Thursday, July 17, 2008

Kay's Wonderful World of Weird Words #5

I haven't done one of these for a longgggggggggg time and frankly, I've missed it. I was required in college to take a class in Linguistics and I found that I love exploring the language and it's origins -- especially the weird words -- and I subscribe to at least a half dozen different sites that send me interesting or weird words. Here are a few of my recent finds. I hope y'all enjoy them as much as I have. The challenge is working them into casual conversation.

trichotillomania: (n.) the abnormal desire to pull out one's hair.

I think of it as a disease brought on by people who drive us nuts!

Cockaigne: (n.) An imaginary land of ease and luxury.

Remove a couple letters and you get a substance that takes you to that land. Coincidence?

quisquilian: (adj.) worthless, trifling.

This one could be useful in describing a lot of the members of Congress -- don't y'all agree?

heliolatry: (n.) sun worship

Compulsive tanners practice this.

titivate: (v.) to make or become smart or spruce.

Using this in conversation could cause some raised eyebrows! I think George Carlin would have liked it!

quotidian: (adj.) 1) Occurring or returning daily; as, a quotidian fever. 2) Of an everyday character; ordinary; commonplace.

I think y'all will all agree that the words here could not be called quotidian.

And last but not least, I'll leave with a word to think about . . .

callipygian: having well-shaped buttocks.

The Kay heads to her corner and puts on her Thinking Cap.

Hmmmmmmmmm . . .

Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!!!!

Kay

8 comments:

  1. Love it! I do FreeRice.com everyday to help donate food and to enrich my vocabulary.

    Re: heliolatry, I know many women who practice that. Good thing most of them are married to men with megabucks (think facelifts!).

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  2. Terrific post Kay and witty comments on the definitions. just between you and me I have always appreciated a callipygian......

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  3. I love words too -- my special favorites are the ones that can be used in many different ways -- call it a sort of family pass time at the dinner table: "would you please leave (leaf) that alone?" answered by "not until I get to the root of the subject" or "I'm branching to another subject" -- fun!

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  4. LOL Toom!!!!!

    Punning duels are fun -- a writer friend and I have had such conversations for years. We say that we are incirrigible punsters -- don't incorrige us!!!

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  5. Re: Trichotillomania

    I have a close friend who suffers from this.
    Years of counselling have not helped her.
    It started after the birth of her third child.
    So very very sad.

    Bear((( )))

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  6. Ohhhhhhhhhh my!!!!!!!! How awful!!!!

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  7. whooooooeee, you sure got some right pretty words in your vocabulary there mame---gonna have to see if this quotidian blogger can find some use of em----yawl have a nice day now---ya heah?

    GaryJay
    http://threescoreplusten.blogspot.com/

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  8. I hope mine are callypigian! LOL

    Big they are, for sure!

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