Word Nerds!

[VertOlive]

Ok. This is a thing with me. I love new words, weird words, obscure words. If anyone else would like to pitch in, please do!

This one, though a term from geology, seems like it should have some poetic use in a novel somewhere given it's literal meaning from the Greek.

Astrobleme : "An eroded remnant of a large crater made by the impact of a meteorite or comet."

Greek: astron 'star' + blēma 'wound'

"Star Wound"

[writingrav]

Speaking of which, shouldn't there be a technical term for pen collectors? Similar to numismatist or philatelist? Any suggestions?

[Neo]

Speaking of which, shouldn't there be a technical term for pen collectors? Similar to numismatist or philatelist? Any suggestions?

A stylophile?

[writingrav]

Nice! More suggestions?

[Neo]

Pen-o-phile? :confused:

[writingrav]

Pen-o-phile? :confused:
Stylophile is better. I'm going with that unless someone comes up with something better.

[chojo]

My new name for the lavatory is the Phrontistery,a place to think, from the greek phrontistērion, from phrontistēs philosopher, deep thinker, person with intellectual pretensions, from phrontizein to reflect, take thought, from phrontid-, phrontis reflection, thought; akin to Greek phren-, phrēn diaphragm, mind. I love an excuse to get the dictionary out! As for a name for pen people how about Styloinkyologist.

[elaineb]

I got this word from the OED "word of the day" mailing last year:

babblative, adj.
[‘Given to babbling; loquacious, prattling. Also: characterized by an excess of talk; verbose, bombastic.']

[jar]

Speaking of which, shouldn't there be a technical term for pen collectors? Similar to numismatist or philatelist? Any suggestions?

Normal.

[Robert]

Here's a longtime favorite of mine: absquatulate

It's a 19th century "regionalism" that means to leave abruptly

Probably a blend of abscond, squattle(depart) and perambulate.

[elaineb]

Oh, I love that one! Regional from where?

[Robert]

Oh, I love that one! Regional from where?

The Midwestern U.S., if memory serves. I've temporarily misplaced the dictionary (Random House Dictionary of American English) which lists the word and tells a bit of its background.

[brunico]

Styloinkyologist.

Yuck! Words made up from several different languages make classicists and philologists shudder. As the editor of the Manchester Guardian said nearly a hundred years ago, "Television? The word is half Greek, half Latin. No good can come of it."

The Otherwordly tumblr blog (http://other-wordly.tumblr.com/) is interesting, though it hasn't been updated for a year. And anyone who isn't worried about the occasional obscenity will enjoy the inventiveness of new definitions (http://www.g0akh.f2s.com/isihac/New_Definitions_Page.php) from I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, the famous and long-running "antidote to panel games" in the UK. For example, "Biosphere - to purchase a ball" and "Pulpit - what to do with a Jeffrey Archer novel."

Humphrey Lyttleton was the late chairman of the show. An accomplished jazz musician, he was also a president of the Italic Handwriting Society. And yes, he could write (http://www.italic-handwriting.org/exemplars/humphrey-lyttleton)!

[Wile E Coyote]

Pen-o-phile? :confused:
Stylophile is better. I'm going with that unless someone comes up with something better.

Penist

[fountainpenkid]

hiemal: pertaining to winter

[amk]

I believe pen collectors are calamophiles in French, from the Latin calamus, or quill.

I always imagine a girl with a gun in one hand and a Gold Starry in the other - Calamophile Jane.

[Scrawler]

My new name for the lavatory is the Phrontistery,a place to think, from the greek phrontistērion, from phrontistēs philosopher, deep thinker, person with intellectual pretensions, from phrontizein to reflect, take thought, from phrontid-, phrontis reflection, thought; akin to Greek phren-, phrēn diaphragm, mind. I love an excuse to get the dictionary out! As for a name for pen people how about Styloinkyologist.

I find Phrontistery to be inadequate to the purpose of that place, as that place is purely functional and I think elsewhere. To the best of my knowledge there is no real English word for the entry point to a cloaca maxima, and words like "lavatory" and "toilet" are euphemisms for something unmentionable. As soon as one euphemism becomes well known, and understood, then another needs to be invented. Even the word "latrine" does not serve, because that is of a communal nature.

[brunico]

To the best of my knowledge there is no real English word for the entry point to a cloaca maxima, and words like "lavatory" and "toilet" are euphemisms for something unmentionable.

There is one, a little impolite, the word missing from the phrase "built like a brick ____house."

[Scrawler]

Having been beleaguered by a blatherskite bardolatrist with a propensity for coprolalia, I was obliged to absquatulate, and find succour in the company of a cerulean clad colporteur, whose couthy establishment was a howff for the frondeur. However his habitual floccinaucinihilipilification and logomachy caused my cerebellum to inspissate. So I left and hastened to bar, where I lollygagged with an pulchritudinous ecdysiast who caused me nympholepsy.

[Scrawler]

To the best of my knowledge there is no real English word for the entry point to a cloaca maxima, and words like "lavatory" and "toilet" are euphemisms for something unmentionable.

There is one, a little impolite, the word missing from the phrase "built like a brick ____house."

The "impolite" four letter words are real Saxon English words. They became "rude" after the Norman French took over after 1066. The term "rude" itself means "red" as in "red-faced", or "ruddy" which what the Saxon peasantry were, because they worked out in the fields.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Defenestrate.

[Neo]

rabiator. :butcher:

[VertOlive]

I just learned this one, where has it been all of my life?!

Mordacious: Denoting or using biting sarcasm or invective.

From Classical Latin mordax (gen. mordacis), biting

[fountainpenkid]

Defenestrate.

That is a horrible thing, but gosh, if you know Latin, and then hear that word for the first time, it is hilarious (who came up with THAT? sort of thing).

[Sailor Kenshin]

Defenestrate.

That is a horrible thing, but gosh, if you know Latin, and then hear that word for the first time, it is hilarious (who came up with THAT? sort of thing).

That's why it tickled me.

[RuiFromUK]

OK let me have a go at this since we are talking about words.

We all know that the New Chinese Lunar Year is up and running at the moment. The question that comes to my mind is: 2014 is it the year of the ram, sheep, goat, lamb, etc? According to Victor Mair (to whom I have a lot of respect) it should be the year of the 'ovicaprid' as he says "According to the Chinese zodiac, the coming New Year is referred to as yángnián 羊年"(http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=17761).

According to Wiktionary (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ovicaprid) that word seems to cover most of the Western words in question.

[VertOlive]

Defenestrate.

That is a horrible thing, but gosh, if you know Latin, and then hear that word for the first time, it is hilarious (who came up with THAT? sort of thing).

That word came to mind when the company laid off some key and loyal employees last year...

And, yes, I'm being mordacious.

[Neo]

I guess the company had no redamancy for its employees.

[Flounder]

Here's a longtime favorite of mine: absquatulate

It's a 19th century "regionalism" that means to leave abruptly

Probably a blend of abscond, squattle(depart) and perambulate.

I've only seen this word in the context of an American character, so that makes sense! Thanks for the etymology!

[VertOlive]

Gelomancy: 1. Fortune-telling by means of a laugh or laughter. 2. Divination by means of or involving laughter or interpreting how a person laughs.

gelo-, geloto- +
(Greek: laugh, laughter, laughing) :pound:

[Sailor Kenshin]

Gelomancy: 1. Fortune-telling by means of a laugh or laughter. 2. Divination by means of or involving laughter or interpreting how a person laughs.

gelo-, geloto- +
(Greek: laugh, laughter, laughing) :pound:

Now I have to learn how to do this!

[Flounder]

Philtre: A drink supposed to arouse love and desire for a particular person in the drinker; a love potion.

Late 16th century: from French philtre, via Latin from Greek philtron, from philein 'to love' (Oxford Dictionaries (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/philtre)).

[Neo]

Nescience-a lack of knowledge

Late Latin nescientia, from Latin nescient-, nesciens, present participle of nescire not to know, from ne- not + scire to know — more at no, science
First Known Use: 1612

[Sailor Kenshin]

I had to drag out an old notebook (not bad for fp ink, a struggle to keep open) for these:

Gaber lunzies: Scots, Medieval: a beggar

Hendy: Chaucer, obsolete: friendly, civil, gentle, kind

Jimp: Scots, 1500: Slender, trim, delicate, scant

The last time I read The Worm Ouroboros I had the notebook in one hand and an archaic words site in the other. Unfortunately, I lost the site.

[VertOlive]

From my ramblings in Donna Tartt novels:

ep·i·cene /ˈepiˌsēn/

adjective: epicene

1. having characteristics of both sexes or no characteristics of either sex; of indeterminate sex.

"the sort of epicene beauty peculiar to boys of a certain age"

noun: epicene; plural noun: epicenes

1.an epicene person.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Fom my long-ago brushes with this word and trying to 'get it' from context, I thought it meant something different! Now I know better.

[Jon Szanto]

I don't have anything to contribute at the moment, but I just wanted to say, since I just found it today: I like this thread!!

[Scrawler]

Today I learned a new word. It is "evince", which means "reveal the presence of a quality or feeling".

[cwent2]

http://phrontistery.info/archaic.html

[cwent2]

Defenestrate.

That is a horrible thing, but gosh, if you know Latin, and then hear that word for the first time, it is hilarious (who came up with THAT? sort of thing).

Origin of DEFENESTRATION

de- + Latin fenestra window
First Known Use: 1620

[Robert]

From my ramblings in Donna Tartt novels:

ep·i·cene /ˈepiˌsēn/

adjective: epicene

1. having characteristics of both sexes or no characteristics of either sex; of indeterminate sex.

"the sort of epicene beauty peculiar to boys of a certain age"

noun: epicene; plural noun: epicenes

1.an epicene person.

Sorta kinda akin to: androgynous (?)

[VertOlive]

Defenestrate.

That is a horrible thing, but gosh, if you know Latin, and then hear that word for the first time, it is hilarious (who came up with THAT? sort of thing).

Origin of DEFENESTRATION

de- + Latin fenestra window
First Known Use: 1620



From my ramblings in Donna Tartt novels:

ep·i·cene /ˈepiˌsēn/

adjective: epicene

1. having characteristics of both sexes or no characteristics of either sex; of indeterminate sex.

"the sort of epicene beauty peculiar to boys of a certain age"

noun: epicene; plural noun: epicenes

1.an epicene person.

Sorta kinda akin to: androgynous (?)

Yes, I think so, at least in the adjective form. It was just nice to have another word for it!

[Cob]

Ataraxy: a particular favourite of mine. It means "stoical indifference" and attitude I have tried hard (and largely failed) to cultivate.

Another that fascinates me is the adjective "condign." As far as I am aware, it is used solely in conjunction with the noun "punishment" can anyone think on an other instance of its use?

Cob

[Cob]

As for a name for a pen enthusiast I like to think of myself as a plumeur (the ladies of course being plumeuses).

I should also like to be a flaneur but that takes money I fear!

Cob

[VertOlive]

Ataraxy: "Condign" As far as I am aware, it is used solely in conjunction with the noun "punishment" can anyone think on an other instance of its use?

Cob

From JK Galbraith The Anatomy of Power describing the three kinds of power: "condign power in which submission is won by making the alternative sufficiently painful".

OR: "Condign merit (meritum de condigno) is an aspect of Roman Catholic theology signifying merit with the dignity of Christ."

[Cob]

Ataraxy: "Condign" As far as I am aware, it is used solely in conjunction with the noun "punishment" can anyone think on an other instance of its use?

Cob

From JK Galbraith The Anatomy of Power describing the three kinds of power: "condign power in which submission is won by making the alternative sufficiently painful".

OR: "Condign merit (meritum de condigno) is an aspect of Roman Catholic theology signifying merit with the dignity of Christ."

Interesting: I take condign (as applied to "punishment") to mean apposite or appropriate to the offence; quite different in your examples.

Cob

[carlc]

Defenestrate.





That is a horrible thing, but gosh, if you know Latin, and then hear that word for the first time, it is hilarious (who came up with THAT? sort of thing).





That's why it tickled me.



As in the defenestration of Prague (1618). I seem to remember it turns up in Dario Fo's play 'Accidental death of an anarchist'.



Wonderful word.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I was defenestrating food for birds and squirrels all winter, but I don't think that counts.

[Neo]

I was defenestrating food for birds and squirrels all winter, but I don't think that counts.

That counts as good cosmic karma.

[Jon Szanto]

I, myself, don't have a word to share, but found a great post from BrainPickings in my rss feed:

Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Catalog of Beautiful Untranslatable Words from Around the World (http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/11/24/lost-in-translation-ella-frances-sanders/)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QRbvGj-88Qs/VDG2MqvGFuI/AAAAAAABQJM/_UWJ_fmLyZI/s1600/Screen%2Bshot%2B2014-10-05%2Bat%2B2.19.18%2BPM.png

Here's one example:

http://www.brainpickings.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/lostintranslation2.jpg

[VertOlive]

So which language did Tsundoku come from? It seems more like a verb than a noun, but that may be part of the "Untranslatable" thing. Whyever do we not have a word for this in English, dangitt!?

[Neo]

So which language did Tsundoku come from? It seems more like a verb than a noun, but that may be part of the "Untranslatable" thing. Whyever do we not have a word for this in English, dangitt!?


Maybe an antilibrary as defined by Nassim Taleb?

[Jon Szanto]

So which language did Tsundoku come from? It seems more like a verb than a noun, but that may be part of the "Untranslatable" thing. Whyever do we not have a word for this in English, dangitt!?

I believe the word you are looking for is "me". I must now excuse myself and consult the bible...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51d7cEcOjcL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

[carlc]

My favourite word from "The meaning of liff":
Aasleagh (n.): A liqueur made only for drinking at the end of a revoltingly long bottle party when all the drinkable drink has been drunk.

I have drunk Aasleagh many times in my youth.

[Sailor Kenshin]

So which language did Tsundoku come from? It seems more like a verb than a noun, but that may be part of the "Untranslatable" thing. Whyever do we not have a word for this in English, dangitt!?

Nihongo desu.

*said the hopeless otaku*

[VertOlive]

So which language did Tsundoku come from? It seems more like a verb than a noun, but that may be part of the "Untranslatable" thing. Whyever do we not have a word for this in English, dangitt!?

Nihongo desu.

*said the hopeless otaku*

そうですね

*quoth the raven*

[Sketchy]

Once upon a time I coined two words:
Frust, that line of dust at the leading edge of the dust pan which defies sweeping.
Squadle, the action one takes when, with trousers around the ankles, a replacement roll of toilet paper is retrieved from the cabinet.

My young son was tickled by them enough that, now 33, he still uses them.

[Cob]

Another nice made up word: Futilitarianism.

Cob

[Sailor Kenshin]

So which language did Tsundoku come from? It seems more like a verb than a noun, but that may be part of the "Untranslatable" thing. Whyever do we not have a word for this in English, dangitt!?

Nihongo desu.

*said the hopeless otaku*

そうですね

*quoth the raven*

Yup. And my latest is Deltora Quest. Starring a crow.

Well...he has a secondary part...

[RuiFromUK]

nonpareil
/ˌnɒnpəˈreɪl/

According to Google:

adjective
having no match or equal; unrivalled.

noun
an unrivalled or matchless person or thing.
a flat round confection made of chocolate covered with white sugar sprinkles.
an old type size equal to six points (larger than ruby).

[Sailor Kenshin]

Before the printing press, extant texts were almost universally religious in nature and painstakingly copied by monks from earlier versions. Due to the tedious nature of producing texts before Gutenberg, each stage of production was assigned to a different individual, beginning with a parchmenter who prepared animal hides, followed by a scribe who copied the text, and ending with a rubricator who would ornament it. Scribes often left ample room at the beginning of paragraphs for decoration, and it became common practice for rubricators to embellish the “C”s that populated texts with a vertical line. Hence, the pilcrow was born: ¶.



More here. (http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/period-piece_773244.html)

[RuiFromUK]

Following Victor Mair of Language Log (http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=18472):

Izakaya

According to Wikipedia:

An izakaya (居酒屋?) is a type of informal Japanese drinking establishment that serves food to accompany the drinks. They are casual places for after-work drinking.

And further:

"Izakaya" entered the English language by 1987.[1] It is a compound word consisting of "i" (to stay) and "sakaya" (sake shop), indicating that izakaya originated from sake shops that allowed customers to sit on the premises to drink.[2] Izakaya are sometimes called akachōchin (red lantern) in daily conversation, because these paper lanterns are traditionally found in front of them.

[Crazyorange]

Man spreading

The act of sitting with your knees apart by more than 12 inches on the subway. According to NPR, on the nyc subway, man spreading is illegal and can be ticketed - $250. If you refuse to have your spread measured, an additional $25 can added on. Don't spread your junk guys.

[tandaina]

Ooo the wide stance seat totally one of my pet peeves. Hate it on airplanes. Glad to know that's an actual word. ;)

[Scrawler]

Man spreading

The act of sitting with your knees apart by more than 12 inches on the subway. According to NPR, on the nyc subway, man spreading is illegal and can be ticketed - $250. If you refuse to have your spread measured, an additional $25 can added on. Don't spread your junk guys.

I did not realize that men wearing skirts was such a problem in NYC.

[Crazyorange]

I don't get into nyc very often, so my experience with man spreading is zero. But a skirt isn't needed.

http://www.trbimg.com/img-546e4e4a/turbine/la-ol-rude-subway-20141120-001/500/500x281

[Scrawler]

I don't get into nyc very often, so my experience with man spreading is zero. But a skirt isn't needed.

http://www.trbimg.com/img-546e4e4a/turbine/la-ol-rude-subway-20141120-001/500/500x281

That appears to be a deliberate aggression intended to deny someone access to a seat. Men need to wear kilts more often, it teaches decorum.

[Crazyorange]

I don't get into nyc very often, so my experience with man spreading is zero. But a skirt isn't needed.

http://www.trbimg.com/img-546e4e4a/turbine/la-ol-rude-subway-20141120-001/500/500x281

That appears to be a deliberate aggression intended to deny someone access to a seat. Men need to wear kilts more often, it teaches decorum.

I agree. Plus kilts allow air to "places" which most men complain is part of reason for spreading.

Of course the other side of the story...women who carry huge bags into the subway....women spreadage???

[Scrawler]

I don't get into nyc very often, so my experience with man spreading is zero. But a skirt isn't needed.

http://www.trbimg.com/img-546e4e4a/turbine/la-ol-rude-subway-20141120-001/500/500x281

That appears to be a deliberate aggression intended to deny someone access to a seat. Men need to wear kilts more often, it teaches decorum.

I agree. Plus kilts allow air to "places" which most men complain is part of reason for spreading.

Of course the other side of the story...women who carry huge bags into the subway....women spreadage???

That reason is a rationalization for subtle aggression. A subway ride is a very small part of the day and they have many other opportunities to air their privates. There is a time in my life when I would, out of sheer bloody mindedness, have taken the seat to that mans right, then started sneezing, coughing or scratching, while muttering about the nits and lice one is liable to as a result of enforced proximity to other people.

[Crazyorange]

I want your courage.

[Mr. Reader]

Floccinaucinihilipilification floc·ci·nau·ci·ni·hil·i·pil·i·fi·ca·tion

the action or habit of estimating something as worthless. (The word is used chiefly as a curiosity.).

Interesting article here: https://wordfoolery.wordpress.com/tag/floccinaucinihilipilification/

[pengeezer]

I'm often accused by a good friend of mine of being perspicacious.



John

[pengeezer]

I, myself, don't have a word to share, but found a great post from BrainPickings in my rss feed:

Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Catalog of Beautiful Untranslatable Words from Around the World (http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/11/24/lost-in-translation-ella-frances-sanders/)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QRbvGj-88Qs/VDG2MqvGFuI/AAAAAAABQJM/_UWJ_fmLyZI/s1600/Screen%2Bshot%2B2014-10-05%2Bat%2B2.19.18%2BPM.png

Here's one example:

http://www.brainpickings.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/lostintranslation2.jpg



So would "Tsoduku" refer to piles of math puzzles left undone? :)


John

[pengeezer]

There's a simple word coined that's always fun to hear: Spork.

I always get a chuckle out of it.


John

[OliverW]

My favorite words are:

1. Felicity, it means pleasantness, in some cases, luck.
2. Ephemeral, Evanescent. These words mean short lived. I love how these words make 'short-lived' beautiful.
3. Panacea. A solution for any problem. For me, God is my Panacea of some sorts lol

[Scrawler]

I am enamoured of pulchritudinous maidens.

[pengeezer]

Another favorite you don't hear too often is Sesquepaedalian.



John

[fncll]

Great thread! I share favorite words in my newsletter, but a few of those I enjoy most (for sometimes different reasons): deliquescent, lagniappe, cicatrix, incunabula, mangata...

[Jon Szanto]

I thought the resident word nerds might get a kick out of this:

28 Brilliant New Words To Add To Your Vocabulary (http://pulptastic.com/28-brilliant-new-words-add-vocabulary/?utm_content=buffer10425&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer)

[Crazyorange]

I thought the resident word nerds might get a kick out of this:

28 Brilliant New Words To Add To Your Vocabulary (http://pulptastic.com/28-brilliant-new-words-add-vocabulary/?utm_content=buffer10425&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer)

So are we guilty of nerdjacking when we talk to non pen people about fountain pens?

[Jon Szanto]

So are we guilty of nerdjacking when we talk to non pen people about fountain pens?

Is this a trick question?

[Neo]

So are we guilty of nerdjacking when we talk to non pen people about fountain pens?

Is this a trick question?


I think it's a rhetorical question.

[Crazyorange]

Neo wins!!!!
I'm guessing my poor clients are getting nerdjacked when they ask me about my pens. [emoji33]

[Neo]

Neo wins!!!!
I'm guessing my poor clients are getting nerdjacked when they ask me about my pens. [emoji33]

Same goes for the people at my office...

[fncll]

Styloinkyologist.

Yuck! Words made up from several different languages make classicists and philologists shudder.

Not all of them.

[VertOlive]

Oxford English Dictionary Word of the Day:

descendentalism, n. A tendency towards dealing with material or worldly matters; empiricism; naturalism, realism. Freq. contrasted with transcendentalism.

[Neo]

sesquipedalian
Per Merrian-Webster


having many syllables

given to or characterized by the use of long words

[VertOlive]

sesquipedalian
Per Merrian-Webster


having many syllables

given to or characterized by the use of long words

Which leads me to ask, has anyone gotten "negative social feedback" from dropping "big words" in everyday conversation?

[pengeezer]

Man spreading

The act of sitting with your knees apart by more than 12 inches on the subway. According to NPR, on the nyc subway, man spreading is illegal and can be ticketed - $250. If you refuse to have your spread measured, an additional $25 can added on. Don't spread your junk guys.


And for $300 a guy can have his legs manacled together......:)



John

[pengeezer]

sesquipedalian
Per Merrian-Webster


having many syllables

given to or characterized by the use of long words


A favorite word of a good friend of mine.



John

[Scrawler]

sesquipedalian
Per Merrian-Webster


having many syllables

given to or characterized by the use of long words

Which leads me to ask, has anyone gotten "negative social feedback" from dropping "big words" in everyday conversation?
I do not associate myself with such persons.

[Neo]

sesquipedalian
Per Merrian-Webster


having many syllables

given to or characterized by the use of long words

Which leads me to ask, has anyone gotten "negative social feedback" from dropping "big words" in everyday conversation?
Indubitably

[fqgouvea]

Which leads me to ask, has anyone gotten "negative social feedback" from dropping "big words" in everyday conversation?

Not really, but my students do think it's funny when I use words like "persnickety".

[Robert]

Don't know why I didn't suggest this one earlier: ineluctable -- unable to be resisted or avoided; inescapable.

[TSherbs]

Which leads me to ask, has anyone gotten "negative social feedback" from dropping "big words" in everyday conversation?

I once had beer thrown on me for said sesquipedalian peccadillo.

can you see why? ;)

[Quantum Sailor]

sesquipedalian
Per Merrian-Webster


having many syllables

given to or characterized by the use of long words

Which leads me to ask, has anyone gotten "negative social feedback" from dropping "big words" in everyday conversation?

I've been told by some people that they have to look up some of the words I use in conversation in the dictionary. I've also been told that I sound arrogant or have a superiority complex because of the words I use during conversation.

I'm not sure which words are at fault because I usually hear about it from people that ended up liking me after a while and realized I wasn't trying to be an ass.

[Scrawler]

sesquipedalian
Per Merrian-Webster


having many syllables

given to or characterized by the use of long words

Which leads me to ask, has anyone gotten "negative social feedback" from dropping "big words" in everyday conversation?

I've been told by some people that they have to look up some of the words I use in conversation in the dictionary. I've also been told that I sound arrogant or have a superiority complex because of the words I use during conversation.

I'm not sure which words are at fault because I usually hear about it from people that ended up liking me after a while and realized I wasn't trying to be an ass.

Highly intelligent, educated, self assured, people are intimidating to many people and they protect their egos from the realization of their own inferiority, by the use of aggression.

[pengeezer]

Don't know why I didn't suggest this one earlier: ineluctable -- unable to be resisted or avoided; inescapable.


I like the sound of this word....as it's definition implies.:)



John

[VertOlive]

And all this time I thought I had the ultimate breakfast with my Whiskey and Pancakes!

cranachan, n.

A dessert typically made with whipped cream, whisky, oatmeal, honey, and berries (esp. raspberries).
also: Cream-Crowdie.

Scottish, of course.

[pensplash]

I didn't see it in the thread but most, if not all of us are scripturient.

[Robert]

Here's a good one I learned only today: otiose

Definition: serving no practical purpose; lazy, indolent.

[Morgaine]

And all this time I thought I had the ultimate breakfast with my Whiskey and Pancakes!

cranachan, n.

A dessert typically made with whipped cream, whisky, oatmeal, honey, and berries (esp. raspberries).
also: Cream-Crowdie.

Scottish, of course.

I made this once - was rather yummy.

[R.A. Stewart]

cranachan, n.

A dessert typically made with whipped cream, whisky, oatmeal, honey, and berries (esp. raspberries).
also: Cream-Crowdie.

Scottish, of course.

Of course!

Alba gu bràth!


(Edited to correct my Gaelic spelling. Embarrassing. :redface: )

[R.A. Stewart]

nonpareil
/ˌnɒnpəˈreɪl/

According to Google:

... an old type size equal to six points (larger than ruby).

This reminds me of an anecdote in one of H. Allen Smith (http://enetpress.com/hallensmith/has_bio.html)'s books in which he recalls being sent, on his second day or so as the lowliest of young apprentices at a newspaper, on a long and futile quest for a nonpareil spaceband. (Futile because no such thing existed.)