A Bestiary of Words
The Good
I've always loved words, and it's a real treat to learn a new one, especially if it is both useful and euphonious.
Adumbrate - to foreshadow or suggest vaguely
Brachistochrone - the ideal rocket flightpath: half accel, half decel.
Callipygian - Having shapely buttocks
Hapax Legomenon - A word or phrase with only one known occurance in a language or body of text.
Moulage - The art of applying mock injuries for training doctors and military (It also means to make a mold, here).
Mullion - a slender vertical member dividing units of a window, door, or screen.
Nuncupative - Information delivered orally rather than in written form.
Petrichor - the smell of dusty earth after a brief rain, following a long dry spell.
Quincunx - an arrangement of five things in a square or rectangle arranged as the 5 on a die.
Satrap - A ruler; a subordinate official.
Spondulix - An old slang term for money. Also spelled spondulicks.
Surd - Irrational (also applies to numbers such as pi); voiceless
Titivate - To tidy or improve something
Usufruct - The legal right to use or enjoy something.
The Bad and The Ugly - Creative Misspellings
In my online adventures I encounter some truly dreadful misspellings, which I honor here. I'll link to the intended meaning, but see if you can figure it out before looking.
Geticine
Ocword
Cidistic
Dephoenician
I've always loved words, and it's a real treat to learn a new one, especially if it is both useful and euphonious.
Adumbrate - to foreshadow or suggest vaguely
Brachistochrone - the ideal rocket flightpath: half accel, half decel.
Callipygian - Having shapely buttocks
Hapax Legomenon - A word or phrase with only one known occurance in a language or body of text.
Moulage - The art of applying mock injuries for training doctors and military (It also means to make a mold, here).
Mullion - a slender vertical member dividing units of a window, door, or screen.
Nuncupative - Information delivered orally rather than in written form.
Petrichor - the smell of dusty earth after a brief rain, following a long dry spell.
Quincunx - an arrangement of five things in a square or rectangle arranged as the 5 on a die.
Satrap - A ruler; a subordinate official.
Spondulix - An old slang term for money. Also spelled spondulicks.
Surd - Irrational (also applies to numbers such as pi); voiceless
Titivate - To tidy or improve something
Usufruct - The legal right to use or enjoy something.
The Bad and The Ugly - Creative Misspellings
In my online adventures I encounter some truly dreadful misspellings, which I honor here. I'll link to the intended meaning, but see if you can figure it out before looking.
Geticine
Ocword
Cidistic
Dephoenician
