crazy drunken sailors specifically on an icebound ship, headed north. Where's the word come from? The idea of a romping woman, which might go some way to explaining their highly excited mood. But where does the woman come from? She comes from the word for "foolish". So actually the drunken partying has taken on a bit of a pathetic tone. But wait - the French word for "a favoured object" is in there too - she may be a complete slut, but we love her for it. Now the sailors drinking seems happy, appreciative of small human things, perhaps even a little nostalgic.

In the space of a few lines in a dictionary, this word has gone from wild-eyed drunkenness to sad sluttiness to happy, quiet nostalgia - just like so many of the great long sessions, eh? I will endeavour to remember this word and bring it up the next time I find myself wearied with whiskey at three in the morning. Of course I'll probably remember it wrong and spend ten minutes repeating myself: "there's this great ice sailing word, the Germans, no, wait, it's French, and the women, drinking, there's a boat, you know, ice, moomoomoorooookka roook kkaaaaaaaaahh..."

asystole

2010-02-26T08:56:00.002Z

This is a medical word, but I like it for shamefully 'poetical' reasons:

asystole (med) n inability of the heart to empty itself - Also asystolism [Origin from Greek a- (privative), and systole contraction] Chambers, 1998 (FYI it's pronounced like "a(h)-SIS-toe-lee"

I'm too ashamed to comment further. Will return to some pleasantly smutty dratchell-type words tomorrow.

rundle

2010-02-25T10:12:00.002Z

I am shocked that there is a word for this other than "rung" and I've never heard of it before:

rundle n a rung of a ladder; a wheel or similar rotating object [Origin from Middle English var. of roundel]

Shocked, I say to you, shocked.

humgriffin

2010-02-24T08:29:00.003Z

Well, I know I've already had a humdudgeon, but I couldn't resist this word too. Stick a "hum" in front of anything and I'll go for it.

humgriffin or humgruffian n a terrible person. [Apparently hum (to make a sound like bees) and griffin (imaginary animal with lion's body and eagle's beak)] Chambers, 1998

It sounds like a word from a fairytale, although I'd like to reintroduce it in the context of pushy commuters.

Also, I know that "to make a sound like bees" is an accurate description of humming, but it still makes me laugh written down.

criant

2010-02-23T08:55:00.003Z

criant adj garish, discordantly coloured. [French] Chambers, 1998

I'm having fun applying this adjective to some of the nouns I've found on my travels:

A criant dratchell.

A criant bagarre.

A criant jingbang.

A criant morkin.

I don't think a single one of those is actually appropriate.

Oh, also, check out another act of plagiarism thrown this way by @sheennotheard : http://tiny.cc/ZS4FI He says his sword is mightier than his pen is, but I wonder.

roke

2010-02-22T08:36:00.003Z

A little word to start off the week:

roke (dialect) n a vapour; steam; mist; small rain; smoke. - vt and vi to steam; to smoke. -adj roky. [Perh Scand] Chambers, 1998

larrikin

2010-02-21T14:30:00.003Z

To follow on from yesterday's theme of words that are appropriate for the weekend:

larrikin (Austr) n a rough or hooligan; someone who is careless of usual social conventions or behaviour - Also adj - n larrikinism. [Origin doubtful; a connection with "larking about" has been suggested but remains unsubstantiated; also perhaps Cornish larrikin a rowdy youth] Chambers, 1998

There are so many things I like about this word. The sheer sound of it, for one: "larrikin". It sounds like it should be a sherry glass. Then the definition: "a rough". That's brilliant. When was the last time you heard "rough" used as a noun?

"Darling, I sat next to the most dreadful rough on the commuter train this morning."
"Oh how awful. How about a larrikin of sherry?"

Also, though, I like the way the origin is described as "doubtful", before Captain Dictionary goes on to say that there is a Cornish word "larrikin" with a near-identical meaning. Mystery solved, I'd say! Or has Captain Dictionary forgotten that some Cornish people would have been involved in the initial European colonisation of Australia? Congratulations, you forefathers with your casual "sweep them under the equator" attitude. This larrikin's for you. As for Captain Dictionary, don't get me started.

dratchell

2010-02-20T13:00:00.000Z

Well, this seems to be a suitable Saturday night word:

dratchell (dialect) n a slut

Er, yes. Think I'll leave that one there.

oscheal

2010-02-19T08:27:00.002Z

oscheal (med) adj relating to the scrotum. [Origin from Greek oscheon scrotum] Chambers, 1998

The less said about this word the better, but I can imagine inserting it into a long string of general insults: "Why you low-down, good-for-nothing, oscheal, curmurring cockatrice" or similar.

heaume

2010-02-18T08:17:00.003Z

I'm delighted that @twentington has put this blog to excellent use in the 100 Days project's "plagiarism week" and made a poem out of lots of the words I've found here. Go and look, it's a work of brilliance.

In his honour, I've chosen a word whose exuberance will I hope be taken in the spirit of celebration rather than, er, weirdness. FYI, it's pronounced like home:

heaume (archaic) n a massive helmet [Origin from French] Chambers, 1998

Interestingly, the origin of "helmet" is Old English helm and German Helm, so this is something slightly different. Also, IT IS MASSIVE.

Join me in celebration of the giant heaume!

quiddle

2010-02-17T07:52:00.005Z

Rushing out the door, so just a quickie for today I like the sound of:

quiddle (dialect) vi to trifle - n a fastidious person. - quiddler. Chambers, 1998

Presumably you can quiddle with a quiddler then? What would that entail - putting coathangers in the wardrobe facing different ways perhaps? Or rearranging tins in the food cupboard?

curettage

2010-02-16T07:40:00.002Z

Yeeuch. I always wondered if this had a specific name, being something of a Murder She Wrote/Poirot devotee (for my sins):

curettage (surg) n the scraping of a body cavity or internal organ by means of a spoon-shaped instrument known as a curette, usu to remove diseased dissue or a sample of tissue for diagnostic purposes - curette to scrape with a curette - n curettement curettage. [Origin from French curer to clean, clear] Chambers, 1998

In my random, brokenly-linking brain the sound of it reminds me of carrots, and now I'm thinking of a curettage salad, and how awesomely unpleasant that might be.

bagarre

2010-02-15T07:38:00.003Z

bagarre (French) n a scuffle, brawl, rumpus. Chambers, 1998

There's only one rule about bagarre club: don't talk about bagarre club, etc.

oxter

2010-02-14T18:08:00.002Z

What a wonderful word:

oxter (Scot) n the armpit - vt to take under the arm; to support by taking the arm. [Origin from Old English oxta] Chambers, 1998

I really do love all these Scots words. My gran was Scottish - I wonder how many of these she would have already known.

tappice

2010-02-13T14:02:00.003Z

This is how I'm considering reacting to another one of these "themed" weeks from Team 100:

tappice vi to lie low - vt to hide [Origin from French tapir, tapiss-] Chambers, 1998

This weekend I am officially going to tappice myself.

graupel

2010-02-12T07:41:00.002Z

Well, this is still vaguely relevant to the bits of cold weather Britain's getting at the moment:

graupel n frozen rain or snowflakes. [Origin from German graupeln to sleet] Chambers, 1998

The most disappointing weather activity known to man - it's not quite rain, it's not quite snow, but it's cold enough to give you ruddy cheeks for the next seven hours.

aikona

2010-02-11T08:38:00.003Z

Just a quickie, today. For the man/woman who has all the interjections:

aikona (Bantu) interj it is not; no (Chambers, 1998)

pium

2010-02-10T07:00:00.000Z

I'm including this not so much for the word itself, but for the wonderful overly-English definition that comes with it:

pium n a small but very troublesome Brazilian biting fly (Origin from Tupi) Chambers, 1998

I can just visualise the scene at the Explorer's Club: "Very troublesome, weren't they, Jenkins?" "Oh yes, vey troublesome, vey troublesome."

hircine

2010-02-09T07:45:00.004Z

At last, a useful relationship word. Heh:

hircine adj goat-like; having a strong goatish smell. n hircosity goatishness - hircocervus a fabulous creature, half goat, half stag.

I will hope to use this word frequently. I suspect it may make a nice partner to curmurring. And just in case you want to know what Mr Hircocervus looks like, here's a postcard:

benthonic

2010-02-08T07:24:00.001Z

I can think of a few ways I could use this word in everyday speech though most of them are insulting, which is a shame as it's such a nice word.

benthonic or benthoal adj living on the sea bottom.

Seahorses are benthonic. I wouldn't like to insult a seahorse, they're far too pretty. Also they blend in well with their surroundings, which makes them all the better for benthonically stalking you before leaping out from the benthonic undergrowth to give you a benthonic good beating.

Uh, anyway, some related words here:

benthos n the flora and fauna of the sea bottom or lake bottom adj benthopelagic (of marine fauna) living just above the sea bed n benthoscope a submersible sphere from which to study deep-sea life. [Origin from Greek benthos depth] Chambers, 1998

ooidal

2010-02-07T18:32:00.002Z

Today's offering:

ooidal adj egg-shaped. [Origin from Greek oioeides, from oion and eidos form] Chambers, 1998

It's prounounced, roughly, oh-oy-dal, with emphasis on the Oy. Feel rather like I should know this one too. It's a great word though - strikes me as a useful one in scrabble.

minacious

2010-02-06T08:40:00.000Z

Again, why don't I know this word? It seems very familiar:

minacious adj threatening. n minacity. [Origin from Latin minax, -acis, from minari to threaten] Chambers, 1998

Just a quickie. Have some place minacious to be.

yakow

2010-02-05T07:44:00.000Z

I can't stop smiling at this word. Apologies if you already knew this - I hadn't heard of it before. What a brilliant word!

yakow n an animal crossbred from a male yak and a domestic cow. [yak and cow] Chambers, 1998

Not only is it a wonderful example of the simple adaptability of language (and indeed animal breeding), but it sounds like it should be a sound effect in a comic. YAKOW!

And in case you were wondering, my Chambers doesn't list any words to describe an animal crossbred from a female yak and a domestic bull, though I did try looking up cowak, cowyak and coyak. The only other amusing related word I found was this (and note the origins of "cow" - very interesting):

cowpuncher (US colloq) a cowboy; a herder of cows [Origin of cow from Old English cu, German Kuh and Sanskrit go a bull, cow]

Oh no! The cowpuncher's gone for the big one: YAKOW!

ensorcell

2010-02-04T10:24:00.002Z

On the one hand I'm disappointed with this word, because its meaning is fairly easy to guess just from looking at it. On the other hand, I love the sheer naughtiness of the way it sounds: it's a very sultry word. I think we're talking sexy-good-witch-of-the-North, not wicked-witch-with-curly-under-house-toes.

ensorcell (archaic and poetic) vt to bewitch. [Origin from Old French ensorceler, from en, and sorcier a sorcerer] Chambers, 1998

rataplan

2010-02-03T07:09:00.001Z

Hang on - is this what the mice were saying in the middle of the Dogtanian themetune?

rataplan n a drumming sound [Origin from French] Chambers, 1998

susurrus

2010-02-02T07:00:00.000Z

Mmm, lovely. I want to say this word over and over:

susurrus (poetic) n a murmuring; a whisper; a rustling. adj susurrant. vi susurrate. n susurration. [Origin from Latin susurrus] Chambers, 1998

Let's move it from the purely "poetic" back into general usage, shall we?

wankle

2010-02-01T07:23:00.002Z

wankle (dialect) adj unstable, unsteady; changeable; not to be depended on. [Origin from Old English wancol; of Germanic origin] Chambers, 1998

Brilliant. Not only is it a great word but this is definitely one I think I can insert into my active vocabulary. I feel like I want it to be a noun instead of an adjective though - the example below feels wrong. I keep thinking of it as a word like "fickle" in terms of audible comparison.

Example:

I went to the Poetry Live For Haiti reading on Saturday. Gordon Brown went too. He gave a speech at the start but then only stayed for the first poet's reading, ducking out straight after Dannie Abse finished. He is a wankle man, at least when it comes to poetry.

volucrine

2010-01-31T14:59:00.002Z

Enough of the gout-tastic words. Here's a lovely word that I may well be able to use a bit more frequently:

volucrine adj relating to birds, bird-like. [Origin from Latin volucris a bird, from volare to fly] Chambers, 1998

What a splendid word. Very noble. The polar opposite of chiragra, in fact.

chiragra

2010-01-30T10:30:00.000Z

Here's one of the least romantic words I've found yet, although I think it sounds rather pleasant, like it should be a type of bird, or cloud:

chiragra n gout in the hand. adj chiragric or chiragrical. [Origin from Greek cheiragra, from cheir hand, and agra a catching]

Next week I must start making a more concerted effort to get back to words that can be used on a daily basis. Hand-gout isn't really one of them, is it?

quincunx

2010-01-29T08:46:00.000Z

You may notice that I've totally abandoned love week. Flicking through the dictionary to find new words is one thing, narrowing them down to just one topic starts has haystack analogies. Still, this is an interesting one - didn't know there was a word for this:

quincunx n an arrangement of five things at the corners and centre of a square (eg as seen on cards and dice), or of a great number of things (esp trees) spaced in the same way; an aspect of 150 degrees between two heavenly bodeis (astrol). [Origin from Latin quincunx, from quinque five, and uncia a twelfth part]

and also an adjective to go with it:

quincuncial adj of or in a quincunx; (of aestivation) having two leaves overlapping at each edge, two underlapping at each edge, and one overlapping and underlapping (bot)

Will try and keep an eye out for some quincunxes later. Oh, also, aestivation means "a manner of folding in the flower bud". Another new word for me there.

mamelon

2010-01-28T08:41:00.002Z

mamelon n a rounded hill or protuberance. [Origin French, nipple] Chambers, 1998

This seems fairly self-explanatory. The origin makes everything clear. Ooh Mrs Brown, you have got a lovely pair of mamelons etc.

trangam

2010-01-27T07:43:00.000Z

Well this seems like a suitable word now we're heading towards Valentine's Day - lots of these in the shops:

trangam n a showy, worthless article or knick-knack. [Origin unknown]

What a depressing word. I look forward to owning many of these on shelves when I'm old and have only my dusting to look forward to.

funest

2010-01-26T07:09:00.000Z

Just a quick one today, for the femme fatale who has every adjective:

funest (obs) adj deadly; lamentable [Origin from French, from Latin funestus destructive] Chambers, 1998

ecbole

2010-01-25T08:15:00.000Z

This word should practically be my middle name. Although my middle name is Maria. A lot of the women on my mum's side of the family are called Maria in fact. But back to the word in hand:

ecbole n a digression (rhetoric); the raising or sharpening of a tone (music); adj ecbolic (med) inducing contractions of the uterus leading to childbirth or abortion - n a drug having this effect. [Origin from Greek ekbole throwing out, from ek out of, and ballein to throw] Chambers, 1998

It's pronounced "ek bowl ee", with the stress on the "ek". What a wonderful array of meanings. That reminds me, I met this well-meaning dog once who...

vapulate

2010-01-24T19:11:00.003Z

To continue on the theme of love week, here's another word you may recognise as a feature of long-term relationships:

vapulate vt to flog - vi to be flogged n vapulation a flogging. [Origin from Latin vapulare, -atum to be flogged.] Chambers, 1998

Am thinking along the lines of a strictly metaphorical vapulation by the way. This isn't that kind of blog.

cockatrice

2010-01-23T13:21:00.003Z

So, this has been named "love week" by Team 100 days. I've tried my best to find a suitable word for the theme, and think I've come up with a character who should be immediately recognisable to anyone who's ever dated inappropriate people in the past:

cockatrice n a fabulous monster, a serpent with the wings of a bird and the head of a cock; a cock-like monster with a dragon's tail (heraldry); a prostitute (obs); a mischievous or treacherous person (fig). [Origin from Old French cocatris] Chambers, 1998

Paul Frampton. Denmark Road, Exeter. 1996. A world class cock-monster/prostitute if ever I dated one.

turbary

2010-01-22T07:13:00.000Z

I'm going to find an everyday use for this word so help me:

turbary n the right to take peat from another's ground; a palce where peat is dug. [Origin from late Latin turbaria, from turba turf; of Germanic origin]

Nice to see some of the ol' late Latin making an appearance. In my head it's what's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats was to The Waste Land. No less revered and important, but an entirely different kettle of - well - cats. (Or peat.)

pythogenic

2010-01-21T07:00:00.001Z

pythogenic adj produced by filth [Origin from Greek pythein to rot] Chambers, 1998

I didn't already know this word, but I mostly just wanted to contrast it with the word that's next but one:

Pythonesque adj (of humour) bizarre and surreal, as in the BBC television comedy programme Monty Python's Flying Circus.

It's not from Latin, it's not from Greek, but it's good.

EDIT: Of course it IS from Greek. Whoops!

bovate

2010-01-20T07:00:00.001Z

This is not a word I'm ever going to be able to legitimately use in conversation, however I've decided to include it here as it provided me with another good "me vs the dictionary" moment. (Actually, I probably will use it in conversation, but only when relating this story.)

bovate n an oxgang Chambers, 1998

What on earth's an oxgang?! I duly flicked over to the "O" section to find out (as I'm guessing an oxgang isn't a herd of oxen with flick knives) only to discover that it isn't even in the dictionary.

So, I thought I would give the internet a go. Askoxford.com said it was sorry but it didn't know that word. Then I tried dictionary.com, which told me to "See Bovate". After stifling a scream I clicked over to the bovate page, hoping that it wouldn't simply say "See Oxgang". Anyway, it gave a proper definition and as soon as I read it I realised just why both of these words might have been selected for gradual phasing out:

bovate n an old English unit of land area measurement equivalent to one-eighth of a carucate. dictionary.com

Ah - so it's about an eighth of a carucate then? I see! Problem solved! If only I KNEW WHAT A CARUCATE WAS.

carucate n an old English unit of land-area measurement, varying from 60 to 160 acres. dictionary.com

Varying from 60 to 160 acres? So a bovate could be anything from 7.5 to 20 acres? That's it - I've had enough of this nonsense! I think this entire set of words deserves to be packed off to a resthome for verbally infirm.

Who'll join me in recasting an oxgang as cows with flick knives?!

exiguous

2010-01-19T07:35:00.000Z

Sexy word Tuesday!

exiguous adj scanty; slender adv exiguously n exiguity n exiguousness. [Origin from Latin exiguus, from exigere to weigh strictly] Chambers, 1998

You can see why "scantily-clad" won the battle against "exiguously-clad".

jingbang

2010-01-18T07:30:00.000Z

I can't believe this is a word!

jingbang (slang) n company; collection; lot [Origin unknown] Chambers 1998

Another origin unknown word. Brilliant. Should be making a jingbang of them, really.

weasand

2010-01-17T10:48:00.001Z

Just a quickie - odd looking word:

weasand n the windpipe: the throat [Origin from Old English waesend, wasend] Chambers Students' Dictionary 1980

sackbut

2010-01-16T10:34:00.002Z

Okay, yes, I like the sound of this word, but also I've picked this because I'm confused as to how it could possibly mean both of the things it claims to mean. (I blame having to use a Chambers Student Dictionary from the '80s at my parents' house.)

sackbut n an early form of the trombone: a stringed instrument resembling the guitar. [Origin from French saquebute] Chambers Student Dictionary, 1980

A trombone AND a guitar? Why, that sounds like the best instrument in the world!

Google translate is useless and I don't have a French dictionary to hand. Anyone know what "saquebute" means in French these days?

curmurring

2010-01-15T07:00:00.001Z

Some people might pretend they don't need to know this word, but everyone knows what this word means, and everyone needs to know it at some point:

curmurring n a rumbling sound, esp that made in the bowels by flatulence. [Imitative origin] Chambers, 1998

Brilliant.

ultion

2010-01-14T07:13:00.000Z

This word sounds very familiar, but the meaning surprised me so I'm sticking it up here. I think I must have heard it before but just not known quite what it meant.

ultion (obs) n revenge; avengement [Origin from Latin ultio, -onis] Chambers, 1998

I was watching The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou again recently. What would be the purpose of killing the jaguar shark? Ultion, pure and simple.

queach

2010-01-13T07:06:00.000Z

This is a nice oozy word - it rhymes with beach:

queach (obs) n a thicket adj queachy or queechy forming a thicket; boggy; sickly. [Origin obscure] Chambers, 1998

It's another "origin obscure" word, too. I love those. It'd be great to have a dictionary that was only made up of words with obscure origins, like having a dictionary to a fantasy language or something.

nidicolous

2010-01-12T07:33:00.000Z

Ooh, I've got some friends like this in Italy:

nidicolous adj (of young birds) staying for longer than average in the nest. [Origin from Latin nidus a nest, and colere to inhabit] Chambers, 1998

I think this word is just crying out to be applied to humans, too.

xylophilous

2010-01-11T07:30:00.001Z

The meaning of this word sounds nice, healthy and organic:

xylophilous adj fond of wood, living on wood [Origin from Greek xylon wood] Chambers, 1998

I'm sure there's some really puerile double entendre waiting to pounce on it though.

rhopalic

2010-01-10T12:43:00.001Z

rhopalic adj (of a verse) having each word a syllable longer than the one before n rhopalism [Origin from Greek rhopalikos clublike, rhopalon a club] Chambers, 1998

This pesky syllable experiment
is rather dismally problematic.
It's also acutely irritating.

Enough of that nonsense. Nice sounding word, though.

tripudium

2010-01-09T16:10:00.001Z

A quick celebrational dancing word for the weekend. The best meaning is the second one though:

tripudium n an ancient Roman religious dance in triple time, or dance generally; divination from the hopping of birds feeding, or from the dropping of scraps from their bills. adj tripudiary vi tripudiate to dance for joy; to exult; to stamp n tripudiation. [Origin from Latin tripudium, probably from tres three, and pes, pedis foot.

Divination from the hopping of birds? Mustn't tell my mum about this or she'll start using it to pick lottery numbers.

paxwax

2010-01-08T07:30:00.000Z

Ooh, I love this word!

paxwax n the strong tendon in an animal's neck. [Origin from Old English (Anglian) faex (Western Saxon feax) hair, and weaxan to grow] Chambers, 1998

An extremely old word then, and you can tell from the sound. It'd be a lovely little scorer in scrabble if only there was more than one "X" tile.

fuscous

2010-01-07T07:35:00.000Z

I predict this word will be needed once the snow melts away to reveal the earth beneath:

fuscous adj brown; dingy [Origin from Latin fuscus] Chambers, 1998

Mmmm. Lovely brown.

kippage

2010-01-06T11:22:00.003Z

Another grand Scottish word:

kippage (Scot) n a state of displeasure or anger. [Origin from French équipage, probably from Old Norse skipa to set in order, and skip a ship; partly influenced by confusion with Latin equus a horse] Chambers, 1998

I'd say this snow's putting everyone into a right kippage at the moment. We should be rumbustious instead while it lasts!

EDIT: The noble gentleman @simonholmes has tweeted his disappointment that kippage is nothing to do with having a kip. I agree, actually, so have suggested to twitter that we change its meaning to "nap" permanently. Oh dear. This has all the makings of a dysfunctional Facebook group.

phlogiston

2010-01-05T11:44:00.005Z

The lovely people at the 100 Days blog have thrown down the gauntlet in response to Matt Sheret's note: “If You’ve Got Something Interesting To Say Then Say It. But Don’t Say It In Glitter.” I've found a great word that's therefore vaguely on topic. Bear with me.

Captain Thesaurus helped me find synonyms for glitter, and somewhere down the bottom of the list (after the flashy, glistering, shimmery words) I found "phlogiston". I dutifully looked it up as I'd never heard of it before. It is an awesome word:

phlogiston n an imaginary element, believed in the 18c to separate from every combustible body in burning. adj phlogistic of, like or containing phlogiston (chem); combustible (archaic); inflammatory (med); fiery.

There's also a verb:

phlogisticate vt to combine with phlogiston [Origins from Greek neuter of verbal adj phlogistos burnt, inflammable, from phlogizein to set on fire] Chambers, 1998

18th century means it's slightly later than the Salem Witch Trials in the 1690s, but burnings were still in full swing as capital punishment in many countries. (They only stopped in England after a bill was passed in 1790). Phlogiston was in fact thought to be the element largely responsible for combustion in all flammable materials, and the origins of this theory are tied up with alchemy in the 1600s. I like to call it the Crazy Science. Captain Wikipedia has a bit more random information about it.

Returning to the task in hand though, it's a brilliant word and I imagine it would sparkle like glitter if phlogiston was real; sort of a cross between fireworks and a Star Trek transporter beam. Phlogiston: Energize!

humdudgeon

2010-01-04T11:26:00.005Z

A quickie this morning:

humdudgeon n an unnecessary outcry (Scot); low spirits (dialect). Chambers, 1998

This leads us to another word of unknown origin:

dudgeon n resentment; offended indignation, esp as in in high dudgeon. [Origin unknown] (second meaning: n the haft of a dagger) Chambers, 1998

If it's unknown, then where did we/the Scots get it from? I demand answers, dictionary!

eccoproctic

2010-01-03T12:25:00.002Z

I realise I havn't picked any "e" words yet, so on a quick flick here is:

eccoproctic adj laxative, mildly cathartic n a laxative [Origin from Greek ekkoprotikos, from ek out of, and kopros dung] Chambers, 1998

There's three things I like about this word. Firstly, the odd, pseudo-scientific sound of it. Secondly, I think it could be widely applicable to non-dung-related situations (for example, I suspect that completing my tax return will have a fairly eccoproctic effect). Thirdly, it taught me that "kopros" is the Greek word for dung. Hooray!

pigsney

2010-01-02T13:16:00.002Z

In honour of the many friends who have recently announced either engagements or pregnancies (no one's announced both together) I give you the delightfully ambiguous:

pigsney, pigsny or pigsnie (archaic) n a term of endearment (sometimes contempt), esp to a woman; an eye (playfully; obs) [Origin from pig's eye, with prosthetic n (from an eye, mine eye)] Chambers, 1998

Must confess I don't fully understand the origin description, however I know pig comes from Middle English so I'll guess this is a fairly old word. I think it's brilliant that it can be used with both love and contempt.

While we're here though, I must also introduce the delightful:

pigsconce n a pigheaded person Chambers, 1998

Does the English language have too many words for pigheadedness? Internet says: no.

amanuensis

2010-01-01T13:59:00.002Z

Let's start the new year with another word I feel sure I should have heard before but can't seem to recall:

amanuensis n (pl amanuenses) somebody employed to write from dictation or to copy a manuscript

This is a profession that must have fallen out of favour a long time ago, particularly in terms of the secondary definition. I have someone I occasionally employ to copy my manuscripts, but I call him HP Deskjet.

Happy New Year, everybody.

larboard

2009-12-31T16:00:00.002Z

So you know how the two side of a boat are port and starboard? And you know how there's an urban myth that the word "posh" (origins obscure, apparently) originated from boats travelling from England to India, from the idea that the best cabins were "Port Out Starboard Home"?

Okay. Well this myth (and in fact the word "posh" itself) only originates from the late 1800s. So does this mean that "port" was only used to describe the left side of a boat from then onwards, and that there used to be another word for this originally?

In one of those beautiful realisations of how language reshapes and reforms itself, I give you the original, stupid word for port, and you'll see immediately why it was so easily replaced with a different one:

larboard n archaic port Penguin Pocket, 2004

Larboard? Very sensible. Doesn't sound at all similar to / interchangeable with starboard.

Dictionary.com suggests its origin as 1300–50; ME laddeborde (perh. lit., loading side); later larborde (by analogy with starboard). It also suggests that port's origin as "the left side of a vessel" was in 1570-80. Taking this idea of a loading side/harbour wall side/seaport/port side, it certainly makes sense that "port" took over gradually from "larboard" to be a clearer version of the same thing.

However, the implication as I see it is that between c. 1300 and the late 1500s, our sailors had to spend over 200 years having this kind of conversation:

Captain: Turn to starboard.
1st Mate: Larboard?
Captain: Starboard.
1st Mate: Larboard?
Captain: STARBOARD!
1st Mate: LARBOARD?
etc.

Well done the English language. You only had to confuse us for 250 years before we decided it might be prudent to change one of the words.

roquelaure

2009-12-30T14:21:00.001Z

No reason for this really, other than rather liking the sound of it:

roquelaure n a man's knee-length cloak worn in the 18c and early 19c. [Origin from French, after the Duc de Roquelaure (1656-1738)] Chambers, 1998

I can find very little information about the Duc online except a note on wikipedia saying that he shared his family's reputation for wit but was militarily incapable. Perhaps that's why he spent his time getting cloaks named after him?

turpitude

2009-12-29T10:17:00.000Z

Another quickie:

turpitude n formal baseness, depravity or wickedness. Penguin Pocket, 2004

This seemed like a suitably un-festive/post-festive word to be learning.

adumbrate

2009-12-28T11:17:00.003Z

adumbrate v formal to outline broadly without details; to foreshadow vaguely. Penguin Pocket, 2004

So this is the opposite to the Back to the Future method, where there's not a single image or scrap of dialogue that does not directly feed into the tightly structured narrative? I think generally it just means imprecise foreshadowing, creating an atmosphere without being specific about the details.

Again, feel like I should already know this one.

fillip

2009-12-27T11:58:00.003Z

Just a quick one today, something I feel much in need of after the traditional Christmas drain:

fillip n a boost or stimulus Penguin Pocket, 2004

rumbustious

2009-12-26T10:12:00.002Z

A quick poll at this end reveals that I seem to be one of the few people who doesn't already know this word. Another clue to its common usage came when I saw it was the first of the 100 Words blogger already knew how to spell. However I'm lobbing it up anyway, even though it's not very rare, as the point for me is to learn new words. In any case, it's another lovely excitable word and I think I'll allow myself one more day of festive spirit:

rumbustious adj irrepressibly exuberant Penguin Pocket, 2004

Lovely.

rident

2009-12-25T11:00:00.002Z

Well, it's Christmas Day for the 25th day of this endeavour, so I've picked out a nice, happy word to learn. I'm half-Italian, so I recognise the word from the Italian "ridere", to laugh. The definition says this word is normally of literary use, but I would like to see it used more frequently:

rident (literary) adj laughing or smiling radiantly, beaming. [Origin from Latin ridens, -entis, pr p of ridere to laugh] Chambers, 1998

The "ri" rhymes with "wide", and I hope your Christmas Day is full of rident faces. Merry Christmas!

jirble

2009-12-24T12:04:00.002Z

This seems like another appropriate word for the festive season, pronounced like the ratty animal:

jirble (Scot) vt and vi to pour splashingly or unsteadily. Chambers, 1998

That'll be me tomorrow, jirbling the brandy onto the Christmas pudding, onto the plate, into my mouth... I'm just following Santa's lead.

flimp

2009-12-23T17:05:00.003Z

Ooh, I knew there must have been a specific word for this:

flimp (slang) vt to rob (someone) while a partner hustles. [Compare with Flemish flimpe to knock or rob] Chambers, 1998

The moral is: keep your eyes on your valuables lest ye get flimped good and proper.

duumvir

2009-12-22T15:12:00.002Z

This looks Dutch to me at first glance, but it originates from Latin:

duumvir n one of two men associated in the same office or post - pl duumvirs or duumviri - adj duumviral - n duumvirate an association of two men in one office or post; a government by duumvirs. [Origin from Latin duumviri, for duoviri, from duo two, and vir a man] Chambers, 1998

For two men associated in the same post, I want to suggest a pair like Reeves and Mortimer, but I suppose it should be men who have the exact same post, like multiple editors in a publishing house or salespeople in a shop. The "du" rhymes with "moo", so it's pronounced "doo-um-vir".

Of course, it comes from the Latin word for "man" and there is no female equivalent for this word: no "duumfemina" or "duummulier", for example. It'd be interesting to look in a more recent dictionary to see if this word has been gender-neutralised yet. I'm presuming it would be, much as something like "chairman" is referred to as a person of either gender.

I do like this word though. It sounds almost clownish: "This is Bob. He's my favourite duumvir". I wonder if I could stretch the definition to apply to siblings or other relations over the coming festive period?

caballine

2009-12-21T16:32:00.002Z

Here's another word that surprised me. I was expecting it to be linked to cabals, or kabbala, but actually it's derived from something rather different:

caballine adj relating or suited to a horse. [Origin from Latin caballinus, from caballus a horse] Chambers, 1998

Hang on. I thought the word "equine" derived from the Latin, and that "equus" was the Latin word for horse? I've double-checked and this is right. So there was more than one Latin word for horse then? Actually this is starting to feel familiar - the Italian word for horse is "cavallo".

In fact, randomly googling "caballus" leads to the wikipedia page for "horse". Even though the horse's genus is "equus" and its family is "Equidae", the trinomial name (more specific name for the sub-species) is "Equus ferus caballus".

So the biologists used multiple horse words in order to define a horse? My layman's inference is that they've treated equus as a generic "horse-type-creature" word, with caballus being a more specific "horse horse" word. But what's the difference between them? Were they originally different types of horse? And what about "ferus"? I thought it meant iron but apparently that's "ferrum". Now I need a Latin dictionary.

The University of Notre Dame in Indiana, USA recommends William Whitaker's Words for Latin grammar and vocabulary. It knows the words I'm looking for so will use it for now until I find a better one (recommendations welcomed). It reveals the following:

equus, equi n horse; steed

caballus, caballi n horse, riding horse, packhorse; (classical usu. an inferior horse, nag)

ferus, feri n wild beast/animal; wild/untamed horse/boar

Okay. So that makes sense then. Equus is the more common word because it means a horse or steed in general, whereas caballus was classically used to describe an inferior horse, hence them using it to narrow down the sub-species of domesticated horses. Similarly, if we then look up a wild horse, it is referred to simply as an "Equus ferus". Mystery solved.

If I try and use the original word in a sentence then, I end up with something like: "Your great-aunt's hat is perfectly caballine." Hmm. Too insulting? Depends on the great-aunt I suppose.

prepollex

2009-12-20T11:05:00.002Z

I want one!

prepollex (zool) n (in some animals) a rudimentary innermost finger. Chambers, 1998

muliebrity

2009-12-19T14:35:00.003Z

Here's another word I had no idea existed but which must surely be fairly widely known:

muliebrity n womanhood [Origin from Latin muliebritas, -tatis, from mulier a woman] Chambers, 1998

Am I the only one drawing unpleasant connotations from its similarity to "mule"? I don't think I like this word. In fact I may have to try and forget it immediately.

joskin

2009-12-18T12:06:00.002Z

He sounds like a friendly sort of fellow:

joskin n a clown, yokel. [Origin from thieves' cant] Chambers, 1998

I anticipate encountering several joskins next time I head back to Devon, and that's just from my own family and friends. Oh no, I've just had a terrible thought. Does this mean I am a joskin too?

gralloch

2009-12-17T14:38:00.002Z

Okay, I really was going to try and find a lively word but I was so struck by this that I had to choose it instead:

gralloch n a deer's entrails vt to disembowel (deer). [Origin from Gaelic grealach] Chambers, 1998

Reading up about deer's entrails led me to this article on eBladestore.com, an American knife website. It tells you how best to go about handling your deer after you've killed it. My favourite crossheads in the article are "Deer is Just Like a Big Rabbit" and "Save the Heart and the Liver". Also they have a free monthly Knife Giveaway! Am now wondering if I shouldn't have tried to look at 100 strange websites I never realised existed instead of trying to pick words.

Still, I like the sound of it - gralloch.

pandiculation

2009-12-16T15:37:00.003Z

I am extremely excited today, but unfortunately this means that I have little time to scour the dictionary for a word that adequately reflects my mood. Instead I'm picking this one because it sounds nice, even though I've currently got no time to do anything of the kind:

pandiculation n the act of stretching and yawning [Origin from Latin pandiculari, -atus to stretch oneself] Chambers, 1998

I thought stretching and yawning was the only way to describe stretching and yawning but no - there is a single word to cover the combined actions! I will indulge in some pleasant pandiculation later on after my busy, exciting day is finished, and I'll try to find a more excitable, lively word for tomorrow.

lagniappe

2009-12-15T11:00:00.001Z

lagniappe or lagnappe n something given beyond what is strictly required; a gratuity. [Origin from Louisiana French, from American Spanish (Quechua yapa addition)] Chambers, 1998

Aside from its interesting American French/Spanish origins, and aside from the idea that it might mean no more than leaving a tip, I really like the primary meaning: namely one of polite kindness. It feels like a very gentle word (the gn is soft, like in lasagne) and a remnant of more courteous times. Lovely.

zugzwang

2009-12-14T14:30:00.002Z

zugzwang (chess) n a blockade position in which any move is disadvantageous to the blockaded player. [Origin German] Chambers, 1998

I like this word a lot. I'm pretty sure you can apply it to lots of other games too. And, in fact, I'm pretty sure I've been in conversations that could very accurately be described as zugzwangs.

astomatous

2009-12-13T10:51:00.002Z

This feels like a bit of a sci-fi word, though I suppose it's more about nature than robots:

astomatous adj mouthless, or without a mouthlike opening. Also astomous. [Origin from Greek a- (primitive), and stoma, -atos mouth] Chambers, 1998

So, R2D2 would be astomatous, although I wonder if that black slit on his body is meant to represent a mouth somehow? This word is probably more useful in biology, talking about very small organisms. I would like to make it a bit broader in meaning though. Something like, "Would the royal family be better liked if Prince Philip was astomatous?" for example.

badinage

2009-12-12T10:43:00.000Z

This seems like an appropriate Saturday word:

badinage n light playful talk; banter. [Origin from French badinage, from badin playful or bantering] Chambers, 1998

I'll look forward to a little badinage over the weekend.

williewaught

2009-12-11T10:55:00.003Z

williewaught (Scottish) n a deep draught. [From misunderstanding of Burns, Auld Lang Syne, 4.3, 'a right guid willie) or guid-willie) waught' (where 'guide willie' means 'good will'), a generous and friendly draught] Chambers, 1998

Mmm. Another word based on a misunderstanding. I'm starting to see a pattern. Will look forward to my next williewaught in the pub later (the "augh" bit is pronounced like "loch"), though it's not to be confused with a williwaw:

williwaw n a gust of cold wind blowing seawards from a mountainous coast, eg in the Straits of Magellan; a sudden squall; a tumult or disturbance. [Origin uncertain] Chambers, 1998

Looking out of the window, I expect I'll experience a williwaw on my way to a williewaught later tonight.

Actually, saying "origin unknown" for williwaw may not be entirely correct. Further down the page there's an entry for the not entirely dissimilar "willy-willy":

willy-willy (Australian) n a cyclone. [Aboriginal] Chambers, 1998

Just a coincidence? Surely that implies they're both Australian then? I'm starting to feel a bit like it's me vs the dictionary, which is odd. Fun, though.

rumbelow

2009-12-10T12:20:00.003Z

rumbelow n a meaningless word, occurring as a refrain in old sea-songs.

I have heard this word before, notably regarding the old electronics retailers and cup final sponsors in the 90s. I've never known what it meant, though. I am completely thrilled to discover that it doesn't actually mean anything. There's not even any origin beyond "old sea-songs". How wonderful! Does this mean Mr Dictionary is admitting defeat?

porraceous

2009-12-09T10:19:00.003Z

This delightful-sounding word is nothing to do with pores or dimples, but is a very simple adjective:

porraceous adj leek-green [Origin from Latin porraceus, from porrum a leek] Chambers, 1998

If I'd already known the Latin word for leek, I expect this word would have seemed fairly obvious. It's funny though, I don't tend to think of leeks as being eaten by Romans or anywhere in the Mediterranean really. Is this just because I used to live in Swansea and saw one too many giant inflatable leeks being brandished by rugby fans?

The Food Museum says the first ever mention of a leek was by a Mesopotamian scribe, meaning that its origin is likely to have been in the Middle East over 4,000 years ago. The leek was also apparently the Roman Emperor Nero's favourite vegetable. Blimey.

Hang on, doesn't the colour fade from deep green to white along the body of a leek? I wonder if porraceous refers to a specific bit of the green, or just a greenish colour that is reminiscent of a leek in general?

serein

2009-12-08T10:20:00.005Z

Roughly speaking, this is pronounced "suh-ran" and I think it's a wonderful word. The definition feels very poetic:

serein n in the tropics, fine rain falling from an apparently cloudless sky after sunset [Origin French, from Latin serum evening, from serus late] Chambers, 1998

Lovely.

And good use of the word "apparently". I was close to replacing the meaning with "fantastic miracle performed by rain witch". Surely this must have cropped up in a David Attenborough documentary at some point? Being in London though, I suppose I'm less likely to have seen it on the weather.

In trying to learn all these words, I've found myself using the archive list of previous posts as a quick testing post for meanings. It feels a bit like being back at school, only at least now my mum isn't cutting my hair to look just like hers. I think mumpsimus is most likely to make it into my active vocabulary so far, though I'm trying to shove in as many as possible. Here's an attempt to use all the words I've learned to date:

Poor old Bob. He may only be a spoffish mumpimus with endless rodomontades, but his nights have been filled with floccillations ever since he found his beloved Fluffy, now no more than a morkin, under his back tyre. He thought Fluffy was irenic. His wife said Fluffy was just a flamfew.

It needs a bit of work, obviously...

morkin

2009-12-07T16:31:00.005Z

The more I try to find words I've never heard of, the more I feel guilty that I don't already know them. This one, for example, is so small and unassuming that I feel sure I should already know it:

morkin n an animal that has died by accident [Origin from Anglo-French mortekine, from Latin morticina (fem adj) carrion, from mors death] Chambers, 1998

I wonder if there's also a word that specifies "an animal that died of natural causes" or "an animal that died under suspicious circumstances"? Was it the rabbit, in the hedgerow, with the revolver?

rodomontade

2009-12-06T14:55:00.002Z

I really like this word, the way it rolls off the tongue:

rodomontade n extravagant boasting vi to bluster or brag [Origin from the boasting of Rodomonte in Ariosto's Orlando Furioso] Chambers, 1998

It's another word originating from a work of creative writing, like mumpsimus, and actually I think the two of them make a nice pair: "Have you heard Bob's latest rodomontade?" "Oh, he's just an old mumpsimus" etc.

As to the word's origins, Ariosto was an Italian poet who wrote the romantic epic poem Orlando Furioso in c.1513. Rodomonte is a boastful warrior who joins forces with the King of Africa to overrun Europe. They besiege the Emperor Charlemagne in Paris, but the bulk of the action takes place all over the world in a fantastical love story that even takes a detour to the moon.

"And boastful Rodomont, with vengeful doom,
Gives Paris to the flames, and levels Rome."

(original Italian)
"e Rodomonte audace se gli vanta
arder Parigi e spianar Roma santa."

[from Canto 65, taken from Project Gutenberg]

It's perhaps needless to say that things don't go too well for old Rodomonte. He's cruel, haughty and scornful and the poem ends with his death. Beware boasters: don't get cocky.

spoffish

2009-12-05T11:20:00.002Z

Time for a quickie. This sounds like something from the Beano or perhaps Harry Potter:

spoffish (archaic) adj fussy, officious [Origin obscure] Chambers, 1998

I love it when even the dictionaries don't know the origin of a word. Where did spoffish come from, I wonder?

irenic

2009-12-04T12:02:00.004Z

I feel rather sad that I've never heard this word before, not only because it must surely be in fairly common usage, but because it has such a lovely meaning:

irenic or irenical adj tending to create peace; pacific [From Greek eirene peace] Chambers, 1998

There are a few derivatives. Irenology is the study of peace and irenics is a branch of theology that promotes peace between Christian churches. Perhaps it's not used very often because of a perceived limitation due to the link with Christianity rather than multiple religions? Or perhaps it gets used lots and I've just been spending too much time watching The Wire to listen out for peaceful words.

mumpsimus

2009-12-03T11:53:00.006Z

Only two days in and I've already used two F-words. Hmm. Should I be using some kind of system? Should each letter of the alphabet be proportionally represented? Maybe I should focus on words that will help me win at scrabble? Oh well, I'll worry about that tomorrow. Today's dictionary browsing has already yielded the delightful "mumpsimus":

mumpsimus n a view or opinion stubbornly held, even when shown to be misguided; a person holding such a view, or one adhering stubbornly to old ways. [Origin from an ignorant priest's blunder (in an old story) for the Latin word sumpsimus, we have received, in the mass] Chambers, 1998

The only reason this word exists is because a priest said the word wrong in mass. That's already brilliant, but particularly so because it wasn't even in real life - it was a fictional priest in a story. Also, I love the definition. It implies that when everyone pointed out his mistake he just put his fingers in his ears, sang "la laa laa" loudly and pretended he'd meant to say it that way all along.

I also like the fact that it can describe the opinion as well as the person. So it could be either "There's no shaking that Louis Walsh from his mumpsimus" or "There's no shaking that mumpsimus, Louis Walsh". I can already think of twenty places on the internet where this word is going to come in very handy.