Rarest English word
Chris Berry
english terminology?
Syzygy is rare but famous for obvious reasons.
http://phrontistery.50megs.com/clw.html
Doesn't quite fulfil my arbitrary requirement that they are in active use so
I wonder has anyone got any?
Thanks.
cb
John Woodgate
<christ...@Notmail.com> wrote (in <c0r04u$qlo$06$1@news.t-
online.com>) about 'Rarest English word', on Mon, 16 Feb 2004:
Zander - a holder for a glass of hot liquid.
eleemosynary - alms-giving
docopocoss - date of cessation of presumption of conformity of the
superseded standard
I introduced this word to the net. Of course, it's an acronym, but so
are a lot of current and former English words. And it is in active use.
dzo - a hybrid of yak and cow. I'm sure they are in active use. (;-)
But how can you reconcile 'rarest' with 'in active use'?
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
The good news is that nothing is compulsory.
The bad news is that everything is prohibited.
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk
Heather Howey
news:c0r04u$qlo$06$1...@news.t-online.com...
here are some obscure words for you. Current? I'm bogglish. I drumble too
much to check it out for you. You could check the book reference that
follows...
Aquabib -- Generally hated by bartenders everywhere, an aquabib is someone
who drinks only water.
Abnormous -- It might look made up but this 18th-century word actually means
misshapen.
Bufferd -- A rare French term for a fool or stupid person
Bogglish -- To be doubtful or unsure about something.
Chiliad -- Little known phrase used to describe a group of a thousand
things, usually a thousand years.
Cumber-ground -- Handy word for someone who is useless at everything -- in
particular their job!
Drumble -- To feel exceptionally tired or lazy.
Dretch -- Old English expression for a nightmare or a bad night's sleep.
Eadness -- One of the oldest terms in the dictionary, this Old English word
translates as wealth or happiness.
Eblandish -- To bargain with someone by coaxing or flattering them.
Finnimbrun -- It sounds ridiculous but a finnimbrun is actually an
alternative name for a trinket or knick-knack.
Flaskisable -- Obscure phrase used to describe anyone who is moody or
tempermental.
Glaikery -- Foolish or giddy behaviour.
Galimatias -- First used back in the 16th century, this rare word means to
talk nonsense.
Hoddypeak -- Old-fashioned slang for a fool.
Hautain -- French expression for a proud or arrogant person.
Infucate -- To use make-up.
Imberb -- Latin term which refers to a man without a beard.
Jollux -- Not-so-nice expression for someone who is fat.
Jettatura -- Derived from Italian, a jettatura is a person who experiences
unusually bad luck.
Kench -- To laugh out loud.
Knackatory -- It looks made up but this is actually a genuine phrase to
describe a shop that sells knick-knacks and other trinkets.
Lordswike -- A subject who betrays the King.
Ludibrious -- To make someone the butt of a joke.
Macroseism -- Little known -- and original -- term for an earthquake.
Mesonoxian -- Particularly handy when making plans for New Year's Eve, this
word refers to anything related to midnight.
Nittiness -- To suffer from hiccups.
Nudiustertian -- From the Latin meaning three days earlier, this is a useful
phrase for the day before yesterday.
Oneirocritic -- An expert in interpreting dreams.
Obambulate -- Referring mainly to ghosts and other spirits, this wacky word
translates as 'wandering around'.
Peenge -- To complain loudly in a whiny voice.
Polydispia -- First used by the Ancient Greeks, polydispia is actually a
rare medical term meaning dehydration.
Quaestuary -- Fancy name for a money-making scheme.
Quadragenarian -- Someone who has hit the big 40.
Rhyparographer -- A painter or artist who creates unpleasant or disturbing
images.
Rixation -- Outdated expression meaning to have a fight with or to fall out
with someone.
Spawl -- Spitting on the pavement.
Scelestious -- Latin term to describe anything wicked.
Testudineous -- Taken from the Latin for tortoise, this phrase was used by
the Victorians to describe someone who is extremely slow.
Tyrotoxism -- Another medical term, this time referring to the unusual
condition of cheese poisoning.
Umtagati -- South African expression for a witch or wizard.
Umbratile -- Couch potatoes and other lazy people who prefer to stay
indoors.
Volphone -- A cunning schemer.
Windlestraw -- Little used term for a thin, unhealthy-looking person.
Yerd-hunger -- To have an overwhelming desire to eat.
Zoilist -- A boss or superior whose only joy is picking holes in your work.
From: More Weird And Wonderful Words by Erin McKean, Oxford University
Press, £9.95.
HTH,
Heather
Harlan Messinger
Rarely does the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle come into play
outside of the microscopic realm than it does here. Because of
interest in rare words, they are likely to be discussed, leading to
the eternal shifting of rare words' rarity ranking relative to each
other.
--
Harlan Messinger
Remove the first dot from my e-mail address.
Veuillez ôter le premier point de mon adresse de courriel.
John Woodgate
h...@comcast.net> wrote (in <936230p8qdf57kfgk...@4ax.com>)
about 'Rarest English word', on Mon, 16 Feb 2004:
>Rarely does the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle come into play outside
>of the microscopic realm than it does here. Because of interest in rare
>words, they are likely to be discussed, leading to the eternal shifting
>of rare words' rarity ranking relative to each other.
Quite right. It's like the mathematical proof that all numbers are
interesting. For if not, there is a least number that is not
interesting. But that makes it very interesting indeed. Therefore, there
are no numbers that are not interesting.
One mathematician suggested that 1729 was not *very* interesting. But
it's the least number that is the sum of two cubes in two different
ways. 1729 = 12^3 + 1^3 = 9^3 + 10^3. That, of course, makes it utterly
fascinating. (;-)
Chris Berry
usage.
Sure, current and rare are difficult to reconcile but that's really part of
the challenge.
Obscure but not to the point of nearly being extinct...
"wherewithal" is surprisingly rare as is obfuscate, preponder/ate,
funambulist (my French seeping through).
Blighter - a term which I use quite often (3-4 times a year) is almost out
of use...
I found these: http://www.quinion.com/words/weirdwords/index.htm
but they don't have much usefulness to them - mainly just being wierd,
classical or a little "old slangy".
I do understand the point that language is on the move and discussing the
rarety of words immediately increases their usage but that really isn't the
point of this train of thought.
I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I really love language and would
probably sign up for a useful 3 relatively unused but useful terms/day email
service.
There have been a few people on my travels that have had such a deep
knowledge of the English language that they have inspired me to really learn
more. Moreover, one of these people spoke English as a second language
(Bernard Shaw anyone?). There's a big difference in the depth of vocabulary
say between literature students, intellectuals, average bloke and "bum"
which second language English language speakers don't often appreciate at
first through lack of exposure.
Being a bit of a scientist, I'd love to run some statistics on the
vocabulary used by different demographic groups even in different countries
but I'm more interested in a "tool" that can help foreign language English
speakers take a really positive step towards improving their useful English
vocab.
Now we could run a comp for the silliest names of places - how about Dududu,
Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa? (Um that's one place) The stress is on the
middle U btw.
cb
Oliver Walter
news:AB8F2sIU...@jmwa.demon.co.uk...
..snip..
> Zander - a holder for a glass of hot liquid.
Do Benjamin Zander (teacher and conductor) and Michael Zander
(professor at the LSE, IIRC) know this?
Oliver
Harlan Messinger
>"Chris Berry" <christ...@Notmail.com> wrote:
>
>>I was just wondering if anyone round here has a list of obscure current
>>english terminology?
>>Syzygy is rare but famous for obvious reasons.
>>http://phrontistery.50megs.com/clw.html
>>Doesn't quite fulfil my arbitrary requirement that they are in active use so
>>I wonder has anyone got any?
>
>Rarely does the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle come into play
>outside of the microscopic realm than it does here. Because of
>interest in rare words, they are likely to be discussed, leading to
>the eternal shifting of rare words' rarity ranking relative to each
>other.
And then there are hapaxes--words that have only been used in one
place. They are unstable isotopes of the philological world. The
instant one of them is subjected to discussion, shazam--it's no longer
a hapax.
John Woodgate
online.com>) about 'Rarest English word', on Mon, 16 Feb 2004:
>Now we could run a comp for the silliest names of places - how about
>Dududu, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa? (Um that's one place) The stress
>is on the
>middle U btw.
There is a town (well, a wide bit in the road) called 'Truth or
Consequences' in the southern USA. And 'Medicine Hat' is a sizeable
community.
There is a locality called Pratt's Bottom in NW Kent, near Lock's
Bottom.
John Woodgate
wrote (in <10769734...@echo.uk.clara.net>) about 'Rarest English
word', on Mon, 16 Feb 2004:
I don't know. And it's also a species of fish, but that meaning is a bit
more well-known.
This word and its meanings was pointed out to me by another bearer of
the surname.
Harlan Messinger
>
>There is a town (well, a wide bit in the road) called 'Truth or
>Consequences' in the southern USA.
It's in New Mexico, which (just FYI) is considered a southwestern
state rather than southern one. "The South", when going westward, ends
at, or maybe part way into, Texas. The city (former known as Las
Vegas, IIRC; they were probably already looking for an excuse to come
out from under the shadow of their Nevada namesake) was named for a TV
game show that offered something or other (maybe to broadcast an
episode of the show from the succumbing locale) to a community that
would agree to take its name.
>And 'Medicine Hat' is a sizeable
>community.
>
>There is a locality called Pratt's Bottom in NW Kent, near Lock's
>Bottom.
The D.C. neighborhood that is home to the State Department is Foggy
Bottom.
Intercourse and Blue Ball, Pennsylvania, aren't far from each other.
GEO
<heathe...@muysimpatica.ca> wrote:
>Galimatias -- First used back in the 16th century, this rare word means to
>talk nonsense.
>
I recognized this word. I don't know the etymology, but it can be
found in any Spanish dictionary.
Geo
Heather Howey
"GEO" <M...@home.here> wrote in message
news:4031a015...@news.ucalgary.ca...
And any Swedish dictionary, too!
Chris Berry
called something like Coxsackie...
How do you say that?
cb
CV
Heather Howey wrote:
> Bogglish -- To be doubtful or unsure about something.
(ie. you would say "I am bogglish", rather than "I bogglish",
would you not ?)
> Galimatias -- First used back in the 16th century, this rare word means to
> talk nonsense.
> Nittiness -- To suffer from hiccups.
> Rixation -- Outdated expression meaning to have a fight with or to fall out
> with someone.
Nouns, not verbs. Same comment as above.
> Ludibrious -- To make someone the butt of a joke.
Adjective, not verb. Same comment as above.
> Yerd-hunger -- To have an overwhelming desire to eat.
Just like "hunger" I suppose this could be either a noun or a verb.
Wouldn't the noun use be more natural though ?
"I yerd-hunger" sounds a little odd.
> Quadragenarian -- Someone who has hit the big 40.
Hmmm "octogenarian" is common enough, so this is not so strange.
CV
John Woodgate
<tulYb.55409$8u.3...@twister.auna.com>) about 'Rarest English word', on
Tue, 17 Feb 2004:
>Heather Howey wrote:
>> Bogglish -- To be doubtful or unsure about something.
>Not "to be ..." surely. This looks like an adjective, not a verb.
>(ie. you would say "I am bogglish", rather than "I bogglish",
> would you not ?)
Does it matter what part of speech the word is? I thought it was only
about rarity (excluding total disuse).
>
>
>> Quadragenarian -- Someone who has hit the big 40.
>Hmmm "octogenarian" is common enough, so this is not so strange.
What about 'unigenarian' for a 10-year-old, then?
CV
> Does it matter what part of speech the word is? I thought it was only
> about rarity (excluding total disuse).
Entirely up to you how important you choose to consider it.
It touched my pedantic nerve enough for it to be worth
pointing out.
>>>Quadragenarian -- Someone who has hit the big 40.
>>Hmmm "octogenarian" is common enough, so this is not so strange.
> What about 'unigenarian' for a 10-year-old, then?
There must be similar words to denote people in their 50's,
60's etc. I was trying to google around for a list but
didn't find one.
CV
Femke
sound like what they mean. This can lead to many discussions over words
because not all people would feel the same way about certain words.
Or for the type of word that some writers use, that you can actually feel in
your mouth even without pronouncing it. But maybe that is not in the word
itself but in the combination; a skill that perhaps is only found among
poets and the like.
John Woodgate
Tue, 17 Feb 2004:
30 - trigenerian
50 - quingenerian
60 - sexagenarian
70 - septuagenarian
90 - nonagenerian
They are reasonably regular formations from Latin. The words for 10, 20,
30 and 40 are probably not in dictionaries. The words for 60, 70 and 80
are in most dictionaries; nonagenerian is in Chambers.
James Lee
Probably not a very rare word, but I like its amphibian undertone.
Clogdogdo
A politically incorrect word I would never use, but it sounds like something
you might tread in.
Pedrail
A word in my grandfather's encyclopedia that, for some reason, has always
stuck in my mind, but I have never had the opportunity to use it in casual
conversation.
Somewhere in our attic there are copies of 'Just Another Word' and 'A Word
in You Ear' by Ivor Brown. They are collections of unusual words with
explanatory remarks. I don't know if they are still obtainable. Our copies
are left over from a relation's firewatching in World War II.
P.S. I think it was C.S. Lewis who said that the most beautiful word in the
English language was 'cellar door' - this may be the inspiration behind the
name of the TV company 'Celador'.
Enough
James Lee
Einde O'Callaghan
regards, Einde O'Callaghan
John Woodgate
<c0thbd$osf$1...@reader10.wxs.nl>) about 'Rarest English word', on Tue, 17
Feb 2004:
>P.S. I think it was C.S. Lewis who said that the most beautiful word in
>the English language was 'cellar door' -
a) it isn't beautiful;
b) it isn't one word.
So much for CSL.
> this may be the inspiration
>behind the name of the TV company 'Celador'.
Unless they have a fixation for Spanish museum attendants?
Richard Loebner
from John Woodgate <j...@jmwa.demon.contraspam.yuk> contains these words:
> I read in sci.lang.translation that James Lee <nos...@daag.nl> wrote (in
> <c0thbd$osf$1...@reader10.wxs.nl>) about 'Rarest English word', on Tue, 17
> Feb 2004:
> >P.S. I think it was C.S. Lewis who said that the most beautiful word in
> >the English language was 'cellar door' -
> a) it isn't beautiful;
> b) it isn't one word.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
C'est la vie, if perhaps four words will do?
--
Richard,
Crowthorne Berkshire UK
Tim Kynerd
One I ran across just the other day and had to look up: champerty. A
rather interesting legal term.
(Not to imply that it's rare just because I had to look it up...but I
liked the sound of it and I gather it's not that commonly used even in
legal circles.)
--
Tim Kynerd Sundbyberg (småstan i storstan), Sweden tky...@spamcop.net
Sunrise in Stockholm today: 7:27
Sunset in Stockholm today: 16:36
My rail transit photos at http://www.kynerd.nu
James Lee
Siddons) to indicate meaningless backgound chatter. I believe the modern
equivalent is 'rhubarb'.
James Lee
James Lee
James Lee
Owain
| One I ran across just the other day and had to look up: champerty.
| A rather interesting legal term.
It sounds like a salad vegetable.
Scottish law has, or had, Ann (the amount of the ann due to the executors of
a deceased minister to be a half-year's rent of the benefice or stipend),
Affinity (the Jewish law as contained in Leviticus recognised as the law of
Scotland), Horning (General letters of horning to be abolished except for
collection of revenue and ministers' stipends, 1690), Lawburrows, Poinding,
Spuilyie, and Warrandice.
Owain
John Woodgate
> wrote (in <107713018...@echo.uk.clara.net>) about 'Rarest
English word', on Wed, 18 Feb 2004:
of a rent-defaulting pauper's tangible assets to pay a landlord. Cited
in 'Kidnapped', by Robert Louis Stevenson. In the same sentence is
'limmer' - the said defaulter.
623...@aacps.org
> I was just wondering if anyone round here has a list of obscure current
> english terminology?
> Syzygy is rare but famous for obvious reasons.
> http://phrontistery.50megs.com/clw.html
> Doesn't quite fulfil my arbitrary requirement that they are in active use so
> I wonder has anyone got any?
> Thanks.
> cb