BEAUTIFUL WORDS
BUILD A BETTER VOCABULARY
Words posted by @kairosoflife on Twitter
under the hashtag #beautifulwords
This section is still under construction. The word lists are slowly being transferred here from Creativity Chaos
BUILD A BETTER VOCABULARY
Words posted by @kairosoflife on Twitter
under the hashtag #beautifulwords
This section is still under construction. The word lists are slowly being transferred here from Creativity Chaos
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LEARN new words, old words, obscure words and untranslatable words from faraway lands.
DECEMBER 2019
Agelast is someone who never laughs. It is borrowed from the Greek ‘agélastos’ meaning “not laughing, grave, gloomy”. From what I can tell this person is capable of laughing but chooses not to. Sad way of life but to each his own.
Calliope, meaning "beautiful-voiced" (from kallos "beauty," and ops, "voice"), is a musical instrument invented in the 1850s and sounds like a beckoning whistle. It is named for the Greek goddess known as the Muse of Poetry & Song.
Calliope, meaning "beautiful-voiced" (from kallos "beauty," and ops, "voice"), is a musical instrument invented in the 1850s and sounds like a beckoning whistle. It is named for the Greek goddess known as the Muse of Poetry & Song.
NOVEMBER 2019
This month’s words are dedicated to my mother. She put a dictionary in my hands and bought me any book I ever wanted. Thank you beautiful lady.
Addlepated is the state of being confused or stupid. It can happen when you get mixed-up and feel out of sorts. ADHD right there. Addlepated derives from the terms addle (confuse) and pate (the head or brain), so addlepated is a confused brain. It can also mean eccentric – know anyone like that?
Anam Cara is Gaelic for the person you share your deepest thoughts, feelings and dreams with. This person is not just your best friend but your soul friend. A soulmate doesn’t always have to be your romantic partner. Never let them go.
Blinkered is a narrow minded person who is unwilling to consider another perspective. He is the guy you go head to head with until you can’t take it anymore and leave before you punch him. It dates from the end of the 19th century.
Clinquant, what better time of year to discover this twinkling gem of a word now that Christmas is coming. Clinquant derives from the French clinquer (to glitter, or literally, to clink) Deck the halls with clinquant garlands, tinsel, baubles or just sprinkle everywhere you see the dull!
Concupiscent is a Latin word for when you begin to feel a lustful desire. Like after that 4th shot of Tequila and you want to grab that guy you’ve been drooling over and haul him out to the parking lot for a quickie in the car?
Congeries comes directly from the Latin noun congeriēs meaning a collection, pile, or a heap. You know that mess of dirty laundry in the corner of your teenager’s room? That is congeries.
Dépaysement is when you are taken out of your own familiar world and placed in a new one. This can be good or bad but to me it can be therapeutic with a fresh perspective and a heightened optimism.
Drapetomania is the overwhelming urge to run away... if we are up in the darkest hours of the night tossing and turning over the stress of the day, you can trigger drapetomania. Don’t give in. The new day may bring better things.
Jargogle is a delightful word to use to describe a big jumbled mess of things. Have you ever jargogled your words or felt like your brain was a jargogled confusion? Jargogle seems to composed of the words jargon and garbled. Garbled jargon – easy to remember jargogle!
Kafkaesque is experiencing a disorienting, confusing, nightmarish quality; a surreal moment that may feel threatening. For example, getting a registered letter from the IRS. Uh oh.
Lethologica is the inability to articulate a thought due to difficulty remembering a word, phrase or name. Also known as “tip of the tongue.” You can experience a frustration from song lyrics! From the Greek lēthē ‘ meaning forgetfulness.’
Nepenthe is anything that induces a pleasurable state of forgetfulness during sorrow or trouble. Pouring another drink, finishing a whole chocolate cake or losing yourself in a hook, movie or experience. In Greek the word nēpenthḗs is an adjective meaning “banishing pain, without sorrow.”
Persiflage is frivolous, light-hearted chit chat. Witty banter is a good description. From the mid 18th century French word ‘persifler’meaning “to banter”, based on the word ‘siffler’ meaning “to whistle.” Twitter can sometime deliver the best opportunities for witty banter.
Piquant - next time you eat a delicious meal don’t call it “yummy” when you can use the more classy piquant. It means exactly the same thing but you can impress your boss with piquant.
Squiz is a word you don’t want to use in the bedroom unless you absolutely must. It means a quick close look. Try not to squiz your tinder date. You’ll give him a complex. It’s a piece of slang used in Australian and New Zealand.
Anam Cara is Gaelic for the person you share your deepest thoughts, feelings and dreams with. This person is not just your best friend but your soul friend. A soulmate doesn’t always have to be your romantic partner. Never let them go.
Blinkered is a narrow minded person who is unwilling to consider another perspective. He is the guy you go head to head with until you can’t take it anymore and leave before you punch him. It dates from the end of the 19th century.
Clinquant, what better time of year to discover this twinkling gem of a word now that Christmas is coming. Clinquant derives from the French clinquer (to glitter, or literally, to clink) Deck the halls with clinquant garlands, tinsel, baubles or just sprinkle everywhere you see the dull!
Concupiscent is a Latin word for when you begin to feel a lustful desire. Like after that 4th shot of Tequila and you want to grab that guy you’ve been drooling over and haul him out to the parking lot for a quickie in the car?
Congeries comes directly from the Latin noun congeriēs meaning a collection, pile, or a heap. You know that mess of dirty laundry in the corner of your teenager’s room? That is congeries.
Dépaysement is when you are taken out of your own familiar world and placed in a new one. This can be good or bad but to me it can be therapeutic with a fresh perspective and a heightened optimism.
Drapetomania is the overwhelming urge to run away... if we are up in the darkest hours of the night tossing and turning over the stress of the day, you can trigger drapetomania. Don’t give in. The new day may bring better things.
Jargogle is a delightful word to use to describe a big jumbled mess of things. Have you ever jargogled your words or felt like your brain was a jargogled confusion? Jargogle seems to composed of the words jargon and garbled. Garbled jargon – easy to remember jargogle!
Kafkaesque is experiencing a disorienting, confusing, nightmarish quality; a surreal moment that may feel threatening. For example, getting a registered letter from the IRS. Uh oh.
Lethologica is the inability to articulate a thought due to difficulty remembering a word, phrase or name. Also known as “tip of the tongue.” You can experience a frustration from song lyrics! From the Greek lēthē ‘ meaning forgetfulness.’
Nepenthe is anything that induces a pleasurable state of forgetfulness during sorrow or trouble. Pouring another drink, finishing a whole chocolate cake or losing yourself in a hook, movie or experience. In Greek the word nēpenthḗs is an adjective meaning “banishing pain, without sorrow.”
Persiflage is frivolous, light-hearted chit chat. Witty banter is a good description. From the mid 18th century French word ‘persifler’meaning “to banter”, based on the word ‘siffler’ meaning “to whistle.” Twitter can sometime deliver the best opportunities for witty banter.
Piquant - next time you eat a delicious meal don’t call it “yummy” when you can use the more classy piquant. It means exactly the same thing but you can impress your boss with piquant.
Squiz is a word you don’t want to use in the bedroom unless you absolutely must. It means a quick close look. Try not to squiz your tinder date. You’ll give him a complex. It’s a piece of slang used in Australian and New Zealand.
STARLIGHT POETRY BY KAI
View Me on Twitter @kairosoflife
See Creativity Chaos - a Creativity Blog by Kai
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© 2019-2020 Copyright Starlight Poetry
View Me on Twitter @kairosoflife
See Creativity Chaos - a Creativity Blog by Kai
About | Reprints & Copyrights
© 2019-2020 Copyright Starlight Poetry