Thirteen (Fun) Obscure Words

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:

  1. circumambulate: to walk around (something)
  2. omphaloskepsis: naval-gazing (especially to induce a trance)
  3. nepenthe: A drug used by the ancients to give relief from pain and sorrow; hence anything soothing and comforting
  4. pleonasm: The use of more words than necessary. Good in poetry, bad everywhere else
  5. apophenia: The spontaneous perception of connections and meaningfulness in unrelated things; seeing patterns where none, in fact, exist
  6. arbejdsglæde :( pronounced ah-bites-gleh-the) Arbejde means work and glæde means happiness, so arbejdsglæde literally translates into work-happiness.
  7. fnord: don’t see the fnords. If you don’t see the fnords, the fnords can’t eat you.
  8. hypergraphia: an overwhelming urge to write
  9. antediluvian: In the Bible, occurring or belonging to the era before the Flood, thus something extremely old and antiquated.
  10. ad hominem: literally “to the man”; appealing to a person’s feelings or prejudices rather than his intellect
  11. crotchet: a highly individual and usually eccentric opinion or preference
  12. deipnosophist: a person skilled in dinner conversation
  13. desiderata: things desired as essential
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31 Responses to Thirteen (Fun) Obscure Words

  1. Janet says:

    What a great idea! I’ve heard the words listed at #s 1, 8, 9, 10, 11 & 13; how do you pronounce nepenthe?

  2. PJ says:

    I wouldn’t mind a nepenthe right now…

  3. Raggedy says:

    What a list!
    I am tongue tied from reading it..
    I like words too.
    Have a wonderful Thursday

  4. John says:

    Very cool list. I do a word a day on my site.

    My 13 are up.

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  6. 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.

  7. Missy says:

    I love this list!

  8. Jen says:

    First time visiting your blog. Very nice.
    I am intrigued by the words. I’ll be back for sure.

    Happy TT!
    ~Jen

  9. Michelle says:

    Great list- I love good vocabulary words!

  10. Eric says:

    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!

  11. Michelle says:

    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.

  12. ~ Stacy ~ says:

    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!

  13. incog says:

    Great idea and great list.

  14. celfyddydau says:

    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.

  15. scooper says:

    Great list. I didn’t know even one of the words.

  16. Jenn says:

    Very cool TT!

  17. Jenn says:

    Fabulous TT!!!

  18. N. Mallory says:

    Two of those are excellent conspiracy words. :P

    Great TT!

  19. Lindsey says:

    Not only am I not familiar with these words (except ad hominem), I’m not sure if I can pronounce them!

    Happy T13!

  20. Jon says:

    nĭ-pĕn’thē

  21. Jon says:

    …ahh, compulsory hot-dog bun day :)

  22. Jon says:

    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.

  23. Right now it’s desiderata to do some heavy omphaloskepsis!!!! *LOL*

  24. maggie says:

    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!

  25. Never heard them before either :D Really interesting entry and thanks for dropping by :)

  26. Amy says:

    What a fun list! I’ve heard of four of them–if you’re willing to count “crotchety” as the adjective form of “crotchet”.

  27. Speaking of, did you hear that RAW passed yesterday? Meh…

  28. Jon says:

    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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  30. JHS says:

    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!

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