Words I have learned
When I was in high school and even more insufferable than I am now, a friend and I started a tumblr called “sun words”. The concept of this was to collect words that we discovered that were particularly succulent or mellifluous. 1
I have found myself learning more and more words recently. This is fun and good: I was worried for a while that my days of adapting and playing with the English language were largely behind me. I thought it would be interesting and illustrative to collect a list of the words I’ve learned recently alongside the sources from which I’ve gleaned them. (I expect the majority to be from the NYT crossword, which I recommend you start doing.)
I also publish this list as an RSS feed, if you’d prefer.
| word | definition | source | date |
|---|---|---|---|
| cartouche | a carved tablet or drawing representing a scroll with rolled-up ends | NYT Crossword, 7/26/2020 |
2020-07-26 |
| timpani | kettledrums, especially when played by one musician in an orchestra | NYT Crossword, 7/26/2020 |
2020-07-26 |
| coati | a type of raccoon with a long snout and a striped tail | NYT Crossword (7/25/2020) |
2020-07-25 |
| besserwisser | know-it-all, wiseguy, wiseacre, smart aleck | 2020-07-22 | |
| olio | a miscellaneous collection of things | NYT Crossword |
2020-07-22 |
| eunoia | beautiful thinking | 2020-07-22 | |
| amphigory | nonsense verse | 2020-07-22 | |
| phrontistery | a place for studying | 2020-07-22 | |
| enchiridion | carried reference book | 2020-07-22 | |
| apothegm | short, witty aphorism | 2020-07-22 | |
| selcouth | strange; unfamiliar; marvelous | 2020-07-22 | |
| piste | a ski run of compacted snow. | 2020-07-21 | |
| autochthonous | native to the place where found (ant. allochthonous) | |
2020-07-20 |
| polity | an organized society; a state as a political entity | Against the Grain |
2020-07-20 |
| calf | a floating piece of ice detached from an iceberg. | NYT Crossword (7/17/2020) |
2020-07-17 |
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Why “sun words”? Because we were high schoolers, and because we learned of the concept of “SAT words” — words that made Flesch-Kincaid salivate — and because _Sun_day comes after _Sat_urday. (I told you — insufferable.) ↩
(I've got an RSS feed, too, if you'd prefer.)