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.)
| word | definition | source | date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ablation | a procedure for restoring normal heart rhythm | |
2020-10-13 |
| clement | mild and peaceful | 2020-10-13 | |
| oracular | hard to interpret; enigmatic | Patrick Collison |
2020-10-12 |
| carom | strike and rebound | |
2020-10-11 |
| dysgenic | exerting a detrimental effect on later generations through the inheritance of undesirable characteristics | |
2020-10-05 |
| oleaginous | rich with, covered in, or heavily producing oil or grease | |
2020-10-04 |
| extirpate | root out and destroy completely | |
2020-10-01 |
| suet | the hard white fat on the kidneys and loins of cattle, sheep, and other animals, used to make foods including puddings, pastry, and mincemeat | NYT Crossword |
2020-10-01 |
| offal | the entrails and internal organs of an animal used as food. | NYT Crossword |
2020-09-30 |
| syncytium | a single cell or cytoplasmic mass containing several nuclei, formed by fusion of cells or by division of nuclei | Wikipedia |
2020-09-30 |
| funicular | a cable railroad, especially one on a mountainside, in which ascending and descending cars are counterbalanced. | 2020-09-29 | |
| salvific | leading to salvation | |
2020-09-24 |
| missal | a book containing the texts used in the Catholic Mass throughout the year | NYT Crossword |
2020-09-23 |
| aporia | an irresolvable internal contradiction or logical disjunction in a text, argument, or theory | |
2020-09-22 |
| slatternly | (relating to a woman’s appearance) dirty and untidy | Wikipedia |
2020-09-21 |
| chthonic | concerning, belonging to, or inhabiting the underworld. | 2020-09-20 | |
| gongoozler | a person who enjoys watching activity on the canals of the United Kingdom | Wikipedia |
2020-09-17 |
| soteriology | the doctrine of salvation | Twitter (Liz Bruenig) |
2020-09-17 |
| trilemma | a difficult choice from three options, each of which is (or appears) unacceptable or unfavourable | |
2020-09-16 |
| alimentary | relating to nourishment or sustenance. | |
2020-09-15 |
| squamous | covered with or characterized by scales | The City We Became |
2020-09-14 |
| helpmate | a helpful companion or partner, especially one's husband or wife. | The City We Became |
2020-09-14 |
| dropsy | a non-technical edema | |
2020-09-13 |
| dewclaw | a rudimentary inner toe present in some dogs | The Art of Raising a Puppy |
2020-09-13 |
| weir | a low dam built across a river to raise the water level upstream | NYT Crossword |
2020-09-12 |
| concomitant | naturally accompanying or associated | |
2020-09-12 |
| miserablist | a person who appears to enjoy being depressed, esp a performer of or listener to gloomy music | |
2020-09-10 |
| autarky | economic independence or self-sufficiency | |
2020-09-09 |
| slue | turn or slide violently or uncontrollably in a particular direction. | NYT Crossword |
2020-09-09 |
| toyetic | potentially marketable as a toy or having merchandising potential | |
2020-09-06 |
| elucubrate | to solve, write, or compose by working studiously at all hours | Postwar |
2020-09-06 |
| scripturient | having a strong urge to write | Max Read |
2020-09-04 |
| oryx | a species of large antelopes | 2020 NBA Playoffs, Game 2 Heat-Bucks |
2020-09-02 |
| lustration | a rite of purification, especially washing | Postwar |
2020-09-02 |
| saturnine | slow and gloomy | Better Living Through Criticism |
2020-08-30 |
| orts | table scraps | NYT Crossword |
2020-08-30 |
| glabrous | free from hair or down; smooth | A Spell of Songs |
2020-08-30 |
| loge | a small enclosure or booth in a theatre or arena | NYT Crossword |
2020-08-27 |
| cachinnate | to laugh loudly or immoderately | NYT Crossword |
2020-08-27 |
| varietist | one who varies from the norm | The Decline And Fall Of Practically Everybody |
2020-08-23 |
| sestet | the last six lines of a sonnet | NYT Crossword |
2020-08-21 |
| impecunious | having little or no money | Postwar |
2020-08-20 |
| doctrinaire | seeking to impose a doctrine in all circumstances without regard to practical considerations. | Zach Lowe |
2020-08-20 |
| arrant | complete; utter | NYT Crossword |
2020-08-16 |
| goldbrick | invent excuses to avoid a task; shirk. | NYT Crossword |
2020-08-15 |
| cartouche | a carved tablet or drawing representing a scroll with rolled-up ends | NYT Crossword |
2020-07-26 |
| timpani | kettledrums, especially when played by one musician in an orchestra | NYT Crossword |
2020-07-26 |
| coati | a type of raccoon with a long snout and a striped tail | NYT Crossword |
2020-07-25 |
| besserwisser | know-it-all, wiseguy, wiseacre, smart aleck | Brendan Schlagel |
2020-07-22 |
| olio | a miscellaneous collection of things | NYT Crossword |
2020-07-22 |
| eunoia | beautiful thinking | Brendan Schlagel |
2020-07-22 |
| amphigory | nonsense verse | Brendan Schlagel |
2020-07-22 |
| phrontistery | a place for studying | Brendan Schlagel |
2020-07-22 |
| enchiridion | carried reference book | Brendan Schlagel |
2020-07-22 |
| apothegm | short, witty aphorism | Brendan Schlagel |
2020-07-22 |
| selcouth | strange; unfamiliar; marvelous | Brendan Schlagel |
2020-07-22 |
| piste | a ski run of compacted snow. | Mike Towber |
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 |
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.) ↩