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list of wwftds

Herein is a complete list of "wwftd"s™ dating from ca. 1987 to present. This started as a "word for the day up on the blackboard" sort of thing and has degenerated into its current form; irregular distribution to a mail list via e-mail... and now this.

 Copyright © 1995-2009 -- Michael A. Fischer  
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A

aa (also a'a)

Hawaiian  /ah ah/  lava having a rough surface

abacinate

[fr. L. abicinare]  /A bas eh nate/

to blind a person by placing hot irons near the eyes

abacot

[a corruption of the word bycoket, a kind of cap or head-dress]   /AB ah kot/

The cap of state, used in old times by our English kings, wrought up in the figure of two crowns {Johnson, 1828}

abattoir

[F.]  /AB eh twar/  a slaughterhouse; something likened to a slaughterhouse

abdabs

Brit slang  terror, the frights, nerves  (often heard as the screaming abdabs)

abderian

[fr. Abdera, a town in Thrace, the home of Democritus, see next]  often. capitalized

1) given to laughter; inclined to foolish or incessant merriment

2) foolish

abderite

[fr. the Greek city Abdera, whose inhabitants were reputedly stupid]

1) a native or inhabitant of Abdera

2) a simpleton, scoffer (so called from Democritos, the laughing philosopher, a native of Abdera)

abditory

[fr. L. abditorium]  a place for hiding or preserving articles of value

abdominous

[fr. L. abdomen, belly]  having a protuberant belly; pot-bellied

abecedarian

[fr. L. abecedarius, alphabetical]  /A bee see DAR ian/

1) one who teaches or studies the alphabet

2) one learning the rudiments of something

also used adjectivally

abigail

[after Abigail, serving woman in the play The Scornful Lady, by Beaumont and Fletcher]  a lady's waiting maid

abigeus

[fr. L. abigeatus, cattlestealing]  /ab IG ee us/  a cattle rustler

ablation

[fr. L. ablatio, a taking away]  surgical removal

abligurition

[fr. L. abligurire, to spend in luxurious indulgence]  /ab lig yoor ISH un/

obs.  lavish spending on food and drink

abomasum

the fourth of the four stomachs of a ruminant (see omasum)

abreaction

[part translation of G. Abreagierung, catharsis; fr. L. reagere, to react]  (but contrast catharsis)

Psych.  the expression and emotional discharge of unconscious material (as a repressed idea or emotion) by verbalization especially in the presence of a therapist

abscondence

[fr. L. abscondere]  /abs KAN dunce/

fugitive concealment; secret retirement; hiding

abscondite

[L. abscondite : abstrusely, profoundly, secretly]  (cf. abscond)  /abs CON dite/?

inkhorn term  abstruse, obscure: recondite

abscotchalater

[related to absquatulate?]  one hiding from the police

abseil

Brit.  to descend a rock face using a double rope: rappel

absquatulate

[a factitious word, simulating a Latinate form]

U.S.  to decamp; to suddenly take leave and squat elsewhere

absquatulation

the action of absquatulating

abstergent

[fr. L. abstergére, to wipe off]  cleansing or scouring

abstupiate

obs.  greatly to esteem riches {Cockerham}

abulia

[fr. Gk a- + boulé, will]  abnormal lack of ability to act or to make decisions

abusion

[L. abusion-em]  obs.  misuse, perversion; deceit; Rhet.  catachresis; outrage, wrong; reviling, insult

acalculia

[modern L.]  the inability to do simple arithmetic

acapnotic

[fr. Gk akapnos, without smoke]  a non-smoker

acataleptic

[fr Gk akataleptos]  [adj] incomprehensible

[n] a person who suspends judgment in the belief that certainty is impossible

accidie

/AK suh dee/  acedia: apathy, boredom

accidious

[fr. L. accidia, heedlessness, torpor]  slothful (cf. acedie, acedia)

accinge

[fr. L. accingere, to undertake]  to gird up one's loins, apply oneself

accismus

[Gk akkismos]  /ak SIZ mas/

Rhetoric  a form of irony, a pretended refusal of something one desires

accouchement

[F.]  lying in, esp: parturition

accubation

[fr. L. accubare, to lie near to]  the act of reclining while eating

acedia

[L.]  a condition leading to listlessness and want of interest in life; apathy, boredom

aceldama

[fr. Syr. okel damo, the field of blood]  a field of bloodshed

acersecomic

[fr. Gk akersekomes, with unshorn hair]  obs.  a person whose hair has never been cut

Achates

a loyal friend [from the faithful companion of Aeneas]

achromatic

refracting light without dispersion; not readily colored; neutral; diatonic

achromatopsia

[fr. Gk akhromatos, without color + -opsia]

/a krO muh TAHP see ah/

a visual defect marked by total color blindness, the colors of the spectrum being seen in grayscale tones

ackman (also arkman)

[fr. ark + man]  a maritime robber and murderer

acousma

/a KUZ ma/  (also acouasm) a simple auditory hallucination, such as buzzing or ringing

acousticophobia

fear of noise

acroamatic

abstruse, pertaining to deep learning: esoteric

acushla

[Irish, beat of my heart]  /ah KUSH la/  term of address or endearment: darling

acyrology

[ad L. acyrologia, a. Gk akyrolgia]  /ah sir OL uh jee(?)/

obs. rare  incorrect speech or use of language

addlepate

a confused person

ademonist

[fr. Gk a-, not + daimon, spirit]  (also adæmonist)

someone who denies the existence of demons or the Devil

adequate

[fr. L. adaequo]  obs.  to make equal, to be equal to

adequation

[fr. L. adaequare, to make or become equal]

1) the result of making equal: equivalence  2) the act of making equal: commensuration

3) Linguistics  a semantic process whereby the meaning of a word or phrase changes under the influence of the type of context in which it typically occurs

adfenestrate

nonce-word  to enter surreptitiously through a window (coined by Dick Koster)

adfenestration

nonce-word  the (esp. surreptitious) act of entering through a window (adapt, adopt and improve - M. Fischer)

ad hominem

[NL, to the man]  appealing to a person's feelings or prejudices rather than his intellect

adiabolist

someone who denies the existence of the devil

adiaphanous

[fr. a- + med.L. diaphanus < Gk diaphanes]  /ae di AHF enes/

not translucent or opaque (not diaphanous)

adiaphorous

doing neither good nor harm (in Logic...or as a medicine)

adipose

[fr. L. adip-, fat]  of or relating to animal fat: fatty

adiposity

[NL adiposus]  a tendency to fatness

adit

[fr. L. aditus approach < adire to go to]  a nearly horizontal shaft to the surface in a mine

adjuvant

[F. fr. L.]  /AH juh vant/

1) serving to aid or contribute : auxiliary

2) assisting in the prevention, amelioration, or cure of disease

adoxography

[fr. Gk adoxos, inglorious + -graphy, writing]  /ad ok SOG ra fee/

fine writing on a trivial or base subject

adscititious

/AD si TISH us/  not inherent or essential; derived from something extrinsic

adumbrate

[fr. L. adumbrare < ad- + umbra, shadow]

1) to foreshadow vaguely: intimate  2) to suggest or disclose partially  3) to overshadow, obscure

advertently

[fr. L. advertere, to turn to]  rare  heedfully

aegir

a tidal bore, or a high wave caused by tidal flow

aegis

[L. fr. Gk aigis, lit., goatskin]  /ee jis/  protection, defense; patronage, sponsorship

aegrotat

[L., he is ill]  a student's written medical excuse

aeolian

often capit., from the Gk god of winds  giving forth or marked by a moaning or sighing sound or musical tone produced by or as if by the wind

aeolist

obs. rare  a pretender to inspiration or spiritual regeneration  (used by Jonathan Swift)

aerious

[L. aereus]  obs.  of the nature of air, airy

NB: said to be the shortest word to contain the (5)vowels in alphab. order

aesculapian

of or relating to the medical profession (or a staff with one snake curling around it)

aestivate (or estivate)

[fr. L. aestivare to spend the summer]  to pass the summer in a state of torpor

aetataureate

nonce-word  of or pertaining to a golden age; coined as by Michael Chabon, in the phrase: the usual hallmark of the aetataureate delusion

afflatus

[L. < afflare, to blow on]  a creative impulse, an inspiration

after-dream

a depressive letdown, as after a period of drug-induced euphoria; a muddled state upon wakening from a vivid dream (originally a nonce-word from Poe)

afterwit

knowledge gained too late to do any good (the locking of the barn door after the cows have gotten away)

agapé

1) a love feast practiced by early Christians in connection with the Last Supper

2) unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another, as: the fatherly concern of God for humankind; the brotherly concern for others

agastopia

admiration of a particular part of someone's body

agathism

[fr. Gk agathos, good]  /AE gath ism/

the doctrine that all things tend towards ultimate good, as distinguished from optimism which holds that all things are now for the best

agathist

[fr. Gk agathos, good + -ist; cf. optimist]  /AG ah thist/

rare  an adherent of the doctrine that all things tend toward ultimate good

agathokakological

[fr. Gk agathos, good + kakos, bad + -logical]  nonce-word  composed of good and evil

For indeed upon the agathokakological globe there are opposite qualities always to be found. -- Robert Southey

agelast

[fr. Gk agelastos, not laughing]  someone who never laughs

...I think in the main I would call them unfortunates without any option but to look on the universe realistically. - Davis Grubb,  Ancient Lights

agenbite of inwit

the remorse of conscience  [In Joyce's Ulysses adopted from Dan Michel's title Ayenbite of Inwyt]

agenhina

a guest at an inn who, after having stayed for three nights, was considered one of the family by Saxon law

aggeration

[fr. L. aggerare, to heap up]  a heaping up; an accumulation  <aggerations of sand>

aggerose

[fr. L. aggerosus(?)]   /ad jer OSE/

obs.  full of heaps; formed in heaps {in Bailey}

a quantity of aggerose foreign coins - David Grambs

agible

[ad. L. agibilis, fr. agere, to do]  obs.  feasible; practicable

agiotage

speculative dealing on the stock exchange

aglet

[a. F. aiguillette]  the (usu. plastic or metal) tag covering the ends of a lace

agita

[It. dialect < acido, heartburn]  acid indigestion; a feeling of agitation or anxiety

agnatic (also agnate)

[L. agnatus]  related on the father's side  (compare enatic)

agnoiology

[fr. Gk agnoia, ignorance]  the philosophical study of ignorance

agnosia

/ag NO zhia/  Psych.  Freud's term for loss of perception; e.g., prosopagnosia - an inability to recognize faces, autotopagnosia - the inability to localize and name the part's of one's own body

agomphious

[fr. Gk agomphios]  toothless  see also: edentulous

agon

the dramatic conflict between the chief characters in a literary work

agonistes

[Gk] one that is engaged in a struggle

agoraphobia

fear of open spaces

agraffe

[F. agrafe > agrafer, to hook onto]  /uh GRAF/

1) a kind of hook, which fastens to a ring, used as a clasp

2) the wire cage holding down the cork in a bottle of champagne  (also, F. muselet)

agreemony

agreeableness; a nonce-word, probably intended to suggest acrimony

agrestic

[fr. L. agrestis + English -ic]  of or relating to the fields or country: rustic, unpolished, uncouth

agrypnia

[fr. Gk agrypnos wakeful, sleepless]  wakefulness; sleeplessness

ai

[Port. or Sp. < Tupi]  a South American three-toed sloth  (compare unau)

aibohphobia

[phobia melded with phobia reversed, fr. LL. -phobia, fear of something]  /AI boh ~/

jocular  the fear of (or aversion to) palindromes

aichmophobia

[fr. Gk aichmê, spear point]  /IKE mo ~/

the fear of sharp or pointed objects

ailurophobia

the fear of or aversion to cats

akathisia

[fr. a- + Gk kathisis, sitting]  an inability to sit down because of intense anxiety

alamodality

the quality of being a la mode, or of following the fashion of the time; fashionableness

aleconner

Brit.  an official appointed to look to the goodness of ale and beer; also, one of the officers chosen by the liverymen of London to inspect the measures used in public houses (but the office is a sinecure)  [also called aletaster]

alembic

[fr. Gk ambix spouted cup, cap of a still]  an apparatus formerly used in distilling; also fig.

alembicate

[fr. prev. < Gk ambix + Eng. -ate]

to distill as if by passing through an alembic: refine to an essence; by extension, to over-refine

alembication

distillation; overrefinement, precosity

alethiology

[from Gk alethia, truth + -logy]  the doctrine of truth, that part of logic which treats of truth

algid

[fr. L. algere, to feel cold]  cold, chilly

algolagnia

[NL]  a perversion (as sadism or masochism) characterized by pleasure and especially sexual gratification in inflicting or suffering pain

algophilia

[NL]  a morbid pleasure in inflicting or suffering pain

algophobia

[NL] a morbid fear of pain

algorism

[ad. mL., fr. Arab. al-Khuwarizmi (Arab mathematician)]  

the Arabic, or decimal system of numeration; hence, arithmetic

(to be confused with, ultimately the source of, algorithm)

alieniloquy

[ad. mL. alieniloquium, fr. alien-us foreign + loqui to speak]  a talking wide of the purpose, or not to the matter at hand

alkahest

[NL alchahest]  the universal solvent sought by alchemists

allegresse

[F.] joy, gladsomeness

alliaceous

[fr. L. allium, garlic]  /a lee A shus/  having the smell or taste of garlic or onions

allochiria

[NL < Gk allo- other + cheir hand]  a condition in which a sensation is referred to a point other than the true one (esp. the corresponding point on the other side of the body)

allopoiesis

the process whereby an organization produces something other than itself (compare autopoiesis)

alogism

[fr. L. alogia, unreasonableness]  illogical statement; absurdity

alopecia

[L. < Gk alo pekia]  loss of hair: baldness

alpenglow

[fr. G. Alpenglühen, Alps glow]  a reddish glow seen near sunset or sunrise on the summits of mountains

altercate

[fr. L. altercari, to dispute or wrangle]  /ALL tur kate/

to dispute with zeal: wrangle

alterity

[fr. F. altérité]  /al TER ity/

the state of being other or different; diversity, otherness

altisonant

[fr. L. altus, high + sonare, to sound]  /al TIS oh nant/

archaic   lofty or pompous: high-sounding; loud

altitudinarian

[fr. altitude, after latitudinarian]  aspiring to great heights

amanuensis

[L.]  one employed to take dictation or to copy manuscript

amaranthine

[fr. Gk amarantos, immortal]  undying, everlasting, unfading

ambagious

[fr. L. ambagiosus]  archaic  1) roundabout, circuitous 2) periphrastic 3) devious

ambergris

a waxy substance found floating in or on the shores of tropical waters, believed to originate in the intestines of the sperm whale, and used in perfumery as a fixative

ambilevous

[fr. L. ambi- both + lævus, left]  left-handed on both sides, as it were: ambisinistrous

ambisinister

[fr. L. ambi- both + sinister, on the left side]

clumsy (or incompetent) with both hands; with two left hands

ambisinistrous

clumsy, maladroit (the opposite of ambidextrous): ambilævous

ambit

[fr. L. ambire, to go round]

1) a circuit, compass, or circumference

2) esp. a space surrounding a house, castle, town, etc.; the precincts, liberties, verge

3) the confines, bounds, limits of a district

4) fig. sphere of influence; scope

ambsace

snake eyes dice roll; bad luck; smallest amount or most worthless thing

amitate

[fr. L. amita, paternal aunt + Eng. -ate]

1) a special relationship obtaining among some peoples between a niece and her paternal aunt

2) the authority of a woman over her brother's children and the rights and responsibilities associated therewith--compare avunculate

ampelography

[fr. Gk ampelos, vine] the study of grapevines (wine)

amphibolous

[fr. Gk amphibolos]  1) obs.  ambiguous; doubtful  2) Logic  capable of two meanings

amphigory

[F. amphigouri]  nonsense writing, usu. in verse

amphoric

[fr. L. amphora + -icus]  having a hollow sound as if produced by blowing across the mouth of a bottle

amplexus

[L.] Zool.  the mating embrace of frogs and toads

ampullosity

[fr. mL. ampullos-us + -ity]  rare  swollen or pretentious inanity; turgidity of language, bombast

amurcous

[fr. L. amurca, lees of oil + -ous]  stinking; filled with dregs

amuse-bouche

[F., literally, (that which) entertains (the) mouth]  /ah moo(z) boosh/

a small complimentary appetizer offered at some restaurants

ana

[fr. NL. -ana, collected quotations from]  a collection of memorable sayings or anecdotes of a person

anabasis

[Gk, act of going up]  1) a military advance  2) a difficult and dangerous military retreat

anabatic

[fr. Late Gk anabatikos]  upward moving, rising

anacampserote

[fr. Gk anakamp-tikos, to bend back + eros, love]

a herb feigned to restore departed love; hence, something which can bring back a lost love

anachorism

nonce-word  something out of place or unsuited to its location; a geographical incongruity

anaclitic

[fr. Gk aniklitos, for reclining]  of, relating to, or characterized by the direction of love toward an object (as the mother) that satisfies nonsexual needs (as hunger)

anacoluthon

[fr. Gk anakolouthos, inconsistent]  syntactical inconsistency or incoherence within a sentence

anacreontic

[after Greek poet Anacreon]

[n] drinking song or light lyric  [adj] convivial or amatory in tone or theme

anacrisis

[fr. Gk anakrinein, to interrogate]  interrogation accompanied by torture

anacrusis

[fr. Gk anakrouein, to push back, begin a song]  an upbeat, specif: one or more notes preceding the first downbeat of a musical measure

anadiplosis

[fr. Gk anadiploun to double, reduplicate]  the repetition of a prominent (usu. last) word in one phrase at the beginning of the next, often with extended or altered meaning.

anadromous

[fr. Gk anadramein, to run upward]  ascending rivers from the sea for breeding  (compare catadromous)

salmon are anadromous

anagapesis

[fr. Gk agapésis, affection + an- not, without, wanting]  

/an eh gap EE sis/  rare  a loss of feelings for one formerly loved

anagogy

[from Gk anagoge]  (also anagoge)  /an uh GOH jee/  

mystical interpretation of words (esp. Scripture)

analects

[fr. Gk analegein, to collect]  selected miscellaneous written passages

analemma

a plot of the position of the sun in the sky at a certain time of day (as noon) at one locale measured at regular intervals throughout the year that has the shape of a figure 8

analogiverous

[fr. analogy + L. -vorus < vorare, to devour]  /analo JIV orous/

rare  craving analogies or parallels(?)

anamorphose

[see next]  rare  to represent by anamorphosis; to distort into a monstrous projection

anamorphosis

[fr. Gk anamorphoun, to transform]  a distorted image (unless viewed in a special manner)

anaphora

[Gk, act of carrying up]  repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences or verses especially for rhetorical or poetic effect

we cannot dedicate -- we cannot cannot consecrate -- we cannot hallow -- this ground

anaptyxis

[Gk, unfolding]  the development of a vowel between two consonants (see epenthesis)

anastrophe

[Gk, turning back]  inversion of the usual syntactical order of words for rhetorical effect

anathematize

[fr. Gk anathema, something devoted to evil]  to pronounce a curse upon, to denounce: execrate

anatidaephobia

nonce-word  the fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you [coined by Gary Larson, The Far Side]

anchorite

[Gk anachoretes]  one who lives in seclusion usually for religious reasons

anecdotage

[anecdote + -age] or [anecdote + dotage]

1) anecdotes collectively  2) facetious  garrulous old age  Grandfather is in his anecdotage.

anemocracy

nonce-word  government by the wind

anencephalic

[Gk anenkephalos, having no brain]  /an en ce PHAL ic/

characterized by partial or total absence of the brain

anfractuous

[LL anfractuosus]  full of twists and turns; winding

anile

[fr L. anilis]  of, relating to, or suggesting a doddering old woman

animadversion

[fr L. animadversus]  hostile criticism; critical or censorious remark

animadvert

[from L. animus, mind + advertere, to turn to]

1) to take notice; to observe

2) to consider or remark by way of criticism or censure; to express censure (usu. with on or upon)

animus

1) basic attitude or governing spirit : disposition, intention

2) a usually prejudiced and often spiteful or malevolent ill will

3) an inner masculine part of the female personality in the analytic psychology of C. G. Jung

annomination

[F. < L. agnomination-em]  paronomasia

annosity

[fr. L. annosus, full of years]  fullness of years, length of life; agedness

anodyne

[Gk anodynos]  serving to assuage pain; a drug that allays pain; something that soothes

anoetic

[a + noetic (Gk noetos, to perceive)]  unthinkable

anomia

[fr a- + L. nomen, name]  Path.  (a form of aphasia) a difficulty in finding the right words or the inability to remember names

anomie

[fr. Gk anomia, lawlessness]  a state of being characterized by disorientation, anxiety and isolation

anonymuncule

obs.  an insignificant anonymous writer

anophelosis

[possibly from Gk anopheles  useless, hurtful]  a morbid state brought about by extreme frustration

anserine

characteristic of a goose; silly

Antaean

[fr. Antaeus, a giant overcome by Hercules, whose strength was renewed by contact with the earth]  /an TEE en/

1) of very great size: mammoth  2) possessed of superhuman strength with suggestions of earthiness

antediluvian

before the Flood

antejentacular

[fr. L. ante-, before + jentacul-um, breakfast]

archaic  before breakfast  (compare postprandial)

antelucan

[fr. L. ante, before + lux, light]  of or pertaining to the hours just before dawn

antemosaic

being before the time of Moses

antemundane

[fr. ante- + mundus, world; after mundane < L. mundanus, belonging to the world]

existing or occurring before the creation of the world

antepenultimate

before the next to the last  (compare penultimate)

anthimeria

[fr. Gk anthos, flower + meros, part; “the term carries with it the idea of ‘flowerizing’ or ‘making decorative’”]

the substitution of one part of speech for another; typically a noun used as a verb -- also known as (and for example) "verbing a noun"

anthropic

of or relating to human beings or the period of their existence on earth

anthropometry

/an thruh POM i tree/  the study of human body measurement for use in anthropological classification and comparison  (the measure of a man :)

anthropophagous

[L. anthropophagus]  /æn thruh POH fag us/  man-eating; feeding on human flesh

anthropophuism

the ascription of human nature to God or to the gods

antientropic

[anti- + entropy]  tending towards order (as of man's intellectual power)

antigodlin

[origin unknown]  also antigoglin  U.S. dialect (Midl., SW)

[adj] lopsided, out of line: askew  [adv] at an angle; crosswise, diagonal(ly)

he went antigodlin across the field

antimacassar

a cover to protect the back or arms of furniture

antinomian

1) one who holds that moral law is of no use because faith alone is necessary to salvation

2) one who rejects a socially established morality

antinomy

[fr. Gk antinomia, < anti- + nomos, law]  /an TIN uh me/

1) opposition between two laws or rules  2) a contradiction between principles or conclusions; a paradox

antipodal

situated at the opposite side of the earth or moon; diametrically opposed

antiscian

[fr. Gk anti, opposite + skia, shadow]  /an TISH iun/

pertaining to those who live on the same meridian, but on the opposite side of the equator, so that their shadows at noon fall in opposite directions

antithalian

[from anti- + Thalia, the Muse of Comedy]  /anti THA lian)/

disapproving of festivity and laughter

antumbra

[L. umbra, shadow + ant-, against]

the so-called "negative" shadow of the Moon that appears when the Moon is on the far side of its orbit and its umbral shadow is not long enough to reach Earth

antumbral

referring to an antumbra

aperient

gently moving the bowels: laxative

aphasia

inability to use or comprehend words

apocatastasis

the state of being restored or reestablished: restitution

apocolocyntosis

pumpkinification (apotheosis); extravagant or absurdly uncritical glorification

apodictic

[fr. Gk apodeiktos, demonstrable]  evident beyond contradiction; expressing absolute certainty

apodysophilia

[fr .Gk apodyein, to strip off + -philia]  exhibitionism

apodysophiliac

an exhibitionist

apogenous

loss of reproductive function

apolaustic

[Gk apolaustikos, devoted to enjoyment]  /ap uh LOS tik/

devoted to seeking enjoyment; self-indulgent

apopemptic

[fr. Gk apopemptikos, to send away]  /ap uh PEMP tic/  pertaining to dismissal; valedictory  

apophasis

a figure of speech which alludes to something specific by denying that it will be mentioned

(e.g., "I won't mention the fact that Representative Smith has been supporting three children from adulterous relationships.")  [compare paraleipsis]

apophenia

the spontaneous perception of connections and meaningfulness in unrelated things; seeing patterns where none, in fact, exist

apophoret

obs.  a new year's gift

aporia

rhetorical device of pretending not to know what to do or say; passage expressing a doubt or difficulty; e.g., Hamlet's to be or not to be soliloquy

aposiopesis

leaving a thought incomplete

apostasy

defection

apostrophize

[fr. Gk apostrophein, to turn away]   /uh PAS truh fize/

1) (vt) to address an absent person or a usually personified thing rhetorically; i.e. to address by apostrophe  (Carlyle's O Liberty, what things are done in thy name! is an example of apostrophe)

2) (vi) to make use of an apostrophe (')

apotelesm

1) obs.  fulfillment; result

2) in astrology, the casting of a horoscope

apothegm

a short, pithy and instructive saying or formulation: aphorism; also apopthegm

apothegmatic

[fr. Gk apophthegmatikos, sententious]  /apeh THEG mad ik/  also apophthegmatic

relating to or characteristic of apothegms; sententious; pithy

hence, apothegmatical (and apophthegmatical)

apotheosis

deification; quintessence

apotropaic

/a pa trO PAY ic/  designed to avert evil

appellatived

having an appellative: named

appropinquate

to come near to; to approach

apricate

[fr. L. apricari, to bask in the sun]  /AE pri kate/

archaic, rare  to bask in the sun; to expose to sunlight

aprication

basking in the sun

apricity

[fr. L. apricus, exposed to the sun]  obs. rare

warmth in the sun, sunshine {N. Bailey, 1731}

the warmness of the sun in winter {Cockeram, 1623}

aponeer

[fr. OF. naperon + Eng. -eer]  UK, obs.  a shopkeeper or tradesman

aprosexia

Medical  an abnormal inability to focus one's attention

apteral

[fr. Gk apteros, wingless]

archaic  having no columns along the sides; used especially of a classical temple  

aptronym

a name that is aptly suited to its owner

aptyalism

[fr. a- + Gk ptuelismos, salivation]  /A TIE uh liz um/

absence of or deficiency in secretion of saliva  (cf. ptyalism for excessive flow)

arachibutyrophobia

the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth

arborescent

[L] 1) approaching the size of a tree  2) branching like a tree

arcadian

idyllically pastoral; especially: idyllically innocent, simple, or untroubled

archimage

[Gk archimagos]  (also archimagus)  /AR kuh maje/

a great magician, wizard, or enchanter

archon

chief magistrate in ancient Athens; presiding officer

arcology

the fusion of architecture with ecology

arctophilist (arctophile)

a collector of teddy bears

arctophily

the collecting of teddy bears

arghness

[fr. argh (Teut. : cowardly, pusillanimous, timid, fearful) + -ness]

obs.  cowardice, pusillanimity, timidity

argle-bargle

(also argy-bargy) disputatious argument, bandying of words, wrangling  [chiefly Brit., from argue and by reduplication]

argutation

obs.  cavilling, cavil, quibble; subtle disputation

aristology

the science of dining

armil

[see next]  1) bracelet

2) an ancient astronomical instrument for determining equinoxes and solstices by the shadows cast by the sun

armillary

[fr. L. armilla, bracelet, iron ring]  [adj] of or pertaining to bracelets or hoops;  [n] an armillary sphere

armillary sphere

a skeleton celestial globe or sphere, consisting merely of metal rings or hoops representing the equator, ecliptic, tropics, arctic and antarctic circles, and colures, revolving on an axis

aroint

[origin unknown]  archaic

verb imperative: begone, used with reflexive thee

aroint thee, witch - Shakespeare

vt: to drive away by or as if by an exclamation or curse

arrant

thoroughgoing, confirmed; notoriously or outstandingly bad

(compare errant)

arras

1) a wall hanging or tapestry  2) a curtain or wall hanging, esp. one of Flemish origin

arreptitious

obs.  1) liable to raptures, ecstatic, frantic, mad

2) characterized by having been hastily seized or caught up; hasty, hurried

arriviste

/air e VEEST/ one who is bent on arriving; i.e., on making a good position for himself in the world; a pushy or ambitious person  cf. parvenu

arsis

the accented or longer part of a poetic foot; the point where an ictus is put

arudshield

[?] "the velvet-covered razor," an elegant, logical, theoretical technique for cutting through cant to truth, celebrating the simplest explanation among a panoply of complexities or obfuscations, and resembling Ockham's razor - Madeleine Cosman's Medieval Wordbook (1996)

ascian

one without a shadow -- applied to the inhabitants of the torrid zone, where the sun is vertical at noon for a few days every year

askesis

asceticism

asomatous

incorporeal, immaterial

assentation

[fr. L. assentari, to agree with]  ready assent especially when insincerely or obsequiously given

asseveration

an earnest affirmation

assiduous

diligent; persistent

asteism

Rhet.   genteel irony, polite and ingenious mockery;

a... handsome way of deriding another - Chambers

astucious

[F. astucieux, fr. L. astutus, astute]  /as TU cious/

archaic  subtle; cunning; astute

asyndeton

[fr. Gk asyndetos, unconnected]  /ah SIN deh tahn/

Rhet.  a figure which omits the conjunctions that ordinarily join coordinate words or clauses

e.g., I came, I saw, I conquered

ataraxia

[ad. Gk, impassiveness]  /ad eh RAK see eh/  also ataraxy

calmness untroubled by emotional disquiet: intellectual detachment, imperturbability; perfect peace of mind

atavism

throwback; recurrence due to genetic recombination

athanasia

immortality, deathlessness

athanor

[ad. Arab. attannur, the furnace]  /ATH en or/

also, formerly, athenor

an alchemist's furnace designed to maintain uniform heat

atman

the supreme universal self

atrabilious

melancholy or morose; hypochondriac

aubade

a song or poem greeting the dawn or about lovers parting at dawn

au fait

[F.] in adv. phrase  being well instructed in, thoroughly conversant with, expert or skillful in

augean

extremely formidable or difficult and occasionally distasteful

cleaning the Augean stables was one of the labors of Hercules; thus, an Augean task

aurification

working on or with gold; turning into gold (see next)

aurify

[fr. L. aurum, gold + -fy]  to turn into gold

aurivorous

[fr. L. aurum, gold + vorare, to devour]  /au-RI-ver-us/  gold-devouring, feeding on gold

auspicate

[from L. auspex, bird augur] 1) archaic  to indicate in advance as though by an omen: portend, auger

2) to begin or inaugurate with a ceremony intended to bring good luck

auspicating the trip with a cocktail

autarchic

marked by autocratic rule

autarchy

absolute sovereignty

autarkic

self-sufficient

autarky

self-sufficiency, independence; specif: national economic independence

autochthon

one sprung from the ground he inhabits, aborigine , native

autodidact

a self-taught person

autological

[fr. Gk autos, self + logos, word]  self-descriptive, self-referential

used to refer to words such as polysyllabic, English, pronounceable, common, olde, noun, word  (compare heterological)

automagically

[blend of automatic + magically]  /aw toh MAJ i klee/

now chiefly computer jargon  automatically, esp. in a way that seems ingenious or inexplicable; as if by magic

autopisty

[fr. Gk autopistos, credible in itself]  /AU teu pis ty/  rare  self-authentication

autopoiesis

the process whereby an organization produces itself; literally, self-production (not to be confused with allopoiesis)

"an example of autopoiesis is a cell or an organism; allopoiesis is exemplified by an assembly line." - from Klaus Krippendorff's Dictionary of Cybernetics

autopoietic

"it runs by itself" - Alan Wolfe; cf. poietic

autoschediastic

impromptu, offhand, slight, hasty, not fully considered

autotelic

having a purpose in and not apart from itself; intrinsically rewarding

autopisty

[fr. Gk autos, self + pistos, to be trusted]  self-authentication

avernal

[fr. L. Avernalis, of Avernus, a lake near Pozzouli, Italy (now Lago Averno); reputed bacause of its depth and stench to lead to the underworld]  (also avernian)  /ah-VERN-ul/ or /ah-VER-nee-un/

infernal, chthonic

averruncator

an instrument (on a pole) for pruning trees

avidulous

[diminutive fr. L.]  obs.  somewhat greedy  

avolate

[fr. L. avolare, to fly off or away]

obs.   to fly away, escape, exhale, evaporate

avuncular

suggestive of an uncle, esp in kindliness or geniality

avunculate

[ab L. avunculus]

1) a special relationship obtaining among some tribal peoples between a nephew and his maternal uncle

2) authority of a man over his sister's family affairs but especially over her children and the reciprocal rights and responsibilities associated therewith--compare amitate

aweless (also awless)

1) without dread; fearless, undaunted, unappalled

2) without awe; irreverent, presumptuous, rude

3) obs.  that inspires no awe

axiopisty

[fr. Gk axio-pistos < axios, worthy + pistos, to be trusted]  /aks ee AH pih stee/

obs. rare  the quality that makes something believable: trustworthiness

B

babblative

given to babbling; prattling, prating, loquacious

bablatrice

nonce-word  a female babbler

babliaminy

nonce-word  a babbler

backwardation

Commerce  postponement by seller of delivery of stock; premium paid to buyer for such postponement; compare contango

baculus

a staff (as of a bishop)

bada-bing

also: bada-bing, bada-boom  [imitative of a rimshot(?)]

exclamation to emphasize that something will happen effortlessly and predictably

badaud

[F., an onlooker, gawker] a gawker  C'est un franc badaud

badinage

a playful repartee; banter

badmash

[ fr. Urdu]  a bad character; a worthless person

badot

[ad. F. badaud gaping fool, idler]  /ba DOH/  obs. rare  silly  (cf. badaud)

bafflegab

slang  official or professional jargon which confuses more than it clarifies: gobbledegook

baggagery

[fr. a now obs. sense of baggage: rubbish, refuse]

obs. rare  worthless rabble; the offscourings of society; cf. savagery

bagnio

[It. bagno, literally, public baths]  /BAN yo/  

1) a brothel  2) obs.  a prison  3) obs.  a public bathhouse

bahookie

[alteration of behind(?)]  /buh HOO kee/  Scot. colloq., humorous  the buttocks

bailiwick

[fr. bailiff + ME wik, town]  /BAY leh wik/

1) a person's specific area of interest, skill or authority

2) the office or jurisdiction of a bailiff

balaclava

a knit hat which covers the head and neck

balatron

[ad. L. balatron-em, babbler, prater, buffoon]

obs. rare  a joker, a clown; esp. one who babbles

balatronic

of or pertaining to buffoons

baldachin

a rich embroidered fabric of silk and gold; a cloth canopy fixed or carried over a VIP

baldric

an often ornamental belt worn over one shoulder to support a sword or bugle

ballhooter

a lumberjack who rolls logs down a hill

ballicatter

[Newf.]  a ridge of ice formed along the (ocean) shoreline by waves and freezing spray

ballycumber

[neologism, from the British place name]

one of the six half-read books lying somewhere in your bed - Douglas Adams & John Lloyd

balneary

[fr. L. balneum, bath]  /BAL nee er ee/  (also balneal)

of or relating to a bath, bathing, or a bathroom

balneology

the science of the therapeutic use of baths

balter

[prob. fr. ON]  obs. 1) to tread clumsily, to tumble about  2) to stick together

baltering

[fr. balter]  tumbling  

The baltering torrent Shrunk to a soodling thread. - Auden

banausic

relating to or concerned with earning a living -- used pejoratively

contempt for the banausic occupations - T. S. Eliot

also: utilitarian, practical

such mundane and banausic considerations as comfort and durability - G. B. Boyer

banjax

Anglo-Ir. slang  to batter or destroy (a person or thing); to ruin; to confound, stymie

banting

[after William Banting, 19th century English undertaker and dietitian]

a method of dieting for obesity by avoiding sweets and carbohydrates; used humorously by extension

also, vb. to bant, bangtingism, etc.

bantling

[prob. a corruption of G. bänkling, a bastard]

a baby, a very young child; (sometimes used contemptuously) a brat

barathrum

[L., from Gk, a pit, gulf] a) a deep pit at Athens, into which condemned criminals were thrown

b) the abyss, hell  c) an insatiable extortioner or glutton

barbican

an outer defensive work; esp a tower at a gate or bridge

bardo

[Tibetan, literally, between two]  /BAR dO/

Lamaism  the intermediate or astral state of the soul after death and before rebirth

bardolater

a worshipper of the Bard

bardolatrous

tending to or characterized by bardolatry

bardolatry

the worship of Shakespeare

barfulous

jocular  said of something that would make anyone barf, if only for aesthetic reasons

bargee

bargeman

barghest

a goblin in English folklore

barlafumble

[fr. parley, call for truce + ?]  Scot. obs.

a call for a truce by one who has fallen in fighting or play; a request for a time out

Barmecidal

providing only the illusion of abundance

[from Barmecide, a wealthy Persian, who invited a beggar to a feast of imaginary food in a tale of The Arabian Nights' Entertainments]

barmecide

[adj] illusory, imaginary; such as to disappoint

[n] a giver of benefits that are illusory or disappointing

barrack

Brit.  to shout at derisively or sarcastically

barracoon

an enclosure or barrack formerly used for temporary confinement of slaves or convicts

barratry

1) the purchase or sale of ecclesiastical preferment, or of offices of state

2) the acceptance of bribes by a judge

3) Marine Law  fraud, or gross and criminal negligence, on the part of the master or mariners of a ship, to the prejudice of the owners, and without their consent

4) the offence of habitually exciting quarrels, or moving or maintaining lawsuits; vexatious persistnace in, or incitement to, litagation

bastinado

a beating with a stick or cudgel

bathetic

characterized by bathos

bathycolpian

[fr. Gk bathukolpos]  (also bathukolpian) deep-bosomed

bathysiderodrophobia

the fear of subways, undergrounds or metros

batophobia

an abnormal fear of being near an object of great height, such as a skyscraper or mountain

batrachian

[fr. Gk batrachos, frog]  /buh TREY kee uhn/  relating to tailless amphibians, esp. frogs and toads

batrachomyomachia

[fr. the name of a mock heroic Gk poem, which means "the battle of the frogs and mice"]

/ba TRAK o MY o makia/  a storm in a puddle; much ado about nothing

battledore

a badminton racket

battology

a needless repetition of words in speaking or writing

bavardage

[F.]  /ba va(r) DAZH/  small talk, chitchat

bavin

[origin unknown]  /BAV un/

Brit.  a bundle of brushwood or kindling used for fuel; by extension applied contemptuously to anything worthless

bayard

[fr. bayard, a bay-colored horse]  /BAY urd/  Bold as blind Bayard.. - ancient proberb

obs.  one who has the self-confidence of ignorance  

bdellometer

a mechanical leech, for the purpose of leeching blood

bdellotomy

 [fr. Gk bdella, leech]  /de LOT eh my/

the surgical application of leeches; the practice of cutting leeches to empty them of blood while they continue to suck

beadle

a minor parish official whose duties include ushering and preserving order

bebeloglyphic

(Alexander Theroux nonce-word?)  profane, unholy writing  

...the words themselves sank down into the ink crimped paper and perversely seemed to have an existence only on the other side of the page: a bebeloglyphic of revolt and refusal, backwards in dead black.

bebother

(coined by Tolkien in The Hobbit)  bother about  Confusticate and bebother those dwarves!

bedizen

to dress or adorn with gaudy finery or vulgarity

beldam

an old woman, esp an ugly one: hag

belles lettres

light, entertaining and often sophisticated literature

belletristic

of or concerned with belles lettres

bellibone

[fr. F. belle et bonne]  obs.  a woman excelling both in beauty and goodness; a fair maid

Beltane

the Celtic May Day festival, marked by the lighting of bonfires and the performance of various rites of purification  (see also Samhain, Imbolc and Lughnasadh/Lammas)

benison

blessing, benediction

benthos

organisms that live at or near the bottom of the sea

besom

broom, esp one made of twigs

bespoke

1) custom-made   2) making or selling custom-made clothes: a bespoke tailor

bêtise

[F., from bête, beast, fool, foolish]  /bay TEZE/

1) a stupid or foolish act or remark  2) studpidity; folly

bevan

[from the name Bevan(?)]  (see also: bogan, westie)

Aust. dial.  a loutish, unfashionable male; someone of the working class or from the wrong side of town who wears ugg (thick sheepskin) boots and flannel shirts, drives a panel van and listens to heavy rock

bevue

[F., blunder]  /bay voo/  inadvertent error

bewray

[fr. ME bewreien, fr. be- + wreyen: to accuse, inform on, from OE wregan; ultimately fr. Gothic wrohjan: to accuse]

archaic

1) to make known : divulge, disclose; esp. to reveal (as a secret) to one's disadvantage often unintentionally

2) to reveal the true character of

bezonian

a low fellow or scoundrel

bibelot

a small household ornament or decorative object: knickknack  (see also tchotchke)

bibliobibuli

people who read too much and so are generally oblivious to the world around them - coined by H.L. Mencken

biblioclasm

[f. biblio- + Gk klasmos, breaking]  /BIB lee uh klaez um/  /BIB lee uh klast/

destruction of books, or of the Bible

biblioclast

a destroyer of books, or of the Bible; hence biblioclastic  (little more than nonce-words)

bibliomania

[fr. Gk biblio-, book + mania, madness]

a rage for collecting and possessing books; thus, bibliomaniac and bibliomaniacal

bibliophagist  (bibliophage)

[fr. biblio-, book + Gk phagos, devouring]  /bi BLI uh FA jist/  

a devourer of books: bookworm

bibliothec

[fr. L. bibliotheca, collection of books, library]  /BIB li o thec/

[n] a librarian   [adj] belonging to a library or a librarian

bibliothecarial

of or relating to a library

bibulous

highly absorbent; inclined to drink; of or relating to drink or drinking

bildungsroman

psychological novel dealing with the early moral delvelopment of the protagonist

billet-doux

[F.] love letter

billingsgate

coarsely abusive language

bimanous

[fr. L. bimanus or F. bimane]  /BI meh nehs/  

having two hands: two-handed  (also bimanal)

bimillenary

1) a span of 2,000 years

2) a 2,000th anniversary

bindlestiff

a tramp who carries a bundle of possessions or a bedroll

biro

[named after László József Biró (1899-1985), Hungarian inventor of the ballpoint]

Brit. trademark  a kind of ballpoint pen  (cf. BIC ballpoint)

bissextile

relating to the extra day in a leapyear (the second sixth day)

bitt

1) a post or pair of posts on the deck of a ship for securing lines

2) a post of metal or wood on a wharf around which to fasten lines: bollard

bizarrerie

[F.]  /buh ZAR uh REE/  1) a bizarre quality  2) something bizarre

blackleg

scab

blague

[F.]  /blag/

[n] humbug, claptrap, raillery

[vi] to talk pretentiously and usually inaccurately: lie boastfully

blandiloquence

mildly flattering talk

blandishment

something that tends to coax or cajole: allurement

blatherskite

a blustering, talkative fellow

blatterer

[L blaterare to prate, babble]

dialect  one who blatters; a babbler; a noisy, blustering boaster

he blattered along and managed to inquire about pretty much everybody - Mark Twain

also blatteration - a blattering

blatteroon

a constant talker, one afflicted with logorrhea

bleezed

a little flustered, as by drink [Jamieson]

bleezy

Scot.  affected in the eyes, as by alcohol

blennophobia

a morbid fear of slime

bletcherous

neologism  disgusting in design or function; esthetically unappealing (seldom used of people)

bletherskate

Scot.  blatherskite: a BSer

bling-bling

[taken from gangsta rap]  (or bling) expensive jewelry and other accoutrements

blooter

[origin uncertain]  UK, Scot.

[n] 1) a hard and usu. wild kick of a ball; also fig.  2) a fool, an oaf, a bumbler; a babbler

[v] to do something to excess; to blunder or babble  e.g., to hit with force; to smash, to kick a football extremely hard or wildly; to drink heavily

bloviate

to orate verbosely or windily

bluey

Austral.  a swagman's bundle of personal effects

also, for no accountable reason, a red-headed man

blunderkin

[fr. blunder(er) + -kin]

obs. rare  a blundering fellow, a muddlepate

bo

fellow; pal, buddy

boak

chiefly Scot.  (also bolk)

[v] to belch; to vomit  [n] a belch, an eructation

boanthropy

the delusion that one is an ox

boation

a crying; a roaring; a bellowing

bobbasheely

[fr. Choctaw itibapishily, my brother with whom I was suckled]

U.S. dialect (Gulf States)  /?/

[n] a very close friend, chum  [v] associate with someone in a friendly fashion

Bob's your uncle

[origin uncertain]  UK interj.  used to show the simplicity of something; there you are

bodewash

buffalo chips (or cow dung), esp. when burned as fuel

bodger

Brit. dial. [n] a chair-leg turner

Austral. slang  [adj] inferior, worthless; (of names) false, assumed

bodgery

[fr. bodger < bodge, var. of botch]

rare (pre-web, that is)  botched work, bungling

bodkin

[Middle English bodekin]  dagger, stiletto; blunt needle

boeotian

/bee O shun/  a dull, obtuse person

The ancient Boetians loved agricultural and pastoral pursuits, so the Athenians said they were as dull and thick as their own atmosphere.

boffin

Brit.  a scientific expert; esp. one involved in technological research

bogart

 /BOE gard/  U.S. slang  to selfishly take or keep something; hog  Don't Bogart that joint!

bogatyr

a medieval Russian heroic warrior, akin to Western European knight errant

boggard

(also boggart)  /BOG gehd/ or /BOG geht/

Brit.  a spectre, goblin, or bogy; in dialectal use, esp. a local goblin or sprite supposed to haunt a particular gloomy spot, or scene of violence

bogometer

/bog OM eter/  a conversational device used for the rhetorical measurement of bogosity

bogosity

/bog OS ity/  jargon  the degree to which something is bogus (i.e., bad)

bollard

1) a post of metal or wood on a wharf around which to fasten lines

2) a post or pair of posts on the deck of a ship for securing lines: bitt

bolus

a large pill; a soft rounded mass of chewed food

bombination

buzzing, droning

bonfire night

[bonfire, fr. bone + fire = fire of bones, + night]

UK, usu. capitalized  a night on which bonfires are lit in celebration; specif. Guy Fawkes night, November 5th

bonking

cycling jargon  when endurance cyclists have used every ounce of fuel in their bodies and cannot continue

bonnibel

[possibly fr. F. bonne et belle]  archaic  fair maid, bonny lass  cf. the equivalent bellibone

boniface

the proprietor of a hotel, nightclub or restaurant: innkeeper

boobocracy

government by boobs

booboisie

/boob wa ZEE/  boobs as a class; the general public regarded as consisting of boobies

boohai

/boo-HAI/  NZ  an out of the way, remote or non-existent place; often in up the boohai to mean lost, or up the boohai shooting pukakas meaning lost, possibly in the head

boojum

[coined by Lewis Carroll, see The Hunting of the Snark]

an imaginary animal, a particularly dangerous kind of snark;

also fig. The dreadful Boojum of Nothingness. - W. H. Auden

borak

[fr. Ab. (Wathawurung) burag]  /boraek/  also borac(k), borax

Austral. and NZ slang  nonsense, humbug; banter; esp. in phr. to poke (the) borak, to make or poke fun (see also, taking the mickey)

The old boy had been poking borak at him about anthropology... -Herbert (1975)

borasco

[Sp. borrasca]  /bo ROS ca/  (also borasca)

a squall often attended with a thunderstorm occurring especially in the Mediterranean

borborology

[fr. Gk borboros, filth + -logia, discoursing]  rare  filthy talk

borborygmic

[fr. Gk borborugmos, intestinal rumbling]  relating to intestinal rumbling caused by moving gas

boreal

related to northern regions

Bork

[an eponym from Judge Robert Bork]  U.S. political slang  to defame or vilify (a person) systematically, esp. in the mass media, usu. with the aim of preventing his or her appointment to public office; to obstruct or thwart (a person) in this way

bosky

having abundant trees or shrubs; of or relating to a woods

bosthoon

Irish  an awkward fellow; a tactless, senseless person: boor, dolt

bouleversement

[F. fr. OF bouleverser, to overturn]  /boole VER suh MA(n/

1) a violent disturbance; tumult  2) a turning upsidedown: reversal

bouquiniste

[F., fr. bouquin, old book]  /bukeeneest/  (also, the anglicized bouquinist)

a dealer in secondhand books

bourse

exchange, specif: a European stock exchange

boustrophedonic

having alternate lines written in opposite directions

boutade

[F.] a sudden outburst or outbreak; a caprice; a whim

bovarism

[after Madame Bovary]  (domination by) a romantic or unreal conception of oneself: conceit

bovaristic

conceited

boxology

[box + -ology, science or discipline of]

1) a hierarchical presentation of software-architecture using boxes and arrows

2) pejoratively  reduction of a scientific hypothesis to a series of boxes connected by arrows in lieu of a definitive exposition of the hypothesis referencing careful studies

brabble

squabble

brandophilist

a collector of cigar bands

brannigan

a drinking spree; a noisy altercation or quarrel

brassica

[L., cabbage]  /BRASS ikuh/

plants of the mustard family, including cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and turnip

breviloquence

brief but effective speech

breviloquent

characterized by breviloquence

bricolage

[F. < bricoler, to putter about]  /BREE ko LAZH/

construction achieved by using whatever comes to hand; also, something constructed in this way

bricolé

1) bank shot, rebound

2) harness for moving armaments

bricoleur

[F., handy-man] someone who continually invents his own strategies for comprehending reality

brimborion

[F.] a thing without value or use; trash, nonsense

brisance

the shattering or crushing effect of an explosion

brobdingnagian

on a giant scale

bromidrosis (or bromhidrosis)

the secretion of foul-smelling sweat; body odor  (also known as osmidrosis or kakidrosis)

brumal

indicative of or occurring in the winter

brumalia

a pagan festival held at the winter solstice from which some features of the celebration of Christmas seem to have originated

brummagem

[alteration of Birmingham, Eng. (fr. the counterfeit coins made there in the 17th C.]  showy and cheap; meretricious

brumous

[fr. F. brume, fog]  /BREW mus/  foggy, misty

brusquerie

[F.] abruptness of manner

brutter

ballhooter

bugbear

an object or source of dread

bulbitate

obs.  to befoul one's trousers {'to befilth one's breech' - Cockerham}

bullyrag

intimidate by bullying; badger

bumbledom

[from Bumble, a parish beadle in Oliver Twist]  the actions and mannerisms of pompous but inefficient government officials

bumblepuppy

1a) the old game of nine-holes  b) whist or bridge played without a system

2) a game in which a ball slung to a post is struck with a racket by each player in opposite directions, the object being to wind the string entirely around the post; also the post so used

bumf

[short for bum fodder]  Brit.  paperwork

bumfuzzle

dial.  to confuse, perplex or fluster

bundling

[fr. bundle (vi)]  traditional

a former custom of an unmarried couple's occupying the same bed without undressing, esp. during courtship

bupkis

absolutely nothing

burd-alone

obs. Scot., a rare archaism in modern poetry

also, burd-alane or burdalane

all alone; friendless  (Jamieson gives a narrower sense: 'used to denote one who is the only child left in the family')

burelage

[F.] /BUR(uh) lazh/

fine lines printed on stamp paper as protection against fraud or forgery

burke

1) to suppress quietly or indirectly {burke an inquiry}

2) bypass, avoid

bushonics

nonstandard English which features tangled syntax, mispronunciations, run-on sentences, misplaced modifiers and a wanton disregard for subject-verb agreement

bushwa

[probably a euphemism for BS]  (also bushwah)  rubbish, nonsense

busker

Brit.  one who entertains esp by singing or reciting on the street or in a pub

buxiferous

[fr. L. buxifer, box-bearing]  rare  bearing or producing box-trees (a small evergreen)

C

cabala

or cabbala or cabbalah or kabala or kabbala or kabbalah, also qabbala or qabbalah

/keh BAH leh/ or /KAH beh leh/

1) a medieval and modern system of Jewish theosophy, mysticism, and thaumaturgy marked by belief in creation through emanation and a cipher method of interpreting Scripture

2a) a traditional, esoteric, occult or secret matter  b) esoteric doctrine or mysterious art

caboosh

UK  an aggregate; usu. in the phrase the whole caboosh: all, everything, everyone

ca'canny

[fr. the Scot. verbal phrase to ca' (call) canny; to go cautiously, quietly, gently, carefully, warily -- see Burns and Scott]

moderation, caution, spec. the practice of 'going slow' at work

cacestogenous

[fr. Gk kakestos, ill-being + -genous, of or relating to origin or development]  /kak us TOJ un us/?

very rare  caused by unfavorable home environment

cachalot

a sperm whale

cachinnate

to laugh loudly or immoderately

cack-handed

[perhaps from L. cacare]

chiefly Brit.  1) left-handed; back-handed  2) awkward; clumsy

cacodaemon

[Gk kakodaimon, possessed by an evil genius]  evil spirit, devil

cacodoxy

[Gk kakodoxia, bad repute]  incorrect doctrine, heresy, heterodoxy

cacoepy

[Gk kakoepeia, bad language]  incorrect pronunciation

cacoethes

[L. (fr. Gk), bad state or habit]  /ka ke WEE theez/  an uncontrollable or insatiable desire: mania

cacoethes loquendi

[L.]  the irresistible urge to speak

cacoethes scribendi

[L.]  the irresistible urge to write

cacogen

[fr. Gk kakogenes, baseborn]  an antisocial person

cacographer

[see next]  a bad writer or speller

cacography

[as fr. Gk kako-, bad + -graphia, writing]  bad handwriting; bad spelling

cacozelia

[Gk kakozelia  unhappy imitation; affectation]  /ka ko ZEEL i a/

studied affectation in diction or style, as in a speech filled with pedantic latinisms and inkhorn terms

caduceus

symbol of the medical profession, two snakes winding around the staff of Caduceus (but see aesculapian)

caducity

[F. caducité < L. caducus, fallen]  the quality of being transitory or perishable; senility

caducous

[fr. L caducus < cadere, to fall]   /kuh DYU kus/

1) falling off easily or before the usual time

2) Law  subject to caducity: lapsed

caesura

break, interruption

cafard

[F.] severe depression or apathy; also, idiomatically, the blues

cahooting

[fr. cahoots]  conspiring, plotting

cahoots

[perhaps fr. F. cahute, cabin, hut]  collaboration, collusion

caitiff

being base, cowardly or despicable

calembour

a pun

calends

the first day of the ancient Roman month from which days were counted backwards to the Ides

caliginosity

[fr. L. caliginosus: see caliginous and -ity]  /kuh lij uh NOS i tee]

archaic  dimness of sight; darkness

caliginous

misty, dark, murky, obscure

calix

a cup; esp: an ecclesiastical chalice

callipygian

having beautiful buttocks

callithump

a noisy, boisterous mock serenade, a charivari (shivaree)

calque

loan translation: a compound/derivative/phrase that is introduced into a language from translation of the constituents of a term

caltrop

a device with four metal points so arranged so that one points upward as a hazard

calumny

the malicious uttering of false charges calculated to damage another's reputation

camarilla

a group of unofficial often secret and scheming advisors; cabal

cambist

[F. cambiste, fr. It. cambista]  one who deals in bills of exchange or who is skilled in the science and practice of exchange; a banker

cambistry

the science of exchange

camorra

a group of people united for dishonest or dishonorable ends

campanology

the art of bell ringing

canard

a false or unfounded report or story

cancrizans

[fr. ML pr. ppl. of cancrizare, to go backwards, fr. L. cancr-, cancer, crab + LL -izare -ize]

/KAE(NG) kruh zanz/

Music  having the theme or subject repeated backwards note for note; cf. crab form or crab canon

a cancrizans canon

canoodle

pet, fondle, caress

cantrip

[origin uncertain, perhaps alt. of caltrop]  1) Scot.  a magic spell, a witch's trick  

2) chiefly British  a deceptive move; a sham

3) Fantasy  a spell associated with words (somatic), as opposed to a spell associated with a hand gesture

capelocracy

the shopkeeping interest, or class

capernoited

[perhaps from capernaite (a believer in transubstantiation)]  /KAP er noi ted/

Scot.  1) crabbed, peevish  2) muddleheaded, tipsy

caponier

[a. F. caponnière, ad. Sp. caponera in same sense]  /kae peh NIE(r)/?

a covered passage across a moat or ditch

caracole

1) a half-turn in dressage  2) a spiral staircase

caravanserai

an inn where caravans rest at night; usually a large bare building surrounded by a court

carfax

Brit.  a junction where four or more roads converge

carious

[ab. L. cariosus]  /KAR ee us/  decaying, rotten (with dry rot)

cark

[ME carke to load, burden] worry; trouble, distress

carker

a whining, troublesome child

carking

burdensome, annoying

carlot

a peasant, in the pejorative sense

And he hath bought the cottage and the bounds

That the old carlot once was master of.

   -Shakespeare, As You Like It

carminative

expelling gas from the alimentary canal so as to relieve colic

carnac

an elephant driver, a mahout

carnaptious

[fr. Sc. knap, to bite]  /ka(r) NAP shus/

Scots & Irish dial.  bad-tempered, irritable, grumpy

carneous

[from L. carneus]  obs.  1) consisting of flesh, fleshy  2) flesh-colored, pale red: incarnadine

carnifex

an executioner, esp. the public executioner in ancient Rome

carnous

fleshy, pulpy (of fruits or roots)

carrefour

[F. fr. L. quadrifurcus, having four forks]  /kah ruh FUR/

1) a crossroads, a carfax  2) a public square, plaza

carriwitchet

[origin unknown]   /kar eh WICH et/

a hoaxing or riddling question; a pun, a quibble

cartomancy

fortune-telling by the use of playing cards

caryatid

a draped female figure supporting an entablature

caseifaction

the act of turning into cheese

...built at the outskirts of town especially for this unprecedented caseifaction...

-Thomas Pynchon

Cassandra

one that predicts misfortune or disaster

casuist

[fr. F. casuiste < Sp. casuista]  /KAZH oo ist/  someone whose reasoning is subtle and often specious

casuistry

/KAZH oo i strE/

1) specious or excessively subtle reasoning intended to rationalize or mislead

2) a resolving of specific cases of conduct through interpretation of ethical principles or religious doctrine

catachresis

[L. fr. Gk katachresis, misuse]  use of a wrong word in a context; strained use of a word or phrase

catachrestic

characterized by the misuse of words for the context

catachthonian

[fr. Gk kata : down, under + chthonios, of the ground]  subterranean; also, catachthonic

catadromous

living in fresh water and going to the sea to spawn  (compare anadromous)

catadromous eels

catamite

a boy kept for purposes of sexual perversion

catasophistry

obs, rare  quibbling, deceit (from a Gk word meaning to outwit, to evade by quibbling)

catasta

[L., scaffold, stage for selling slaves, etc.]

Hist.  a block on which slaves were exposed for sale; a stage or bed of torture used in early Christian times

catastarian

(perhaps) related to slavery or torture

catastrophonical

a nonsense word, from Marston

"A sign of good shaving, my catastrophonical fine boy." - John Marston, The Dutch Courtezan

catawampus

also cattywampus  Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S.

1) askew; awry  2) positioned diagonally; cater-cornered

catchpole

[fr. Anglo-French cachepole, literally, chicken chaser, fr. cacher + pol chicken,  < Latin pullus]  also catchpoll

a sheriff's deputy or bailiff; esp. one who makes arrests for failure to pay a debt: bumbailiff (disparaging)

cateran

[fr. Sc. Gaelic ceithearn ,band of fighting men]  a former military irregular or brigand of the Scot. Highlands

cathect

Psych.  to charge with mental energy; to give (ideas, etc.) an emotional loading

catillate

[fr. L. catillare, to lick a plate]  to lick dishes  {Cockerham}

catoptric

relating to a mirror, produced by reflection

causerie

[F.]  /koz ree/

informal talk or discussion, esp. on literary topics; also, a chatty article or paragraph

cautelous

obs. or arch.  deceitful, crafty, artful, wily

cenotaph

a tomb or monument erected in honor of a person whose body is elsewhere

centenarian

a person who is over one-hundred years old

centicipitous

[fr. L. centum + caput, head]   /cen ti CIP i tous/?

obs. rare  hundred-headed {in Bailey}

cerebrotonia

a pattern of temperament that is marked by a cerebrotonic personality or characteristics

cerebrotonic

[fr. L. cerebrum, brain + tonic, producing tension]

designating or characteristic of a type of personality which is introverted, intellectual, and emotionally restrained, usu. associated with an ectomorphic physique

cereologist

[fr. Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture]  /cee ree AWL uh jist/  (also cerealogist)

one who studies or investigates crop circles

cereology

the study or investigation of crop circles

cerumen

ear wax

cervisial

[from L. cervisia (cerevisia), beer + -al]  (also cerevisial)

humorous  of or pertaining to beer

chaffer

haggle; barter; Brit.  chatter

chairoplane

[fr. chair, after aeroplane]  /CHAIR uh plane/

a roundabout with seats suspended by chains  a chairoplane erected on a fairground

chalcenterous

having bowels of brass: tough

champaign

an expanse of level, open country: plain

chandelle

[F., candle] an abrupt, climbing turn of an airplane

chaogenous

[Gk chaos + genos, born]  /kay OJ en us/  arising out of (born amidst) chaos

charabanc

[F.] a sightseeing motor coach

charientism

[fr. Gk charientismus, expression of an unpleasant thing in an agreeable manner]

obs.  a gracefully veiled insult

charrette

a final, intensive effort to finish a project (usu. architectural) before a deadline

chatmate

[fr. chat + mate]  obs. rare  a gossip

chatoyant

[F.] changing in luster or color (like a cat's eyes)

cheechako

a newcomer (to Alaska or the Yukon); tenderfoot

cherophobia

/KEER uh ~/  an irrational fear of merriment or gaiety

chiack

[prob. alter. of cheek]   /CHAHY uhk/  (also chyack)

Australia  to jeer at; tease; deride

chiaroscuro

the quality of being veiled or partly in shadow

chiliad

1) a group of 1000

2) a period of 1000 years: millennium

chiliastic

of or relating to 1000 years: millenarian

chirospasm

writer's cramp

chitinous

[fr. Gk chiton]

made of or resembling the hard horny substance (chitin) of which the integument of insects or crustaceans is composed

choate

[back-formation from inchoate]  /KO ate/

[adj] complete

choplogic

[fr. chop (obs.), to bandy back and forth + logic]

involved and often specious argumentation

chork

Scot.  to make the sound that feet do with shoes full of water

chott

a shallow saline lake of northern Africa; the dried bed of such a lake

chrematistics

the study of wealth; the science of political economy

chrestomathic

teaching what is useful; devoted to the learning of useful matters

chrestomathy

a volume of selected passages or stories of an author

chronophagic

[fr. Gk chronos, time + phagos, devouring]  time-eating

chronotherapy

treatment of a sleep disorder by changing sleeping and waking times in an attempt to reset the patient's biological clock

chthonic

pertaining to the gods and spirits of the underworld, infernal

chthonophagia

[fr. Gk chthon-, earth + -phagia, eating]

U.S., Medical  an irresistable urge to eat earth

chubasco

[Sp. fr. Port. chuvasco]  /chu BAH skO/

a severe squall of rain and wind especially along the west coast of Central America

chuffed

[orig. northern Eng. dial. meaning proud]  /chuft/

UK  1) proud, satisfied; pleased, delighted  2) (usu. with neg. modifier; e.g, dischuffed, bum-chuffed) displeased, disgruntled

chumbolone

[of uncertain origin, perhaps a comflation of chump and strombolone?]

Italian-American slang  a stupid idiot

chunter

Brit.  to mutter, murmur; to grumble, find fault, complain (also chunner)

cicerone

a guide who conducts sightseers

cicisbeo

a professed gallant of a married woman

cinerarium

a place to receive the ashes of the cremated dead

cingulomania

[fr. L. cingere, to encircle + -mania]  /SING gyoo loh MAY nee uh/

the strong desire to hold someone in your arms

circumambages

instances of deviousness or indirectness in speech or writing: circumlocutions

circumbendibus

an indirect or roundabout course, esp. in speaking or writing: circumlocution

circumfloribus

humorous nonce-word  flowery and long-winded

circumforaneous

a wandering from place to place;  as a circumforaneous musician

circumjacent

[fr. L. circumjacere, to lie around]  /sir kum JAY sent/

adjacent on all sides: surrounding

cirque

a deep, steep-walled basin on a mountain usu. forming the blunt end of a valley

cisalpine

situated on this side of the Alps  (compare cismontane)

cismarine

situated on this side of the ocean

cismontane

situated on this side of the mountains, esp. the Alps  (cf. cisalpine)

cispontine

[fr. cis-, near side + L. pons, bridge]  /si|spon TINE/

situated on this or the nearer side of the bridge (in London, north of the Thames)

compare transpontine

claque

a group hired to applaud at a performance; a group of sycophants

claudication

the quality or state of being lame: limping

claustration

a) the action of enclosing or confining in a cloister  b) transf. and fig.  (cf. exclaustration)

claustrophial

[fr. L. claustrum, confined space + -phile]

nonce-word used by Harlan Ellison to describe a space which could only be appreciated by someone who desires to be confined

clemmed

[fr. ME forclemmed, pinched with hunger]  /klem'd/

UK dial.  hungry; famished

clerihew

a light verse quatrain rhyming aabb and usually dealing with a person named in the initial rhyme

clerisy

[Introduced by Coleridge to express a notion no longer associated with the clergy]

the educated and intellectual people considered collectively; the literati or intelligentsia

clinchpoop

a lout, jerk, clod, boor, slob, boob, fathead, sap

clink

Scot.  cash, money

clinomania

[fr. Gk klin- sloping, inclining + -mania]

an overwhelming desire to stay in bed; esp. on a snowy (or rainy) day

clinquant

glittering of gold or tinsel

cliometrician

one who uses mathematics/computers to analyze historical data

cliosophic

[fr. Gk kleiein to tell of, celebrate + -sophic, of wisdom; cf. Clio, the muse of history]

rare  in praise of wisdom (usu. capitalized)

cloaca

[L.]  a sewer

cloacal

pertaining to a sewer; hence, concerned with or replete with obscenity or out-and-out indecency

clochard

[F. fr. clocher, to limp < L. cloppicare]  /klO SHAR/  a tramp; vagrant

clodpate

a combination of a clod and a blockhead

clodpoll

[clod + poll, head]  a stupid person: blockhead, clodpate

clowder

[var. of dial. clodder, clotted mass]  a group of cats

clumperton

a clownish, clumsy lout

clusterfist

obs.  1) a clumsy-fisted fellow; a clown, boor, lout

2) a close-fisted or grasping fellow; a tightwad

clyster

an enema

cock-a-hoop

exulting; awry

Cockaigne

an imaginary land of great luxury and ease

Everyone was seeking renewal, a golden century, a Cockaigne of the spirit. - Umberto Eco

cockalorum

1) a self-important little man

2) the game of leapfrog

3) boastful talk

codswallop

slang, chiefly Brit.  nonsense, drivel, rubbish

coenaculous

[fr. L. cenaculum (erroneously spelt coen-), dining or supping-room]

/ke NA cue lous/?  that eats suppers; supper-loving

coenesthesis

Psychol.  /se nes THE sis/

general sense or feeling of existence arising from the sum of bodily impressions; the vital sense (also coenesthesia)

cogitabund

[fr. L. cogitabundus, thinking; fr. cogitare, to think]

archaic  given to deep thought, having the appearance of being in deep meditation: pensive

cognoscente

someone who is knowledgeable about a subject

cohibit

inkhorn term  to restrain

collachrymate

[fr. L. collacrimare, to weep together]

obs. rare  to weep together with, or in sympathy with; to commiserate

collachrymation

a weeping together

collieshangie

Scot.  squabble, brawl

collineomaniac

very rare  a hunter

collop

1) a small piece or slice, especially of meat  2) a fold of fat flesh

God knows thou art a collop of my flesh. - W. Shakespeare, 1 Henry IV

colluctation

a wrestling or struggling together; strife, conflict, opposition  [archaic]

collywobbles

bellyache

colophon

an identifying device used by a printer or publisher

colporteur

a peddler of religious books

colure

[fr. Gk kolouros dock-tailed]  /KUL (j)u(r)/

Astron.  each of two great circles which intersect each other at right angles at the poles, and divide the equinoctial and the ecliptic into four equal parts; one passes through the equinoctial points, the other through the solstitial points, of the ecliptic

comity

friendly quality of social atmosphere, social harmony

comminate

to threaten; to denounce

comminute

to crush, pulverize, reduce to minute particles: triturate

compenetrate

[med. L compenetrare]  to penetrate throughout: pervade, permeate thus, compenetration : pervasive penetration, mutual permeation

comperendinate

[fr. L. comperendinare, to defer (a trial)]  /kom per EN di nate/

obs.  to delay, to postpone {Johnson, 1805}

comperendination

delay; dilatoriness

compotation

[L] the act of drinking or tippling together

computronium

[coined by physicists Morgolus and Toffoli, for programmable matter(?)]

hypothetical material engineered to maximize its use as a computing substrate

conbobberation

[con + bobber(?) + ation; perh. from Anglo-Indian bobbery, a "row"]

U.S. colloq. (humorous)  obs. rare  a disturbance

concinnity

[see next]  harmony or elegance of design especially of literary style in adaptation of parts to a whole or to each other

concinnous

[L. concinnus  neatly arranged, elegant]  /kuhn SIN uhs/

characterized by concinnity: neat, elegant; harmonious

concrescence

a growing together: coalescence

concupiscible

[fr. L. concupiscere]

lustful, desirous; archaic  that merits desire, suitable to be longed for or lusted after; greatly desirable

condign

deserved, appropriate

condorm

obs.  to sleep together (with one) {Cockerham}

confabulate

[fr. L. confabulari, to chat together]  /kun FAB yu late/

1) to talk familiarly together, converse, chat

2) Psych.  to fabricate imaginary experiences as compensation for memory gaps

confabulatory

/kun FAB yu luh tory/  marked by familiar talk; colloquial

conflate

1a) to bring together: fuse b) confuse(?)

2) to combine (as two readings of a text) into a composite whole

confricate

obs.  to rub together

confusticate

[fantastic alteration of confound or confuse]  colloq.

to confuse, confound, perplex

Confusticate and bebother those dwarves!   - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

congeries

aggregation, collection

congou

[ad. Chinese kung-fu work, and workman, kung-fu-ch'a, app. tea on which work or effort is expended - omission of the f is the foreigner's corruption (Prof. Legge)]  /KUN(j) go/

a fine grade of black tea imported from China

conjobble

to chat together; 'to concert, to settle, to discuss: a low cant word' - Johnson

conjubilant

[L.] rare  rejoicing together; shouting together with joy

consilience

[fr. L. consilere  < con- + silere, to leap]  /kun SIL iens/

jumping together, bridging the gaps to join together

consuetude

[fr. L. consuetudo, custom]  social usage: custom

consuetudinary

[fr. L. consuetudinarius, customary]  /con swi TUD inary/

[adj] according to consuetude: customary; (in law) based on custom as opp. to statutory or written

[n] Law  a book describing the customs of a particular group, esp. a religious one

contango

[perhaps an alteration of continue]  /cuhn TANG go/

Commerce  charge paid by purchaser for postponing payment from one settling day to next; compare backwardation

contemperation

obs.  accommodation; also, compromise

contortuplicate

[ad. L. contortuplicat-us < contortus, twisted together + plicatus, folded]

Bot.  twisted back upon itself; also in extended use

contravivulating

nonce-word  twisting, convoluted (?)

contriturate

to pulverize

contubernal

living or messing together; intimate

contumacious

stubbornly disobedient, rebellious

contumation

[fr. contumacious, by false analogy after vexatious, vexation, etc.]  inkhorn term(?)

obs., rare  disobedience to authority; rebellious stubbornness : contumacy

contumelious

insolently abusive and humiliating

contumulate

[fr. L. contumulare, to entomb]  obs. rare  buried or entombed together

conurbation

an aggregation or continuous network of urban communities

conviciate

[fr. L. conviciari, to revile, rail at]  obs.  to revile, reproach, slander, rail at

conviciatory (convitiatory)

obs.  wrangling, railing; reproachful

coof

Scot.  a stupid fellow: dolt, lout

coolth

[as in warmth]  the state or occasion of being cool: coolness

copoclephilist

[fr. Gk kope, handle + kleis, key + -phile]  /co po CLEF il ist/?

a collector of key rings

copoclephily

the collecting of key-rings

coprolalia

the uncontrollable use of obscene language

coprolite

fossilized excrement

coprophagous

excrement eating

coprophilia

abnormal liking for excrement

Corinthian

a sporting rake, a fast man; a licentious libertine

cormorant

[fr. OF, raven-of-the-sea]

[n]  1) a rapacious sea-bird  2) a gluttonous, greedy, or rapacious person

[adj]  greedy, rapacious

cornobble

[fr. cor-, with(?) + nobble, to strike, hit, beat up]  /kor NOB bul/  to beat on the head {Phelps}

cornobbled

hit with a fist

cornscateouos

[corn + L. scatare, to bubble, gush, well, spring, or flow forth] /corn SKAY sious(?)/

signifies warm, damp air  Cornscateous air is everywhere. - Old Farmer's Almanac

cornucopiosity

nonce-word  cornucopia-like arrangement or profusion

corposant

[from Port. and OSp. corpo santo]  /KOR peh sant/

an electrical discharge accompanied by ionization of the surrounding atmosphere: St. Elmo's Fire

corrigendum

an error in a printed work discovered after printing and shown with its correction on a separate sheet

corroboree

Austral.  a noisy festivity, tumult

coruscant

[fr. L. coruscare to quiver, flash]  shining, glittering

corybantic

orgiastic

coryphaeus

the leader of the Greek chorus; hence,

1) the leader of a chorus

2) the leader of a party or school of thought

costermonger

a hawker of fruits, vegetables, fish, etc.; to sell fruits, vegetables, etc.

costive

1) affected with constipation, causing constipation

2) slow in action or expression

3) stingy, niggardly

costrel

[Anglo-French]  an earthenware or leather bottle with loops for attachment to the belt

coulrophobia

[ostensibly fr. Gk koulon, limb; related to kolobathristes, one who goes on stilts]

an irrational fear of clowns

crabbit

Scot. dialect  [adj] ill-tempered, grumpy, curt, disagreeable, in a bad mood (esp. in the morning) - often used in Ken this, yer a crabbit get, so ye are.

[n] (see crab) one who by their nature or temperament conveys an aura of irritability

craic

Irish  /crack/  the combined sensation of good conversation, good company, good times etc.: great fun

crambo

rhyming game; doggerel

crapulosity

[fr. L. crapulosus, crapulous]  /crap yu LOS ity/

A) an inclination to drunkenness or gluttony

B) by transf.  something which is complete rubbish

crapulous

suffering from overindulgence in food or drink

crassitude

[ad. L. crassitudo, f. crassus, crass]  /KRAS uh t(y)ud/

1) obs.  thickness (as of a solid body)

2) the quality or state of being crass: grossness; excessive dullness of intellect, obtuseness; also, an instance of this

crastinate

[fr. L. crastinum, tomorrow]  obs. (inkhorn term?)

= procrastinate, delay

crastination

= procrastination

credenda

[L.] things to be believed: articles of faith

crepitant

having or making a crackling sound

crepuscular

of or relating to twilight: dim

cri de coeur

 [F., cry from the heart]  /kree de KOER/  an impassioned outcry (as of appeal or protest)

criticaster

an inferior or petty critic

cromulent

nonsense word  used in an ironical sense to mean legitimate, and therefore, in reality, spurious and not at all legitimate (assumes common knowledge of the Simpsons reference)

croodle

to cower or crouch down; to draw oneself together, as for warmth; to cling close together, or nestle close to a person: snuggle

crotchet

[n] a highly individual and usually eccentric opinion or preference

crotcheteer

[crotchet (whim) + -eer] one who has a crotchet or who thrusts his crotchets on others

cruciverbalist

a designer or afficionado of crossword puzzles

crudification

the process or result of making something crude; an example of this

crwth

Welsh  crowd (an ancient Celtic musical instrument; an early form of the fiddle)

cryptoscopophilia

the urge to look through the windows of homes you walk past

cryptozoology

/KRIP tuh zoe AH luh gee/

the study of the lore concerning legendary animals esp. in order to evaluate the possibility of their existence

cuckold

a man whose wife is unfaithful

cuckquean

a woman whose husband is unfaithful

culacino

[It.] a mark left on a surface(?) by a moist glass

culch

1) clean trash or rubbish  2) a person or thing not highly regarded

culicide

a poison that kills mosquitoes

cullet

[perh. fr. F. cueillette act of gathering, < L. collecta]  /KUH let/

broken or refuse glass used to facilitate melting in glassmaking

cullibility

[fr. cully, to make a fool of + -bility]  archaic  gullibility

cully

cheat; deceive

cumatic

[fr. Gk kumat, wave; after L. cumatilis]  obs.  sea-colored, blue

cumber-ground

[fr. cumber, to block up]

a person or thing that uselessly cumbers the ground; a useless or unprofitable occupant of a position

cumulose

[fr. L. cumulus, a heap]  cf. cumulus (heap-like) clouds

1) obs.  full of heaps {in Bailey}  2) of a soil deposit  consisting chiefly of accumulated organic matter

cunctation

delay; procrastination

cunctative

delaying

cunctatory

[fr. L. cunctari, to delay]  /KUNK tuh tuh ri/  (not so) rare  delaying

cunctipotent

[fr. L. cunctus, all + potens, powerful)]  rare  all powerful, omnipotent

cupidity

1) inordinate desire for wealth: avarice, greed

2) strong desire: lust

curglaff

Scot. dial.  the shock felt when plunging into cold water

curple

[corruption of Sc. crupper]  (rhymes with purple, cf. hirple)

Scot.  1) the hind-quarters or rump of a horse  2) transf. the rump, posterior

cwm

Welsh  valley; cirque

cyanthropy

the delusion that one is a dog

cymbiform

[from L. cymba, boat + form]  Anat., Bot.  boat-shaped

cymotrichous

[fr. Gk kuma, wave + trich-, hair]  /SY ma tre kes/

Anthrop.  having wavy hair

cymotrichy

wavy-hairedness

cymric

/KIM ric/  [from W. cymru, Welsh]  usu. capitalized

of, relating to, or characteristic of the non-Gaelic Celtic people of Britain or their language; specif : Welsh

cynarctomachy

bear baiting with a dog

cynosure

center of attention

discontinue (not)

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