I like words quite a bit, as if you couldn’t tell from me having this site and all. I especially like obscure, obtuse, abandoned words. Words that are too specific or odd to be commonly used (or known). I sort of collect them, you might say.
Here are thirteen gems from the vaults – thirteen words you will probably never have occasion to use:
- circumambulate: to walk around (something)
- omphaloskepsis: naval-gazing (especially to induce a trance)
- nepenthe: A drug used by the ancients to give relief from pain and sorrow; hence anything soothing and comforting
- pleonasm: The use of more words than necessary. Good in poetry, bad everywhere else
- apophenia: The spontaneous perception of connections and meaningfulness in unrelated things; seeing patterns where none, in fact, exist
- arbejdsglæde
pronounced ah-bites-gleh-the) Arbejde means work and glæde means happiness, so arbejdsglæde literally translates into work-happiness. - fnord: don’t see the fnords. If you don’t see the fnords, the fnords can’t eat you.
- hypergraphia: an overwhelming urge to write
- antediluvian: In the Bible, occurring or belonging to the era before the Flood, thus something extremely old and antiquated.
- ad hominem: literally “to the man”; appealing to a person’s feelings or prejudices rather than his intellect
- crotchet: a highly individual and usually eccentric opinion or preference
- deipnosophist: a person skilled in dinner conversation
- desiderata: things desired as essential
What a great idea! I’ve heard the words listed at #s 1, 8, 9, 10, 11 & 13; how do you pronounce nepenthe?
I wouldn’t mind a nepenthe right now…
What a list!
I am tongue tied from reading it..
I like words too.
Have a wonderful Thursday
Very cool list. I do a word a day on my site.
My 13 are up.
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Au contraire! I use fnord all the time. Especially on Fridays.
I love #5! I’ve never heard that one, and I love finding obscure or out-of-use words.
I love this list!
First time visiting your blog. Very nice.
I am intrigued by the words. I’ll be back for sure.
Happy TT!
~Jen
Great list- I love good vocabulary words!
Very unique 13 (wish I’d thought of it
) Now the challenge this week is to use each of those words in a sentence in everyday conversation!
No comments yet? And with a great post like this? I love the sounds of language and most of my favorite lists are about words. I recognize hypergraphia as I read a book on the subject, plus antediluvian and ad hominem and crotchet. Otherwise I’m lost.
Ha! What fun! I love words too! Of course, I’m a writer so that’s a big ‘duh-oh!’
One of my other blogs is titled: Concise Pleonasm
[heh-heh]
Oh, and I’m soooo glad you gave the pronunciation of #6. Yikes. What a tongue twister that would have been without it.
Have a terrific Thursday!
Great idea and great list.
I learn a new word yesterday as did the 10 people I work with and it didn’t mean what we expected it to. And probably not what the person using it meant it to.
Subsidiarity – means to do something centrally that can’t be done locally.
Great list. I didn’t know even one of the words.
Very cool TT!
Fabulous TT!!!
Two of those are excellent conspiracy words.
Great TT!
Not only am I not familiar with these words (except ad hominem), I’m not sure if I can pronounce them!
Happy T13!
nĭ-pĕn’thē
…ahh, compulsory hot-dog bun day
Actually, “subsidiarity” means that matters ought to be handled by the smallest (or, the lowest) competent authority. The Oxford English Dictionary defines subsidiarity as the idea that a central authority should have a subsidiary function, performing only those tasks which cannot be performed effectively at a more immediate or local level.
Right now it’s desiderata to do some heavy omphaloskepsis!!!! *LOL*
Great list. A crotchet is also a quarter note (a musical note having the time value of a quarter of a whole note). I love navel gazing – my boss uses that word regularly. Cheers!
Never heard them before either
Really interesting entry and thanks for dropping by 
What a fun list! I’ve heard of four of them–if you’re willing to count “crotchety” as the adjective form of “crotchet”.
exactly!
Speaking of, did you hear that RAW passed yesterday? Meh…
yeah, a real shame. I sent some money to help with his bills a while back, so I knew it was coming, but it still sucks.
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Oh, that was fun! And now, since I have hypergraphia, I am going to overcome my omphaloskepsis and circumambulate over to my own blog where I must work on my own list of 13 for tomorrow. Hopefully, it will appeal to the deipnosophists in the crowd and I will be able to avoid pleonasm and ad hominem arguments. I prefer to speak about desiderata and hope not to come across as too much of a crotchet!