Vocabulary Accretion Thread

[SneakySecrets]

Heard someone use the word “somnolent” (sleepy; drowsy) casually in a sentence today and I thought it was pretty cool.

What are some other good words people could try to pepper in to their vocabulary?

Not some crazy, esoteric (intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest) shit no one knows about and would stick out like a sore thumb, but words people could actually use and integrate into their day-to-day language.

[Dental Dan]

Hi I'm an absolute nerd, can we do fun etymologies too?

Somnambulant
resembling or characteristic of a sleepwalker
from Latin somnus "sleep" + ambulare "to walk"

You can see those roots in insomnia, ambulance... Cool shit.

[SneakySecrets]

Hi I'm an absolute nerd, can we do fun etymologies too?

Somnambulant
resembling or characteristic of a sleepwalker
from Latin somnus "sleep" + ambulare "to walk"

You can see those roots in insomnia, ambulance... Cool shit.

Yes of course.  I think that shit is interesting too and I never thought about that until you pointed it out.  I never took any Greek or Latin but I think it’s fascinating.

[Sedition]

The word “turboclown” is grossly under used.

[Mark Renton]

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Hi I'm an absolute nerd, can we do fun etymologies too?

Somnambulant
resembling or characteristic of a sleepwalker
from Latin somnus "sleep" + ambulare "to walk"

You can see those roots in insomnia, ambulance... Cool shit.

[close]

Yes of course.  I think that shit is interesting too and I never thought about that until you pointed it out.  I never took any Greek or Latin but I think it’s fascinating.

I think you could start from there (Greeks / Romans) and move up.
You can buy books with both Greek-English / Latin-English.
Gonna be a fun adventure.
It’s crazy how much those cultures gave to the world (not only in terms of linguistics) and we pulled so many back 180s into darkness.

By flamboyant somnambulant

[goodatmeth]

I can't stop using the word infinitesimal
(Extremely small, approaching zero)

[RoaryMcTwang]

I like “clandestine”

[manysnakes]

Hi I'm an absolute nerd, can we do fun etymologies too?

Somnambulant
resembling or characteristic of a sleepwalker
from Latin somnus "sleep" + ambulare "to walk"

You can see those roots in insomnia, ambulance... Cool shit.

I began listening to the movie podcast "You Must Remember This" and Karina Longworth loves "Somnambulant".

[Dental Dan]

@SneakySecrets 

Sadism
the tendency to derive pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others.
From French sadisme. Named after the Marquis de Sade, famed for his libertine writings depicting the pleasure of inflicting pain to others.

[ChuckRamone]

I used to subscribe to word of the day emails from m-w.com and dictionary.com, and I kept a file of vocabulary words to study based on that and just weird words I would come across in books. I don't know what happened but my passion for literature and words kind of died, but at one point I was really into this stuff. Need to find a way to rekindle that fire.

Here's a weird word:

qualtagh - the first person one encounters, either after leaving one's home or (sometimes) outside one's home, especially on New Year's Day

That's a bit on the esoteric side but interesting because it's so specific. I probably first saw it in a Beckett or Joyce novel.

A bit less esoteric is integument - a tough outer protective layer, especially that of an animal or plant. It's cool that that it can be used for both plants and animals.

[Dental Dan]

Caper
verb
skip or dance about in a lively or playful way.
noun
1. a playful skipping movement.
2. an activity or escapade, typically one that is illicit or ridiculous.

Caper in Latin means "a male goat". Capricorn, meaning "horned goat", is a constellation and one of the signs of the zodiac.

[Gary Bucket]

Qualtagh will be in my lexicon for some time. Finally a reason to look forward to New Years. I submit
 
Laconic : using or involving the use of a minimum of words : concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious

[cky enthusiast]

dumbbitch

equitable

delineate

fuckhead

[IUTSM]

Surreptitious

[Peter Zagreus]

I used to subscribe to word of the day emails from m-w.com and dictionary.com, and I kept a file of vocabulary words to study based on that and just weird words I would come across in books. I don't know what happened but my passion for literature and words kind of died, but at one point I was really into this stuff. Need to find a way to rekindle that fire.

Here's a weird word:

qualtagh - the first person one encounters, either after leaving one's home or (sometimes) outside one's home, especially on New Year's Day

That's a bit on the esoteric side but interesting because it's so specific. I probably first saw it in a Beckett or Joyce novel.

A bit less esoteric is integument - a tough outer protective layer, especially that of an animal or plant. It's cool that that it can be used for both plants and animals.

Quality post in a refreshing thread! I'm reminded of the first time I read Cormac McCarthy characterize a desert landscape as "austere."

Here's a couple, top of head:

ingress (n): the act of going in or entering; the right to enter;
a means or place of entering; entryway; Astronomy: immersion (def. 5) [?]

comportment (n):personal bearing or conduct; demeanor; behavior.

crepuscule (n): twilight; dusk.
crepuscular (adj): of, relating to, or resembling twilight; dim; indistinct. Zoology: appearing or active in the twilight, as certain bats and insects.

[straight]

my fil drops this stuff on me on the reg .. he went to stanford and i don’t think he does it on purpose but sometimes it feels like he’s testing me .. every time he uses an adjective or adverb that ive never heard i just agree and i see him look back at me like .. “this dumbass”

i read a article once about how people with high iq’s have to dumb themselves down to when conversing with lay folk like me

[Mark Renton]

i read a article once about how people with high iq’s have to dumb themselves down to when conversing

Lmao that’s actually one of the reasons why I started doing drugs back in the day.
Not gnarly ones eh, but yeah now mans wavy.

[Coastal Fever]

Yeah I love voluntary secretions.

[GardenSkater77]

my fil drops this stuff on me on the reg .. he went to stanford and i don’t think he does it on purpose but sometimes it feels like he’s testing me .. every time he uses an adjective or adverb that ive never heard i just agree and i see him look back at me like .. “this dumbass”

i read a article once about how people with high iq’s have to dumb themselves down to when conversing with lay folk like me

Are you sure your friend didn’t just come from a highly literate household?

I’ll give you a personal example. I’m an only child so around the dinner table conversations were not geared to kid stuff. Both my parents were readers and I believe I benefited in school up until 6th grade where I could no longer coast.

I probably have a better than average vocabulary but it was through no effort of my own. If I was motivated to read I would definitely have a much broader vocabulary than I do today.

[pizzafliptofakie]

"Embiggen" is a perfectly cromulent word.

[SneakySecrets]

Qualtagh will be in my lexicon for some time. Finally a reason to look forward to New Years. I submit
 
Laconic : using or involving the use of a minimum of words : concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious

Someone correct me if I’m wrong, I believe that comes from how ancient Spartans (from the region of Laconia) used to talk, particularly King Leonidas.  He has a bunch of badass, very short, quotes.

[cucktard]

Expand Quote

I used to subscribe to word of the day emails from m-w.com and dictionary.com, and I kept a file of vocabulary words to study based on that and just weird words I would come across in books. I don't know what happened but my passion for literature and words kind of died, but at one point I was really into this stuff. Need to find a way to rekindle that fire.

Here's a weird word:

qualtagh - the first person one encounters, either after leaving one's home or (sometimes) outside one's home, especially on New Year's Day

That's a bit on the esoteric side but interesting because it's so specific. I probably first saw it in a Beckett or Joyce novel.

A bit less esoteric is integument - a tough outer protective layer, especially that of an animal or plant. It's cool that that it can be used for both plants and animals.

[close]

Quality post in a refreshing thread! I'm reminded of the first time I read Cormac McCarthy characterize a desert landscape as "austere."

Here's a couple, top of head:

ingress (n): the act of going in or entering; the right to enter;
a means or place of entering; entryway; Astronomy: immersion (def. 5) [?]

The opposite being ‘egress’, if I remember correctly.
And I believe it was Barnum Bailey (again, just from memory and I could be completely wrong) that in his exhibit of freaks and oddities had a sign saying ‘this way to the egress’ as a way of tricking people to leave the rooms without lingering.

Edit: I checked. It was PT Barnum who did it, and it was in his “American Museum” which was so popular people would linger for hours, so he tricked them with the sign.

[RoaryMcTwang]

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Expand Quote

I used to subscribe to word of the day emails from m-w.com and dictionary.com, and I kept a file of vocabulary words to study based on that and just weird words I would come across in books. I don't know what happened but my passion for literature and words kind of died, but at one point I was really into this stuff. Need to find a way to rekindle that fire.

Here's a weird word:

qualtagh - the first person one encounters, either after leaving one's home or (sometimes) outside one's home, especially on New Year's Day

That's a bit on the esoteric side but interesting because it's so specific. I probably first saw it in a Beckett or Joyce novel.

A bit less esoteric is integument - a tough outer protective layer, especially that of an animal or plant. It's cool that that it can be used for both plants and animals.

[close]

Quality post in a refreshing thread! I'm reminded of the first time I read Cormac McCarthy characterize a desert landscape as "austere."

Here's a couple, top of head:

ingress (n): the act of going in or entering; the right to enter;
a means or place of entering; entryway; Astronomy: immersion (def. 5) [?]

[close]

The opposite being ‘egress’, if I remember correctly.
And I believe it was Barnum Bailey (again, just from memory and I could be completely wrong) that in his exhibit of freaks and oddities had a sign saying ‘this way to the egress’ as a way of tricking people to leave the rooms without lingering.

I thought egress was a female egret

[IUTSM]

Expand Quote

my fil drops this stuff on me on the reg .. he went to stanford and i don’t think he does it on purpose but sometimes it feels like he’s testing me .. every time he uses an adjective or adverb that ive never heard i just agree and i see him look back at me like .. “this dumbass”

i read a article once about how people with high iq’s have to dumb themselves down to when conversing with lay folk like me

[close]

Are you sure your friend didn’t just come from a highly literate household?

I’ll give you a personal example. I’m an only child so around the dinner table conversations were not geared to kid stuff. Both my parents were readers and I believe I benefited in school up until 6th grade where I could no longer coast.

I probably have a better than average vocabulary but it was through no effort of my own. If I was motivated to read I would definitely have a much broader vocabulary than I do today.

I read and, excluding the last 4 years of my drunk 20s, have always read a lot. I write often. For some people #s are easy, for me, words are easy.

[JANUS]

Loquacious: talkative/talking a great deal.

[breezy_again]

Caper
verb
skip or dance about in a lively or playful way.
noun
1. a playful skipping movement.
2. an activity or escapade, typically one that is illicit or ridiculous.

Caper in Latin means "a male goat". Capricorn, meaning "horned goat", is a constellation and one of the signs of the zodiac.

those things that look like peas

[Dental Dan]

Pretty good with smoked salmon + cream cheese on a bagel.

[SneakySecrets]

personation - the act of slowing the development or progress of something.

[JANUS]

personation - the act of slowing the development or progress of something.

I can only find the legal definition for this one (synonym for impersonation).

[SneakySecrets]

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personation - the act of slowing the development or progress of something.

[close]

I can only find the legal definition for this one (synonym for impersonation).

Sorry, that word included a word that starts with r that isn’t allowed here apparently.  It substituted “person”.

Obsequious- overly obedient or servile