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Tuesday, April 7, 2009

an apolaustic cornucopia of euphonies

Some words everyone should know, and ones that I just enjoy letting roll off my tongue:

A:

atrabilious (at-rah-BIL-yes) — 1. melancholic; gloomy. 2. irritable; ill-natured; peevish

avuncular (ah-VUNG-kyah-ler) — 1. of or having to do with an uncle. 2. regarded as characteristic of an uncle, especially in benevolence or tolerance

B:

boeotian (be-OH-shen) — stupid; dull

botryoidal (BOT-ree-oid-el) — shaped like a bunch of grapes

C:

callipygian (kal-ah-PIJ-ee-en) — having beautifully proportioned buttocks

coprolalia (kop-rah-LA-lee-ah) — 1. the uncontrolled, often obsessive use of obscene or scatological language that may accompany certain mental disorders. 2. foul speech

curple (KER-pul) — buttocks; rump

D:

defenestrate (dee-FEN-i-strate) — to throw out of a window

doryphore (DOR-ee-phor) — one who draws attention to the minor errors made by others, esp. in a pestering manner; a pedantic gadfly

E:

ecdysiast (ek-DEZ-ee-ast) — a striptease artist

epicaricacy (EP-i-kar-ik-i-see) — taking pleasure in other's misfortune; schadenfreude

F:

flibbertigibbet (FLIB-er-tee-jib-it) — a silly, scatterbrained, or garrulous person

funambulism (fyoo-NAM-byah-liz-em) — tightrope walking

G:

gallivant (GAL-ah-vant) — to roam about in search of pleasure or amusement

H:

hebetudinous (heb-i-TOOD-i-nes) — dull-minded; mentally lethargic

hoi polloi (hoi-pah-LOI) — the common people; the masses

I:

insouciant (in-SOO-see-ant) — marked by blithe unconcern; nonchalant

J:

jejune (je-JOON) — not interesting, dull, empty; childish

K:

kakistocracy (kak-i-STOK-rah-see) — government by the worst or least qualified citizens

L:

lachrymose (LAK-rah-mos) — 1. weeping or inclined to weep; tearful. 2. causing or tending to cause tears.

lascivious (lah-SIV-ee-es) — 1. given to or expressing lust; lecherous. 2. exciting sexual desires; salacious

lethologica (lee-tho-LO-gi-ca) — 1. the inability to remember the right word. 2. a psychological disorder that inhibits an individual's ability to articulate thoughts by temporarily forgetting key words, phrases, or names in conversation

logorrhea (log-ah-REE-ah) — excessive, incoherent talkativeness

M:

meretricious (mer-i-TRISH-es) — 1. attracting attention in a vulgar manner; plausible but false or insincere; specious. 2. of or relating to prostitutes or prostitution.

merkin (MUR-kin) — a pubic wig for women

monophagous (moh-NAF-ah-ges) — eating only one kind of food

N:

nihilistic (ni-ah-LIS-tik) — 1. believing all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated. 2. rejecting all distinctions in moral or religious value and repudiating all previous theories of morality or religious belief. 3. believing that destruction of existing political or social institutions is necessary for future improvement. 4. having the delusion that the world or one's mind, body, or self does not exist

O:

obloquy (OB-lah-kwee) — verbal abuse of a person or thing

omphaloskepsis (om-fah-loh-SKEP-sis) — contemplation of one's navel

P:

pandiculation (pan-dik-yoo-LA-shen) — yawning and stretching (as when first waking up).

phalanx (FA-langks) — a compact group of people

pilgarlic (pil-GAR-lik) — a bald-headed man

pulchritudinous (pul-kri-TOOD-en-es) — having great physical beauty or appeal

Q:

quatopygia (kwah-tah-PIJ-ee-ah) — the shaking of the buttocks while walking

quidnunc (KWID-nungk) — a busybody; a nosy person

R:

ribaldry (RI-bal-dree) — coarse language or humor

rodomontade (rod-ah-mon-TADE) — pretentious boasting or bragging; bluster

S:

sesquipedalian (ses-kwi-pi-DAY-lee-en) — 1. given to using long words. 2. (of a word) containing many syllables

siderodromophobia (si-der-oh-droh-moh-PHO-bee-ah) — fear of trains, railroads, or train travel

somnambulism (som-NAM-byah-liz-em) — sleepwalking

steatopygian (stee-at-oh-PIJ-ee-ah) — having an excess accumulation of fat on the buttocks

T:

titillating (TIT-i-layt-ing) — 1. stimulating from light touching; tickling. 2. pleasurably, superficially, or erotically exciting

troglodyte (TROG-lah-dite) — a cave dweller; recluse

U:

ululate (UL-ya-late) — to howl, wail, or lament loudly

uxorious (uk-SOR-ee-es) — excessively fond or submissive to one's wife

V:

valetudinarian (val-i-tood-en-AR-ee-en) — a sickly or weak person, especially one who is constantly and morbidly concerned with his or her health

virago (vi-RA-go) — a loud-voiced, ill-tempered, scolding woman

vitiate (VISH-ee-ate) — 1. to reduce the value or impair the quality of. 2. to corrupt morally; debase. 3. to make ineffective; invalidate

W:

weanling (WEEN-ling) — a child or animal newly weaned

X:

xanthippe (zan-THIP-ee) — 1. the wife of Socrates: the prototype of the quarrelsome, scolding wife. 2. a shrewish, nagging wife.

Y:

yesternight (YES-ter-nite) — last night

Z:

zaftig (ZAF-tig) — 1. full-bosomed. 2. having a full, shapely figure

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