Words

Submitted by jwalling on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 23:43
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  1. Words and phrases I examined since 2009

  2. Short URL: http://lbt.me/words
  3. a sop to Cerberus - a bribe given to propitiate a potential source of danger or problems
  4. ad hominem - "argument against the man" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem
  5. aerotropolis - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerotropolis
  6. anhedonia - the absence of pleasure or the ability to experience it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anhedonia
  7. anodyne - (n) a medicine used to relieve pain; (adj) capable of relieving pain
  8. anodynia - freedom from pain
  9. apophenia - the spontaneous perception of connectedness and meaningfulness in random phenomena: seeing patterns and connections where none exist http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia
  10. argumentum ad personam - ad hominem abusive
  11. armature - a framework to support the clay or other material used in modelling
  12. autodidact - a person who has taught himself, which includes you and me for learning these words
  13. avulsion - the forcible tearing away of a body part by trauma or surgery
  14. barratry - the offense of frequently exciting or stirring up suits and quarrels between others
  15. battle of fine print diplomacy - example: Jewish-Arab debate
  16. boffin - (British slang) a scientist, especially one engaged in research
  17. bombolitin - a small amphiphilic peptide isolated from bumblebee venom http://goo.gl/fb/d563s
  18. bon mot - (French: 'good word') a clever and fitting remark; a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
  19. boulevardier - a visitor of a city boulevard (especially in Paris)
  20. bowdlerize - To remove material that is considered offensive or objectionable; Named after Thomas Bowdler (1754-1825), who published an expurgated edition of Shakespeare in 1818.
  21. busk - To play music or perform entertainment in a public place, usually while soliciting money.
  22. CAPTCHA--'Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart'
  23. carrageenan (food additive) -> poligeenan (carcinogen) - http://www.notmilk.com/carageenan.html
  24. catoms - claytronic atoms, reconfigurable nanoscale robots http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claytronics
  25. Cerberus - (Greek mythology) the three-headed dog guarding the entrance to Hades; son of Typhon
  26. ceteris paribus - all other things being equal (a theoretical condition that has not existed since before the Big Bang) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceteris_paribus
  27. chanson - a song, especially a French one
  28. chanteuse - a woman singer, especially a nightclub singer
  29. charrette - an intense period of design activity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charrette
  30. chirality - of or relating to the structural characteristic of a molecule that makes it impossible to superimpose it on its mirror image
  31. churlish - rude and boorish; ungracious; having a bad disposition; ill-natured; surly;
  32. chutzpah - (Yiddish) unbelievable gall; insolence; audacity
  33. cinema verite - a movie that shows ordinary people in actual activities without being controlled by a director
  34. circumlocution - the use of an unnecessarily large number of words to express an idea
  35. cladistics - a system of biological taxonomy based on the quantitative analysis of comparative data and used to reconstruct cladograms summarizing the (assumed) phylogenetic relations and evolutionary history of groups of organisms
  36. cloche - a close-fitting woman's hat with a bell-like shape; a usually bell-shaped cover, used chiefly to protect plants from frost
  37. cognescenti - expert, see "ignoramescenti"
  38. coprolalia - involuntary swearing or the involuntary utterance of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks
  39. crepuscular rays - in atmospheric optics are rays of sunlight that appear to radiate from a single point in the sky
  40. crofter - one who has tenure and use of a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable with a crofter's dwelling thereon
  41. cruft - (crap+stuff+shit)/3 http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=cruft
  42. Danke Shoen (song) - Danke schön = "Thanks pretty" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danke_Schoen
  43. defenestration - an act of throwing someone or something out of a window.
  44. deism - a religious and philosophical belief that a supreme god created the universe and generally reject divine intervention
  45. denouement - the final resolution or clarification of a dramatic or narrative plot.
  46. deprecate - to mark as obsolete to warn against its use in the future so that it may be phased out.
  47. dioptric - relating to the refraction of light, especially by a lens; dioptric lenses are used in Fresnel lenses and camera viewfinders
  48. do-ocracy - http://www.communitywiki.org/en/DoOcracy http://www.aboutus.org/Do-ocracy
  49. doppelganger - someone that looks the exact same as another person, yet not a twin
  50. dysthymia - chronic depression http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysthymia
  51. ecdysiast - a performer who provides erotic entertainment by undressing to music
  52. echolalia - automatic repetition of vocalizations made by another person
  53. emend - make improvements or corrections to
  54. emendation - a correction resulting from critical editing, as in 'this word list could use some proper emendation'
  55. emolument - compensation received by virtue of holding an office or having employment
  56. epicenter - the point of the earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake
  57. erotomania - (episode of Doc Martin)
  58. escheat - a reversion to the state (as the ultimate owner of property) in the absence of legal heirs
  59. expiation - compensation for a wrong; the act of atoning for sin or wrongdoing (especially appeasing a deity)
  60. faience - glazed earthenware decorated with opaque colors
  61. faux-verite - film technique of immitating cinema verite as in "The Office"
  62. flummox - to puzzle or confuse (origin unknown)
  63. freetard - one who firmly believes in not paying for e.g. software, films, music. http://tinyurl.com/ku2hqj
  64. frustum - a truncated cone or pyramid
  65. gamine - a girl or woman of impish appeal
  66. ghrelin - a gastrointestinal hormone produced by epithelial cells lining the fundus of the stomach; appears to be a stimulant for appetite and feeding
  67. gilly - effed up - http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Gilly
  68. Gitchi gitchi ya ya ta ta - Lady Marmalade offering her services http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/semi-pro/ladymarmalade.htm
  69. gnosis - intuitive knowledge of spiritual truths; said to have been possessed by ancient Gnostics
  70. Gropecunt Lane - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gropecunt_Lane
  71. hackneyed and trite - 88-90% of spoken and written language
  72. haute bourgeoisie - upper middle class
  73. hominids - include humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and their extinct ancestors
  74. hominins - include humans, chimpanzees, bonobos and their extinct ancestors
  75. Humber - British automobile marque http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humber_(car)
  76. hybristophilia - a paraphilia involving being sexually aroused or attracted to people who have committed an outrage or a gruesome crime. In popular culture, this phenomenon is also known as the Bonnie and Clyde Syndrome.
  77. hypergolic - Of or relating to a rocket propellant consisting of fuel and an oxidizer that ignite spontaneously on contact.
  78. hypertufa - an artificial stone made from various aggregates bonded together using Portland cement.
  79. hypobole - (rhet.) a figure in which several things are mentioned that seem to make against the argument, or in favor of the opposite side, each of them being refuted in order
  80. ignoramescenti - a portmanteau of the words 'ignoramus' and 'cognescenti'; anyone that calls themselves a "Creation Scientist" qualifies
  81. in medias res - a literary technique where the narrative starts in the middle of the story
  82. indefatigable - showing sustained enthusiastic action with unflagging vitality
  83. indubitable - too obvious to be doubted; unquestionable
  84. intestate - having made no legally valid will before death or not disposed of by a legal will; "he died intestate"; "intestate property"
  85. jactitation - speaking of yourself in superlatives; (law) a false boast that can harm others, especially a false claim to be married to someone; (pathology) extremely restless tossing and twitching usually by a person with a severe illness
  86. je ne sais quoi - a quality or attribute that is difficult to describe or express, from French literally "I know not what"
  87. kerfuffle - a noisy and disorderly incident (Scots curfuffle, carfuffle)
  88. lachrymose - given to weeping; tearful; mournful; sad
  89. lagniappe - a small gift presented by a storeowner to a customer with the customer's purchase; an extra or unexpected gift or benefit
  90. laicize - to free from ecclesiastical control; give over to laypeople.
  91. Libran - one who is born under the sign of Libra
  92. lightening - reducing a load or making a lighter color
  93. lightning - a flash of light in the sky caused by an electrical discharge
  94. mad cash-cow disease - e.g. newspapers coasting to oblivion
  95. margrave - a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom.
  96. marmite - (British) a sticky, dark brown paste with a distinctive, powerful flavour made from yeast extract, a by-product of beer brewing
  97. maroon - a term of derision often uttered by Bugs Bunny when referring to an interaction with a dopey adversary.
  98. Marquess of Queensberry rules - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquess_of_Queensberry_rules - 1867 boxing rules - replaced London Prize Ring rules (1838, revised 1853), which replaced Boughton Rules (1743)
  99. McGurk effect - a perceptual phenomenon which demonstrates an interaction between hearing and vision in speech perception http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-lN8vWm3m0&feature=related
  100. memristor - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memristor http://spectrum.ieee.org/dec08/7024
  101. merckin - (slang) a wig made of pubic hair
  102. milquetoast - one who has a meek, timid, unassertive nature
  103. Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism - chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo http://www.nst.org/
  104. nobility - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_and_noble_ranks
  105. nullipara - (adj nulliparous) a woman who has never given birth
  106. numbskullery - stupid acts, used by Mr. Burns in The Simpsons
  107. obstreperous - noisily and stubbornly defiant
  108. oeuvre - a work of art; the sum of the lifework of an artist, writer, or composer.
  109. oneiric - of or relating to or suggestive of dreams; Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot)
  110. otoacoustic emission (OAE) - a sound which is generated from within the inner ear
  111. palate - roof of mouth
  112. palette - holds paint colors
  113. palilalia - repetition or echoing of one's own spoken words
  114. pallet - holds stuff; use with a forklift
  115. paraphilia - abnormal sexual activity, see Hybristophilia
  116. Paraquat - the trade name for one of the most widely used herbicides in the world.
  117. pavane - a slow, stately court dance of the 16th and 17th centuries, usually in duple meter, A piece of music for this dance.
  118. perspicuity - clearness and lucidity, clarity as a consequence of being perspicuous
  119. perspicuous - clearly expressed or presented; easy to understand
  120. petite bourgeoisie - lower middle class; Marx's working class
  121. philtrum - the groove on your top lip that lies just beneath your nose
  122. plinth - an architectural support or base (as for a column or statue); Ex: When destroying idols, save the plinths, they may come in handy.
  123. plutocrat - someone who exercises power by virtue of wealth; plutocracy - a wealthy class that controls a government
  124. pnictide - any binary compound of a pnictogen http://tinyurl.com/pnictide
  125. pnictogen - any element from group 15 of the periodic table; nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony and bismuth
  126. portmanteau - a new word formed by joining two others and combining their meanings
  127. prima facie - Latin expression meaning on its first appearance, or at first sight
  128. prodrome - an early symptom indicating the onset of an attack or a disease
  129. propitiation - the act of placating and overcoming distrust and animosity
  130. pullulate - (of animals) to breed rapidly or abundantly; teem; swarm - (of plants) to sprout, bud, or germinate
  131. punctilious - attentive to detail; paying scrupulous attention to correctness in etiquette
  132. punschrulle - (Swedish) small cylindrical pastry covered with green marzipan with the ends dipped in chocolate, and inside a mix of crushed cookies, butter, and cacao, flavoured with punsch liqueur
  133. qualia, singular 'quale' - a term used in philosophy to describe subjective conscious experiences, like seeing the color red http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualia
  134. quantum levitation - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws6AAhTw7RA
  135. quotidian - found in the ordinary course of events; recurring daily; commonplace
  136. restive - uneasily impatient under restriction, opposition, criticism, or delay
  137. rhabdomyolysis - the rapid breakdown (lysis) of skeletal muscle (rhabdomyo) due to injury to muscle tissue
  138. riposte - a retaliatory action, maneuver, or retort
  139. risible - arousing or provoking laughter
  140. rusticate - to go to, send to or live in the country; suspend from college; give (stone) a rustic look
  141. sagacious - having or showing keen discernment, sound judgment, and farsightedness
  142. sarcastic - expressing or expressive of ridicule that wounds
  143. sardonic - disdainfully or ironically humorous; scornful and mocking
  144. sartorial - Of or relating to a tailor, tailoring, or tailored clothing
  145. schadenfreude - pleasuring in other's failures
  146. secateurs - small pruning shears with a spring that holds the handles open and a single blade that closes against a flat surface
  147. seven dirty words - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_dirty_words http://www.booshmagazine.com/articles/cat/14/item/65
  148. shibboleth - a favorite saying of a sect or political group
  149. skel - low-life - http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=skel
  150. skiffle - a type of folk music with jazz, blues and country influences
  151. skullduggery - verbal misrepresentation intended to take advantage of you in some way
  152. snark - the use of meanness, sarcasm, and schadenfreude as a cheap way of feeling like a smug member of your favorite tribe while excluding others from the party.
  153. solipsism - the theory that the self is the only thing that can be known and verified
  154. spelter - zinc, especially in the form of ingots, slabs, or plates
  155. Spiegeltent - (German for "Mirror Tent") is a large travelling tent, constructed in wood and canvas and decorated with mirrors and stained glass, intended as an entertainment venue
  156. sua sponte - Latin for "of one's own accord," is a legal term that means to act spontaneously without prompting from another party.
  157. suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) - regulates circadian rhythm
  158. synaesthesia - the subjective sensation of a sense other than the one being stimulated
  159. synecdoche - substituting a more inclusive term for a less inclusive one or vice versa, as in 'He looked at a room full of faces'
  160. synesthete - person who experiences synesthesia
  161. taramasalata - a Greek dip or paste of smoked carp roe combined with milk, bread crumbs, lemon juice, and olive oil
  162. tendentious - marked by a strong implicit point of view; partisan
  163. testate - a person who makes a will; having made a legally valid will before death
  164. theobromine poisoning - chocolate poisoning in dogs
  165. toponomy - the study of place names
  166. trochee - a metrical unit with stressed-unstressed syllables http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trochee | http://xkcd.com/856/
  167. troll - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet) http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/What_is_a_troll%3F http://www.encyclopediadramatica.com/Troll
  168. trope - language used in a figurative or nonliteral sense; familiar plot points (see Lagniappe below)
  169. usufruct - the legal right to use or profit from another's property
  170. VCFS - 22q11.2 deletion syndrome - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/22q11.2_deletion_syndrome
  171. Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir? - (French) Would you sleep with me, tonight?
  172. vuvuzela - plastic horn, about 2 ft long, which produces a loud monotone note
  173. wheelhouse - area of expertise, a particular skill; individual's swinging range
  174. wisenheimer - someone who makes smart aleck, sarcastic comments
  175. Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome - http://www.pia.org.uk/publications/Wiscott-AldrichBooklet.htm
  176. zeugma - use of a word to govern two or more words though appropriate to only one, as in 'Mr. Pickwick took his hat and his leave'

  177. Lagniappe:

  178. British sounding words: ballixed beastly bloody brilliant dandy dodgy dreadful fancy(verb) gorgeous impertinent jolly love lovely marvelous naughty_bits posh proper rubbish shocking splendid swimmingly utterly
  179. British slang lookup: http://www.effingpot.com/slang.shtml http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/
  180. Fencing glossary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_fencing
  181. TV, movie, and game tropes: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage
  182. The Free Dictionary (provides audio pronunciations): http://www.thefreedictionary.com/
  183. Virtues: http://www.wisdomcommons.org/virtues
  184. Word titillation with Marina Orlova: http://www.hotforwords.com/
Author Comments: 

25-Nov-2011 added 8 words
28-Oct-2011 added 6 words
10-Sep-2011 added 21 words
02-May-2011 added 10 words
24-Dec-2010 added 12 words
02-Aug-2010 added 10 words
04-Jun-2010 added 6 words
19-Mar-2010 added Lagniappe with 2 bullets plus 6 new words
27-Dec-2009 added 3 words