Sunday 29 May 2011
26 Weird English Words from A to Z
Weird English Words from A to Z
Theresa Dold on 03/3/11
Have you ever worn winklepickers or salopettes? Is the saying about French women and their oxters true? Do your friends complain that you bibble too much? Have you ever experienced zoanthropy and been convinced you were an elephant?
If you’re confused as to how to answer any – or all – of these questions, never fear! We’ve created this confusion, and we’re here to clear it up with this alphabetical list of 26 weird English words and their meanings.
Do you have a favorite weird word in English or any other language? Drop us the word and definition in the comments section below!
agastopia
n. – admiration of a particular part of someone’s body
bibble
v. – to drink often; to eat and/or drink noisily
cabotage
n. – coastal navigation; the exclusive right of a country to control the air traffic within its borders
NOT: v. – to sabotage with cabbage and/or Vermont Cabot Cheese
doodle sack
n. – old English word for bagpipe
erinaceous
adj. – of, pertaining to, or resembling a hedgehog
Although she won’t know what it means, never, ever tell your date Erin that she is “looking quite erinaceous this evening.”
firman
n. – in Turkey and some other Oriental countries, a decree or mandate issued by the sovereign
gabelle
n. – a tax on salt
halfpace
n. – a platform of a staircase where the stair turns back in exactly the reverse direction of the lower flight
impignorate
v. – to pawn or mortgage something
NOT: v. – to impregnate a pig
jentacular
adj. – pertaining to breakfast
kakorrhaphiophobia
n. – fear of failure
This is the last word that someone with kakorrhaphiophobia would want to encounter in a spelling bee.
lamprophony
n. – loudness and clarity of enunciation
macrosmatic
adj. – having a good sense of smell
nudiustertian
n. – the day before yesterday
NOT: n. – a martian nudist
oxter
n. – outdated word meaning “armpit”
NOT: n. – a creature that is half ox, half otter
pauciloquent
adj. – uttering few words; brief in speech
If you had to figure out how to use this word in context, you probably wouldn’t say much either.
quire
n. – two dozen sheets of paper
ratoon
n. – small shoot growing from the root of a plant
NOT: n. – the offspring of interbreeding rats and raccoons
salopettes
n. – high-waisted skiing pants with shoulder straps
tittynope
n. – a small quantity of something left over
Undoubtedly the biggest eyebrow-raiser on this list!
ulotrichous
adj. – having wooly or crispy hair
First time you’ve heard this word? It’s probably a good indication that you don’t have wooly or crispy hair. Or that you do, and nobody uses this word anymore.
valetudinarian
n. – a sickly or weak person, especially one who is constantly and morbidly concerned with his or her health
Think – “the valedictorian of hypochondriacs”
winklepicker
n. – style of shoe or boot in the 1950s with a sharp and long pointed toe
A close second to “tittynope” in the eyebrow-raiser category
xertz
v. – to gulp down quickly and greedily
yarborough
n. – hand of cards containing no card above a nine
zoanthropy
n. – delusion of a person who believes himself changed into an animal
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RELATED POSTS
1.25 Comical Quotes About the Confusing English Language2.Brain Learns New Words in Less Than 15 Minutes3.Globish: The New Way to Communicate in English?4.No More English – or “Chinglish” – in China5.Planet English [INFOGRAPHIC]Like
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Theresa Dold on 03/3/11
Have you ever worn winklepickers or salopettes? Is the saying about French women and their oxters true? Do your friends complain that you bibble too much? Have you ever experienced zoanthropy and been convinced you were an elephant?
If you’re confused as to how to answer any – or all – of these questions, never fear! We’ve created this confusion, and we’re here to clear it up with this alphabetical list of 26 weird English words and their meanings.
Do you have a favorite weird word in English or any other language? Drop us the word and definition in the comments section below!
agastopia
n. – admiration of a particular part of someone’s body
bibble
v. – to drink often; to eat and/or drink noisily
cabotage
n. – coastal navigation; the exclusive right of a country to control the air traffic within its borders
NOT: v. – to sabotage with cabbage and/or Vermont Cabot Cheese
doodle sack
n. – old English word for bagpipe
erinaceous
adj. – of, pertaining to, or resembling a hedgehog
Although she won’t know what it means, never, ever tell your date Erin that she is “looking quite erinaceous this evening.”
firman
n. – in Turkey and some other Oriental countries, a decree or mandate issued by the sovereign
gabelle
n. – a tax on salt
halfpace
n. – a platform of a staircase where the stair turns back in exactly the reverse direction of the lower flight
impignorate
v. – to pawn or mortgage something
NOT: v. – to impregnate a pig
jentacular
adj. – pertaining to breakfast
kakorrhaphiophobia
n. – fear of failure
This is the last word that someone with kakorrhaphiophobia would want to encounter in a spelling bee.
lamprophony
n. – loudness and clarity of enunciation
macrosmatic
adj. – having a good sense of smell
nudiustertian
n. – the day before yesterday
NOT: n. – a martian nudist
oxter
n. – outdated word meaning “armpit”
NOT: n. – a creature that is half ox, half otter
pauciloquent
adj. – uttering few words; brief in speech
If you had to figure out how to use this word in context, you probably wouldn’t say much either.
quire
n. – two dozen sheets of paper
ratoon
n. – small shoot growing from the root of a plant
NOT: n. – the offspring of interbreeding rats and raccoons
salopettes
n. – high-waisted skiing pants with shoulder straps
tittynope
n. – a small quantity of something left over
Undoubtedly the biggest eyebrow-raiser on this list!
ulotrichous
adj. – having wooly or crispy hair
First time you’ve heard this word? It’s probably a good indication that you don’t have wooly or crispy hair. Or that you do, and nobody uses this word anymore.
valetudinarian
n. – a sickly or weak person, especially one who is constantly and morbidly concerned with his or her health
Think – “the valedictorian of hypochondriacs”
winklepicker
n. – style of shoe or boot in the 1950s with a sharp and long pointed toe
A close second to “tittynope” in the eyebrow-raiser category
xertz
v. – to gulp down quickly and greedily
yarborough
n. – hand of cards containing no card above a nine
zoanthropy
n. – delusion of a person who believes himself changed into an animal
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RELATED POSTS
1.25 Comical Quotes About the Confusing English Language2.Brain Learns New Words in Less Than 15 Minutes3.Globish: The New Way to Communicate in English?4.No More English – or “Chinglish” – in China5.Planet English [INFOGRAPHIC]Like
Dislike and 4 others liked this.
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