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Author Topic: Words
libertygirl
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I have to do a definition speech soon for my speech class and I am having a very hard time coming up with a word. I was thinking a word that is not commonly used and has an interesting definition. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
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Hari Seldon
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anemone
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Brinestone
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apropos
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vonk
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malefit is a good word. the opposite of benefit. umbrage is also a good word. hmm, or facetious. that is one of my favorite words, but that is partly because you can mispronounce it to sound like feces and i have a very bevis and butthead since of humor. ooh ooh ooh, one of the best words of all time: autodefenestricide: the act of intentionally throwing oneself out of a window resulting in death (autodefenestration)
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jeniwren
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arctophilist: a person who collects teddy bears.

another favorite...

anteduluvian: dating before the The Flood. "That teacher is positively anteduluvian."
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vonk
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wow, that is a great word, anteduluvian. i will have to use it five times today in order to remember it.
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BandoCommando
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absquatulate: to leave hurriedly, suddenly or secretly

catarolysis: letting of steam by cursing
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El JT de Spang
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Triskaidekaphobia - fear of the number thirteen.
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Shepherd
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Misunderestimated- ???
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Stephan
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I've always been a fan of anthropomorphism.
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Nell Gwyn
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I'm another (auto)defenestration fan, and I enjoy the word pulchritudinous - it means beautiful, but to me it sounds like it would mean something insulting. [Big Grin]

If you have access to the Oxford English Dictionary site through your school library, you could just poke through all the fun words and their etymologies. For example, the word orchestra is pretty commonly understood to refer to a group of instrumental musicians, but it also has a lot of other meanings pertaining to theatre spaces. I'm always fascinated by word histories and meaning development.
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Celaeno
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felicific, a. Making or tending to make happy; productive of happiness.

qua, adv. In so far as; in the capacity of.

callipygian, a. Of, pertaining to, or having well-shaped or finely developed buttocks.

All definitions are from the Oxford English Dictionary, naturally.
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lem
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epinasty = A downward bending of leaves or other plant parts, resulting from excessive growth of the upper side. (from dictionary.com)
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Tante Shvester
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priapism
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dantesparadigm
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exsanguination - the action or process of draining or losing blood

crapulence - Excessive indulgence; intemperance

which allows you to say, "I'm wallowing in my own crapulence".
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HollowEarth
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kakistocracy
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Shepherd
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Pantaloon- what I am.
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Mr.Funny
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I've always been a fan of defenestrate - to throw out of a window.

[edit: Gah! I didn't notice that it'd already been mentioned.]
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libertygirl
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Wow, thanks for the suggestions! I will definitely use a word from here.... Now I just have to decide which one.
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ambyr
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vitiate -- to reduce the value of; corrupt morally.

syzygy -- combining two feet into a single metrical unit in poetry.
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Tante Shvester
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quote:
Originally posted by libertygirl:
Wow, thanks for the suggestions! I will definitely use a word from here.... Now I just have to decide which one.
Pick mine! [Evil Laugh]
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Jeesh
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Supercalafraguliousexpealadocious (Marry Poppins)

Or a nice long definition, like company, check, center, case, cast, cancel, camp, business, but, book, bond, battery, at, act, action, active, abash, abase, over, old, obstinate, obtain, normal, move, misfortune, mantle, lock, load, literature, live, liberty, learning, jump, judge, intensive, intelect, innocent, injury, industry, indent, harmony, hand, good, genius, generous, face, error, enemy, effrontery, effect, do, cradle, or crack. Of course, I pulled out the nearest dictionary, it was only A-PL, though. [Big Grin]
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docmagik
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Of course, you could say it backwards, which is dociousaliexpisticfragicalirepus, but that would be going a bit too far, don't you think?
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Jeesh
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$50 to whoever can actually pronounce that.
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Tante Shvester
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$50 to Julie Andrews! And another $50 to me!
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Jeesh
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quote:
Originally posted by Tante Shvester:
$50 to Julie Andrews!
Can she say it now though?

quote:
And another $50 to me!
Grr, [Grumble]
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