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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 © 1995-2008 -- Michael A. Fischer 
    wwftd email

R

rabiator

[of obscure origin, perhap assoc. with rabid]

Scot., rare  A violent, noisy, greedy person.  {Jamieson}

rabulistic

characterized by railing or pettifoggery

rack-rent

(also rack rent or rackrent) a rent equal or nearly equal to the full annual value of the property: an excessive or unreasonably high rent; spec. in English law, a rent of at least two thirds of the annual value of the property

raddled

confused, befuddled, worn

ragabash

Scot.  an idle worthless fellow; a ragamuffin; collectively, rabble, riff-raff

ramfeezled

[origin unknown]  /ram FEEZ uld/  Scot.  exhausted, worn out

rampallion

[origin unknown]  /ram PAL yen/  (also rampallian)

good-for-nothing scoundrel: wretch

raniform

[see following]  frog-shaped

ranivorous

[fr. L. rana, frog + -vorous]  /rae NI ver ous/  frog-eating

rannygazoo

chiefly U.S. dial. or slang  (see also similar forms ranikaboo, reinikaboo)

a prank, trick; horseplay, 'nonsense'

rantipole

[n] a wild, reckless person;

[adj] characterized by a wild, unruly manner

rapparee

[Ir. rapaire, ropaire, lit., thruster, stabber]  /ra puh REE/

1) an Irish irregular soldier or bandit  2) vagabond, plunderer

raree-show

peep show; street show

rataplan

the iterative sound of beating

ratiocination

the process of exact thinking: reasoning; a reasoned train of thought

ravelin

a projecting out-work in a fortification, having two embankments forming a salient angle; half-moon

razbliuto

[Russian?? "The origin is not as important as the basic fact that (listen up, now) there is no such Russian word." - Languagehat, April 17, 2005]  probably a spurious word 

a feeling a person has for someone he or she once loved but no longer feels the same way about - Christopher Moore, In Other Words

razoo

Austral. and N.Z. slang  an imaginary coin of trivial value, a 'farthing'; used only in negative contexts (also in the phrase, brass ~   not worth a brass razoo)

razoo (razzoo)

N. Amer. slang  ridicule; the arousing of indignation, provocation; a sound of contempt, a 'raspberry' (also in phr. to give the ~: to ridicule)

...but all I get there is the big razzoo. - R. Chandler, The Big Sleep

rebarbative

repellent, irritating, crabbed

reboant

reverberant

rebozo

a long scarf worn chiefly by Mexican women

réchauffé

[F., warmed over] 1) something that is rehashed  2) a warmed-over dish of food

recherché

exquisite, choice; exotic, rare; excessively refined, affected; overblown, pretentious

recidivist

a habitual criminal (one who relapses)

reck

worry, care; matter

reckling

a weak child or animal; the runt of the litter

recondite

concealed; deep; having to do with something obscure

recreancy

mean-spiritedness; apostasy; treachery

recreant

coward; apostate, deserter

recrement

1) the superfluous or useless portion of any substance; refuse, dross, scum, off-scouring

2) spec. a waste product or excretion of an animal or vegetable body; also Physiol., a fluid which is separated from the blood and again absorbed into it, as the saliva or bile (opp. to excrement)

recrementitious

of or pertaining to recrement

recrudescence

to break out anew after a dormant period

rectalgia

a pain in the rectum, cf. proctalgia

recto

[fr. L. rectus, straight, right]  /REK toe/

1) the front side of a printed sheet  2) the right-hand page of an open book (compare verso)

rectopathic

[fr. L. recto, straight + -pathic, suffering]  /rek to PATH ic/  easily hurt emotionally; thin-skinned

recumbentibus

a knockdown blow

the advantage of inflicting upon an assailant a recumbentibus - J. R. Newman

redaction

an act of redacting (to put in writing); an edit; redacted material (edited)

redivivus

reborn

refactory

[fr. L. reficere, to remake or restore, cf. refectory]

a place for remaking or restoring an object through reanalysis of its structure without changing its behavior  wwftd is an obscure word refactory

refluctuation

[re- + L. fluctuation-em]  /re fluk tu A shun/  very rare  A flowing back {Webster 1828}; reflux

refragable

[fr. L. refragabilis]  obs.  that may be refuted or gainsaid

refulgent

brilliant

regargletate

[after regurgitate]  nonce-word  to spew forth the same old arguments(?)

regolith

the unconsolidated solid material covering the bedrock of a planet

reify

to regard (something abstract) as a material thing

relict

1) widow  2) a persistent remnant of an otherwise extinct organism  3) something left unchanged

reluct

[ad. L. reluctari, to struggle; but in later use prob. a back-formation from reluctance]

1) to make a determined resistance : struggle

2) to feel or show repugnance or reluctance : revolt

reluctate

archaic  to offer resistance; to strive or struggle against something; to show reluctance

relume

to light or light up again: rekindle

remplissage

[F., padding]  filling or padding used in music and literature

renascible

capable of being reproduced; able to spring again into being

renidification

[re- + L. nidus, nest + facere, to make]  /re NID i fi KAY shun/

Zool., rare  the action of building a nest a second time. {Webster 1864}

renidify

[see previous]  to make another nest

renitent

resisting physical pressure; resisting constraint or compulsion: recalcitrant

rere-dorter

rare  a privy situated at the rear of the dormitory (dorter) in a convent or monastery

reredos

a usually ornamental wood/stone screen or wall behind an altar

resile

to recoil, retract; esp: to return to a prior position

resipiscence

[L. resipiscentia < resipiscere to recover one's senses]  /res eh PIS ense/

repentance for misconduct; return to a sane, sound, or correct view or position

resipiscent

[see previous]  /res eh PIS ent/  returning to one's senses; learning from experience

resistentialism

Paul Jennings's mock philosophy which maintains that inanimate objects are hostile to humans

"'Things are against us.' This is the nearest English translation I can find for the basic concept of Resistentialism." - P. Jennings, Oddly Enough (1950)

resorb

1) to absorb again: reabsorb 2) Biol. to dissolve and assimilate

retection

[fr. L. retegere,  < re- + tegere, to cover]

obs.  the act of disclosing or uncovering something concealed

retiarius

[fr. L. rete, a net]  a Roman gladiator armed with a net for entangling his adversary (and a trident for dispatching him)

reticulem

the second of the four stomachs of a ruminant (see rumen)

retiracy

[fr. retire, after such pairs as conspire : conspiracy]  /re TIRE uh see/

U.S.  1) retirement, seclusion  2) sufficient means or property to make possible retirement

retrogenesis

[fr. retro- backward + -genesis, origin]  /ret troh JEN uh sis/

the loss of mental abilities in old age in the opposite order in which they are gained in childhood, esp. as exhibited by Alzheimer's patients

retromingent

passing urine in a backward direction

retronym

[fr. L. retro- + Gk onymon, name]

a term consisting of a noun and a modifier that specifies the original meaning of the noun

"analog watch" and "film camera" are retronyms

retrosexual

neologism  the antithesis of the metrosexual: a man with an undeveloped aesthetic sense who spends as little time and money as possible on his appearance and lifestyle

retroussé

[F.]  /re tru SAY/  turned up   a retroussé nose

revanche

[F.] revenge: esp a usually political policy designed to recover lost territory or status

revanchist

one who advocates a policy of revanche

revehent

carrying back

revenant

one that returns after death or a long absence

rhabdomancy

divination by wands or rods

rhadamanthine

inflexibly rigorous or severe

rhetorication

obs.  the action of speaking or writing rhetorically; a piece of rhetoric, a rhetorical flourish

rhinotillexomania

compulsive nose-picking

rhonchus

a whistling or snoring sound heard when the air channels are partially obstructed

rhotacism

the excessive use or faulty pronunciation of the letter R

riant

mirthful, gay

ricercar

any of various contrapuntal instrumental forms esp of the 16th and 17th centuries

rinkafadda

an Irish dance resembling the Virginia reel

riparian

relating to or living or located on the bank of a stream or river

risible

capable of or disposed to laughing; provoking laughter: funny; associated with laughter

risorgimento

[It., rising again] a time of renewal or renaissance: revival; specif: the 19th century movement for Italian political unity

rixation

[fr. L. rixari, to quarrel]  obs.  quarreling, brawling

roborant

healthful(?); restoring vigor or strength

rocambolesque

[F.] incredible, fantastic

rodomontade

a bragging speech ; vain boasting or bluster; rant

roky

Prov. Eng.  misty; foggy; cloudy

roman-fleuve

[F., river novel]  /roe maan FLOEV/

a novel in the form of a long chronicle of a social group (as a family or a community) often in many volumes -- coined for Balzac's Comedie Humaine

rondure

gracefully rounded curvature

"...which combine the callipygian rondure observed among the races of the Dark Continent with the taut and noble musculature of sturdy Olaf...."  - Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow

ronyon

obs.  a mangy or scabby creature

roorback

a defamatory falsehood published for political effect

rorifluent

[fr. L. roris, dew + fluere, to flow]  rare  flowing with dew (Johnson, 1755)

roscian

[after Roscius, a celebrated Roman comic actor who died c.62 BC.]  /ROSH (i) un/  

usu. capitalized  famous or eminent in regards to acting

rote

[prob. of Scand. origin]  U.S  the sound of the surf crashing on the shore

rouleau

[F.] a roll of coins, wrapped in paper

rowdy-dow

to be noisy or boisterous

rowel

a revolving disk with sharp marginal points at the end of a spur

roynish

[fr. roin, scurf, scab + ish; fr. (assumed) Vulgar Latin ronea]

archaic  (also roinish and roinous)  mangy, scabby; coarse, mean, base

rubicund

inclining to redness; ruddy; red

ruction

a noisy fight; disturbance, uproar

rudas

Scot.  a hideous, vile and loathsome old woman

rudery

[fr. L. rudis, rough, unwrought]  /RUE duh ree/

rudeness; a rude remark, comment, practical joke, etc.

rudesby

obs.  an uncivil, turbulent fellow

ruly

obedient, orderly   a ruly crowd

rumble-bumble

[rumble + bumble]  a miscellaneous mass or mixture: jumble, hodgepodge

rumen

the first of the four stomachs of a ruminant (see abomasum)

rumpy-pumpy

Brit/Austral, humorous  sexual activity

runagate

fugitive, runaway; vagabond

runcible

nonsense word  from the phrase runcible spoon;

They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon.
 - E. Lear, The Owl & The Pussy-Cat (1871)

rupicolous

living among, inhabiting, or growing on rocks

rusticate

[fr. L rusticari, to live in the country]

to retire into the country; to stay or sojourn in the country; to assume rural manners, to live a country life;

also, (chiefly Brit.)  to suspend from school or college, esp. at Oxbridge

ruthful

full of sorrow: woeful; full of ruth: pitiful

rutilant

having a reddish glow

ruvid

rough; tough; barbaric

S

sabrage

[F. sabrer]  /sah BRAHDZH/  the act of opening a bottle, usu. champagne, with a sabre

saccade

1) the rapid movement of the eyes in looking quickly from one thing to another, as in reading

2) the act of checking a horse with a strong tug of the reins

3) music  a sudden strong pressure of the violin bow that causes two or more strings to sound at once

sacerdotal

[fr. L. sacerdos, one who offers sacrifices]

1) relating to priests or priesthood: priestly

2) relating to undue emphasis on a need for the authority of a priesthood or of priests

sachem

an Indian chief; a Tammany leader

sackbut

medieval trombone

sagination

the act of fattening, or state of being fattened

salmagundi

potpourri

saltation

1) the action or process of leaping or jumping; dance

2) the origin of a new species or a higher taxon in essentially a single evolutionary step that in some esp. former theories is held to be due to a major mutation or to unknown causes; mutation

salubrious

beneficial, healthful

Samhain

/saun/ or /SAW in/  Irish  The first day of November, celebrated by the ancient Celts as a festival marking the beginning of winter and of the new year according to their calendar; All Saint's Day or Hallowmass. cf. Beltane -- Samhain Eve became known as All-Hallows' Eve, corrupted to Hallow-e'en and now spelled Hallowe'en or Halloween.

samhainophobia

[Irish Samhain, 'All Saints' Day' + -phobia]  jocular  a fear of Halloween

sanable

[L. sanabilis, < sanare, to heal]  /SAN ah bul/

obs.  capable of being healed or cured; susceptible of remedy   hence, sanability

sanative

healing or restorative

sangfroid

[F., cold blood]  /sa{n} f{r}wa/  self-possession or imperturbability especially under strain

sanguinopurule

full of blood and pus

sapid

flavorful

saponaceous

slippery, elusive; soapy

saporific

flavorful

saprogenic

producing decay or putrefaction

saprostomous

[fr.om Gk roots meaning literally 'putrid mouth']  /sa PRAHS tuh mus/  having foul-smelling breath

saraband(e)

a stately court dance of the 17th and 18th centuries, resembling the minuet

sarcology

the study of soft, fleshy parts of the body

sarculate

[fr. L. sarculum]  rare  to hoe, weed (also sarcle); hence sarculation, hoeing

sardoodledom

[fr. sardoodle (blend of Victorien Sardou, French playwright criticized by G. B. Shaw, for the supposed staginess of his plays and doodle) + -dom]

usu. capitalized  mechanically contrived plot structure and stereotyped or unrealistic characterization in drama: staginess, melodrama

sargasso

a) gulf-weed; also a mass or a species of this; also fig., esp. in sense a confused or stagnant mass

b) attrib., as sargasso bed, weed; Sargasso Sea

saros

a cycle of 6585.32 days in which eclipses of the sun and moon occur in same sequence and at the same intervals as in the previous such cycle

sarsen

one of the numerous large boulders or blocks of sandstone found scattered on the surface of the English chalk downs

satisdiction

nonce-word  saying enough

They desire not satisfaction, but satisdiction, whereof themselves must be judges. - Nathaniel Ward

satrap

ruler, henchman

saturnine

cold and steady in mood, of a gloomy or surly disposition, having a sardonic aspect

saudade

[Port.]  yearning or longing, but more than that...

saulie

Scot., obs. except Hist.  one paid to attend a funeral as a mourner

saurian

any of a group (Sauria) of reptiles, lizard like

sawney

fool, simpleton

saxify

to turn into stone, to petrify

scabrous

1) rough to the touch; covered with roughened, unwholesome patches

2) difficult, knotty

3) salacious, naughty

scalawag

[origin unknown] or scallywag

/SKAL uh wag/ or /~ lee wag/  1) rascal, scamp, reprobate

2) an undersized or ill-conditioned animal

3) a white Southerner who supported reconstruction policies

scapegrace

a man or boy of reckless and disorderly habits; an incorrigible scamp - often used playfully

scaphism

an old Persian method of executing criminals by covering them with honey and letting the sun and the insects finish the job

scaramouch

a cowardly buffoon

scarper

Brit.  to run away

scatophagous

habitually feeding on dung: coprophagous

scaturient

[fr. L scatere, to flow out]   /skah TUR e ent/  gushing forth, overflowing; effusive

schadenfreude

[G.] enjoyment gained from others' troubles (see also epicaricacy)

schistaceous

[fr. L. schistos, fissile + -aceous]  /schis TAY ceous/  slate-colored, blue-gray

schizothemia

[fr. Gk schizo-, < schizein, to split + thema, theme]

rare  digression by means of a long reminiscence; repeated interruptions of a conversation by the speaker introducing other topics

schizothymic

a schizoid (split personality) tendency remaining within the bounds of normality

schlimmbesserung

[G.] making something worse through an attempt to make things better

schlub

[Yiddish]  (also shlub) a worthless person, a jerk, an oaf

schm- (or shm-)

[fr. various Yiddish words]  colloq., chiefly U.S.

an element used to form a nonsense term of derision by preceding the initial vowel or by replacing the initial consonant or consonant cluster (forming a rhyme)  fancy, schmancy

schmegeggy

[Yiddish]  /shmeggy/  also shmegegge

1) a contemptible person; an idiot  2) baloney; hot air; nonsense

schnorrer

[Yiddish]  beggar; esp one who wheedles others into supplying his wants

schwa

that upside-down e sound/symbol

schwarmerei

[G.]  /shver ma RYE/  excessive or unwholesome sentiment

sciamachy

[fr. Gk skia, shadow + mache, battle]  /sye AM uh kee/

a futile battle with an imaginary foe; fighting with a shadow -- shadow-boxing, against an imaginary opponent in training for the ring, is a specialized form of sciamachy

sciapodous

having very large feet

scientintically

a ludicrous nonce-word formed by blending scientifically and tint

scilicet

to wit; namely

sciolism

a superficial show of learning

sciolist

[fr. late L. sciol-us]  /SY uh list/  a superficial pretender to knowledge; a conceited smatterer

sciomancy

divination using ghosts or a spirit guide, a method generally employed by channelers

sciurine

/sI yoo RINE/  (also sciurid, -roid)  of or pertaining to the squirrel family of rodents

scobberlotcher (scobolotcher)

[related to scopperloit, also of obscure origin]  an idler

scodgy

Scot.  one who works hard at a menial, unpleasant or boring job

scopophilia

voyeurism

scortatory

pertaining to or consisting in, fornication or lewdness  {Webster, 1828}

scot

money assessed or paid

scotoma

[fr. Gk skotoma, dimness of vision < skotos, darkness]  /skuh TOE muh/  

Path.  an obscuration of part of the visual field (also fig.)

scrannel

harsh, unmelodious

scree

loose rock debris; a slope at the base of cliff of said debris

scrimshank

[origin unknown]  (also skrimshank)  

Brit. mil. slang  [v] to shirk duty  [n] a) an act of 'scrimshanking'  b) a scrimshanker

scriptorium

[Med. L]  /scrip TOR eum/

a room in a monastery set aside for the copying, writing, or illuminating of manuscripts and records

scripturient

[L .scripturire, to desire to write]

obs.  having an overwhelming urge to write

scrivello

[< Pg. escrevelho]   /SKREH ve low/

an elephant's tusk of small size (less than 20 pounds?), once commonly used to produce billiard balls

scrivener

a professional or public copyist or writer; scribe; notary public

scrofulous

having a diseased appearance, morally contaminated

scrolloping

characterized by or possessing heavy, florid, ornament  [coined by V. Woolf]

scrump

Brit.  to steal fruit (esp. apples) from trees; hence, scrumping

scrutate

[fr. L. scrutari, to examine, scrutinize]  rare  to search out; to investigate; hence, scrutation

scrutator

a close examiner or inquirer

scry

[fr. shortening descry]  1) obs.  descry  2) to practice crystal gazing; hence, scrying

scud

to move or run swiftly esp as if driven forward; to run before a gale

scumble

1) a : to make (as color or a painting) less brilliant by covering with a thin coat of opaque or semiopaque color
    b : to apply (a color) in this manner

2) to soften the lines or colors of (a drawing) by rubbing lightly

3) broadly  to soften or subdue

scunner

Scot.  to be in a state of disgusted irritation

scurryfunge

[used in various senses with little obvious connection]  also scurrifunge

Brit. dial. (jocular)  a) ? to scrub, scour  b) ? to wriggle about

(also a Maine colloquialism?)  a hasty tidying of the house between the time you see a neighbor coming and the time she knocks on the door - Paul Dickson, Words

secateurs

[F.] a kind of pruning shears with crossed blades (rare in sing.)

sederunt

a prolonged sitting (as for discussion)

sedulous

involving or accomplished with careful perseverance; diligent in application

seely

[ME sely (cf. silly)]  /SEE lee/

archaic 1) foolish, simple  2) pitiable especially because of weak physical or mental condition: frail

seidel

a large glass for beer

seigneurial

relating to a man of rank or authority

seism

an earthquake

selcouth

unusual, strange

selvage

border, edge

semiotician

a philosopher of signs and symbols

semiotics

a philosophical theory of signs and symbols

semiquaver

a 1/16 note in music [see also quaver]

semordnilap

a word, phrase or sentence that spells a different word, phrase or sentence when reversed; e.g., desserts <> stressed

sempiternal

[fr. L. sempiternus < semper, always]  of never-ending duration: eternal

sempiternity

the property of being perpetual

sennet

a trumpet call used for formal stage entrance or exit

sennight

the space of seven nights and days, week

sententious

moralistic, pithy

septentrional

northern

sequacious

subservient, tractable; intellectually servile

seraglio

harem; a palace of a sultan

seriatim

[L.] one after another; in a series

serendipity

[fr. its possession by the heroes of the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip]

the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for

sermocination

1) obs.  talk, conversation; a discourse, sermon

2) Rhet.  a form of prosopopoeia in which the speaker, having made a remark or put a question, immediately answers it herself

sesquipedalian

[fr. L. sesquipedalis, of a foot and a half in length]

n. a long word  adj. 1) given to the use of long words 2) polysyllabic

sesquipedalophobia

[sesquipedalian + -phobia]  (coined by Byran A. Garner in a Verbatim article)

the fear or hatred of long words

sevocation

[fr. L. sevocare, to call aside]  /sev uh KAY shun/

obs. rare  a calling apart or aside

sexotropic

constantly thinking about sex

sgriob

(Gaelic)  the itchiness that comes upon the upper lip just before taking a sip of whiskey

shaconian

someone who is convinced that Bacon ghosted Shakespeare's plays

shalloon

coat-lining material

shambolic

[colloq.] chaotic, disorderly, undisciplined  (from shamble, after symbolic?)

shanachie

an Irish storyteller

shandrydan

a chaise with a hood; a rickety vehicle

sharoosed

Newf. dial  (also sharooshed, sharoused)

taken aback, surprised; (also) disappointed, disgusted

shebeen

[fr. Irish Gaelic séibín, measure of grain, grain tax, bad ale]  /shu BEEN/

chiefly Irish : an unlicensed or illegally operated drinking establishment (also Scot. and S. Afr.)

shend

chiefly Brit dial.  injure, mar; ruin, destroy

shibboleth

slogan, catchword; a custom or usage regarded as a criterion for distinguishing membership

shillaber

a shill

shilpit

Scot. 1) (of persons) pale and sickly-looking; weak, feeble, puny  2) (of liquor) insipid, weak, thin

shlimazel

[Yiddish] an unlucky person; one with perpetual bad luck

shlump

[Yiddish]  untidy person, slob

shlumperdik

[Yiddish, fr. shlump, untidy person, slob]  /shlump puh dik/?

unkempt, sloppy, dowdy

shmata (or shmatteh)

[Yiddish]  a rag; hence, anything worthless

shmendrik

[Yiddish]  nincompoop; an inept or indifferent person (cf. shlemiel)

shot-clog

obs. rare  an unwelcome companion tolerated only because he pays the shot, or reckoning, for the rest

shrike

the only predatory songbird

shrive

to minister the sacrament of penance to; pardon, purge; to confess one's sins esp to a priest

shtoom

[Yiddish, from G. stumm]  (also schtoom, shtum(m), etc.)

[adj] silent, speechless, dumb; esp. in phrase, to keep (or stay) shtoom

[vi] to be quiet, to shut up  [vt] 'shut it'

shunamitism

rejuvenation of an old man by a young woman (also shunammitism)

sialagogic

promoting the flow of saliva

sialoquent

[f. Gk sialo- saliva and L. -loquent speaking]  /sy AL uh kwent/

obs.  spraying saliva when speaking (hence, sialoquence)

sibylline

oracular, occult, mysterious (pertaining to one or more of the Sibyls)

sicker

Scot.  secure, safe; also: dependable

siderate

[fr. L. siderari, to be struck by a star]

obs.  to blast or strike down (as with lightning)

sidereal

of, relating to, or expressed in relation to stars or constellations: astral

siderism

1) a phenomenon similar to animal magnetism (or mesmerism) formerly supposed to result from the bringing of iron or other inorganic bodies into contact with the human body

2) the doctrine of a sidereal influence upon terrestrial things or events

simony

the buying or selling of a church office or ecclesiastical preferment

sinecure

a position that requires little or no work, but provides income

sinter

[n] a deposit formed by the evaporation of spring water

[v] to form a coherent mass by heating without melting

sin-wat

"A man who wants all of somebody's love. That's very bad." - Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle

sipid

having a taste or flavor; savory   that was a wonderfully sipid meal

sitooterie

Scot.  /sit oot ery/  a summerhouse or gazebo; generally, a place to sit and contemplate

skainsmate

[origin and meaning uncertain]  obs.  a messmate, a companion(?)

Scurvy knave! I am none of his flirt-gills; I am none of his skainsmates. - Shakespeare

skellum

Scot.  scoundrel, rascal

skelp

1) to hustle

2) Brit.  slap, strike

skerrick

UK slang  a small amount; a small fragment; the slightest bit

skinker

one employed to dispense liquors in a bar: tapster

skite

1) a sudden, vigorous stroke or blow, esp. one given in an oblique direction; an oblique impact, or one which causes a rebound

2) a trick; a joke

3) a person who on some account or other is regarded with contempt (cf. blatherskite)

4) Austral. and N.Z. colloq.  a) boasting, boastfulness; ostentation, show; conceit  b) a braggart, a boaster; a conceited person

5) orig. and chiefly Scot.  a jollification, a spree, a binge; freq. in phrase on the skite

skive

[perh. ad. Fr. esquiver, to dodge, slink away]

UK slang (orig. Military)  to avoid work by absenting oneself, to play truant; hence, skiving (cf. mitching)

skybal(d)

Brit dialect  /SKY bal/  one that is worthless: good-for-nothing

skyhookery

[fr. skyhook < sky + hook]  nonce-word  use of an imaginary hook suspended in air to bootstrap a process; gen., the abandonment of reason

slangwhanger

[fr. slangwhang, to assail with abuse]  chiefly U.S.  a noisy or abusive talker or writer; a ranting partisan; also, slangwhanging

slaughterman

one whose occupation it is to kill for food

slaunchwise

U.S. dialect  slanting, oblique, crooked; diagonally, obliquely, crookedly

slipshoddity

[slipshod + -ity]  also slipshoddiness and slipshodness

carelessness, slovenliness

slobberknocker

two or more big guys beating the hell out of each other

sloff

(Welsh)  to eat greedily or untidily   Be not a groak nor a sloffer but a trencherman.

sloven

[ME sloveyn, rascal]

obs.  a person of low character or manners; a knave, rascal

slubber

[prob. from obsolete Dutch slubberen]  (see next)

1) dialect, chiefly English  stain, sully

2) to perform in a slipshod fashion, do carelessly

Slubber not business for my sake, Bassanio.. - W. Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

slubberdegullion

dial.  dirty rascal: scoundrel, wretch

slugabed

one who stays in bed out of laziness; broadly: sluggard

slumgullion

a watery meat stew

smaragdine

/smah RAG deen/  1) of or relating to emeralds  2) of an emerald-green color

smatchet

Scot.  an insignificant contemptible person; a chit

smellfungus

Brit.  a grumbler or faultfinder

smifligate

[Charles Dicken's nonce-word]  spiflicate

smirch

besmirch (to a lesser degree)

smoot

Brit.  a narrow passage (also, a unit of measurement [silly])

snallygaster

a mythical monster of Maryland, invented to frighten freed slaves  (compare snollygoster)

snarge

a person nobody likes; a total jerk

snark

a fictional animal, the quarry for a hunting party comprising some highly unlikely characters in Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark

sneckdraw

Scot.  a sly, crafty person trying to worm his way in; a cozener, a cheat

snifty

U.S. slang  1) having a pleasant or agreeable smell  2) haughty, disdainful

snollygoster

a shrewd unprincipled person, esp. a politician  (compare snallygaster)

snood

a flap of skin that hangs from the top of a turkey's beak

snook

[uncertain origin]  a derisive gesture, thumb to nose with fingers spread, usu. in phrase to cop a snook; also fig.

snooter

[fr. snoot : to nose, to snub (U.S. dialect)]

to harass, bedevil; to snub (only in P. G. Wodehouse)

snuggery

a snug cozy place; especially a small room

snurge

Brit. 1a) in schools, an informer b) one who curries favor, a toady

2) generally, an obnoxious person

sobornost

[Russ. sobornost, conciliarism, catholicity]  /so BOR nost/

Theol.  a unity of persons in a loving fellowship in which each member retains freedom and integrity without excessive individualism

sockdolager

U.S. slang  1) a heavy knock-down blow, a finisher

2) something sensational or exceptional

soi-disant

[F.]  /SWAH dee ZAN/

self-proclaimed, self-styled; so-called(?)

soigne

[F.]  /swan YAY/

dressed, adorned, tended, or prepared with great care and attention to detail; well-groomed

solecism

1) a nonstandard usage or grammatical construction

2) a violation of etiquette

3) an impropriety, mistake, or incongruity

solfatara

[It., sulfur mine]  /sole fuh TAR uh/  a volcanic area or vent that yields only hot vapors and sulfurous gases

solidus

[Med. L. solidus, shilling]  (pl. solidi)

diagonal, or forward slash : /  (a.k.a. virgule) (appears in this sense in the Century Dictionary of 1891)

solifidian

one who holds that faith alone without achievement or personal merit is sufficient to insure salvation; hence solifidianism, the doctrine thereof -- compare nullifidian, also, cf. antinomian

soli-ipsiism

[f. L. soli ipsi, selves alone]  nonce-word  self-conceit  (cf. solipsism)

solipsism

the belief that the self is all that exists

solisequious

following the course of the sun, as the sunflower

solmization

the use of syllables to denote the tones of a musical scale

     (do... re... mi... )

somnifugous

[fr. L. somnus, sleep + fugare, to put to flight]  /som NIF u gous/

obs. driving away sleep

sonance

a sound

sonsy

(also sonsie)  having pleasing curves; buxom, comely

sophism

an argument apparently correct in form but actually invalid; esp: such an argument used to deceive

sophister

[fr. OF sophistre, ad. L. sophista]

one who makes use of fallacious arguments; a specious reasoner: sophist

(also, Hist: an upperclassman at Cambridge (or Oxford, or Harvard or Dartmouth, or Trinity College, Dublin))

sophistry

deceptively subtle reasoning or argumentation; an argument used to deceive

sophrosyne

[Gk fr. sophron of sound mind, prudent]  /sau FRAS en ee/

moderation; prudence, self-control

soporiferous

causing or tending to cause sleep: soporific

sordine

a cone-shaped mute for a trumpet

sorn

Scot.  to impose in order to obtain hospitality: sponge

sororal

of or pertaining to or characteristic of a sister or sisters; sisterly  (cf. fraternal)

sot

obs.  a foolish or stupid person

soteriology

the Christian doctrine of salvation

sottage

[fr. sot]  obs. rare  foolishness, folly, stupidity

sottise

[F.]  /so TEEZ/ a silly remark or saying; a foolish action; also transf.

sottish

drunken (or stupid)

sottisier

[F.] /so TEEZ je/ a collection of sottises, esp. a list of written stupidities; also transf. and fig.

sowl

[fr. G. zausen to tug, drag]  Brit. dial.  to pull by the ears; to drag about  

sozzled

[fr. sozzle : to splash, intoxicate, alteration of sossle, probably frequentative of Brit. dial. soss, to mess]

drunk, intoxicated

spadassin

[F., swordsman] a duelist; a fighter, a bully

spaghettified

[by extension]  hence, spaghettification

1) heavily Italianized; fig.  incomprehensible

2) Physics  stretched into a long thin shape, or torn apart by the tidal forces of a strong gravity field such as a black hole

spalpeen

[chiefly Irish, from Gaelic spailpin, common laborer, migratory workman, worthless person]

1) a common laborer  2) a scamp, a rascal  3) a young boy

spancel

to tie or hobble: fetter

spaneria(?)

a scarcity of men  cf. spanogyny

spang

[fr. Scot., to leap, cast, bang]

1) to a complete degree: totally  2) in an exact or direct manner: squarely

spanghew

dial.  to throw or jerk violently; spec. to cause (a toad or frog) to fly into the air

spanogyny

[fr. Gk spanis, scarcity + gyne, woman]

/span OJ un ee/  a scarcity of women  (contrast spaneria)

sparge

1) sprinkle, bespatter; esp. spray

2) to agitate (a liquid) by means of compressed air or gas via a pipe

3) to wash out all soluble products from beer mash prior to boiling

sparrow-blasting

[fr. sparrow, with jocular or contemptuous force]

obs.  being blighted by some mysterious power of whose existence one is skeptical

spermologer

[f. Gk spermologos, gathering seeds; also fig. picking up news, gossiping]

obs.  a gatherer of seeds; fig., gossiper (a collector of trivia, according to Trivial Pursuit™)

sphallolalia

[fr. Gk sphallo, make to fall + -lalia, chatter]

/SFAL oh LAY lee yuh/  nonsense word?  flirtatious talk that leads nowhere

spheropygian

having full and rounded buttocks

spheterize

to make something one's own: appropriate

sphingine

sphinx-like in character

spiflicate

to overcome or dispose of by violence; beat

spiv

Brit. one who lives by his wits without regular employment; slacker

spizzerinctum

/spiz er INK tum/  ambition; the will to succeed

splanchnic

visceral

splendent

glossy; brilliant

splenetic

marked by bad temper, malevolence or spite

spoliate

[fr. L. spoliare]  /SPO lee ate/  to spoil or despoil; to rob or deprive of something

spondulix

U.S. slang  (also: spondulicks, spondulics)  cash, money

spork

a proprietary name for a piece of cutlery combining the features of a spoon and a fork

sprezzatura

[It.] ease of manner, studied carelessness; the appearance of acting or being done without effort; spec. of literary style or performance

sprunt

obs. anything that is short and will not easily bend (Johnson, 1755)

spumescent

frothy, foamy

spunkie

Scot.  ignis fatuus

spurge

1) [v] Middle Eng.  to cleanse, clear or purify: purge

2) [v] obs.  to emit foam, to froth

3) [n] a plant of genus Euphorbia, usually having a milky juice which yields powerful emetic and cathartic (purgative) products

sputative

[fr. L. sputare, to spit]  /SPYOO ta tive/  obs. rare  given to (excessive) spitting

an ugly and sputative lizard - D. Grambs

squabash

to crush esp. with criticism: lambaste

squabbish

somewhat fat or squat

squadoosh

Italian-American slang  used to describe something that is missing, absent, or forgotten; zero, nil, nothing

squamous

[fr. L. squama, scale]  scaly

squeamy

squeamish: queasy

squidger

the huge wink in tiddly-winks (the shooter)

squidgy

unpleasantly damp: clammy

squiffed

intoxicated, drunk

squiffy

Brit.  intoxicated; drunk  Austral.  askew, skew-whiff

stamagast

[fr. dial stam, to astonish + ag(h)ast (?)]

Brit dial.  a great and sudden disappointment, an unpleasant surprise

steatopygia

an excessive development of fat on the buttocks, esp. of females

steganography

1) archaic  cryptography

2) the art of concealing a message, image, or file within another message, image, or file

stellify

to turn into a star: place among the stars

stelliscript

nonce-word  writing in the stars

stentorian

[fr. Stentor, a Gk warrior with a powerful voice]  /sten TOR ee un/

of the voice: loud, like that of Stentor; also stentorious

stercoranist

a disparaging nickname given to one who holds that the consecrated elements of the Eucharist undergo digestion in and evacuation from the body of the recipient

stercoration

the act of spreading manure; generally, the excrement of animals

sternutation

the act, fact or noise of sneezing; a sneeze

stertorous

[fr. stertor, a heavy snoring sound; fr. L. stertere, to snore]

1) characterized by a harsh snoring or gasping sound: exhibiting or marked by stertor

2) marked by snoring

hence stertorously and stertorousness

stichomythia

[ab. Gk., speaking in alternating lines]  /STIK uh MITH ee uh/  (also stichomythy)

an ancient Greek mode of dialogue in drama, poetry, and disputation in which two actors deliver alternating lines; also applied to modern imitations of this

stickit

Scot.  unfinished; having failed esp in an intended profession

stillicide

a succession of drops of water, esp. falling from the eaves of a house

stime

Scot.  glimmer, glimpse

stingo

strong ale or beer; zest or zip

stiver

1) a Dutch coin worth a penny or two 2) something of little value

stocious

Irish slang  drunk, intoxicated

stodgy

Brit. slang  of a thick, semi-solid consistency; of food: thick, glutinous; of a meal: heavy, hard to get through

stonk

a heavy concentration of military fire

loosed a ~ on them and wiped them off the face of the earth

stonker

[Austral] 1) to hit hard: knock unconcious

2) to baffle completely: outwit, foil

stonking

[Brit] 1) impressively large 2) an intensifier

a ~ good time

stoush

[Austral. or NZ slang] [v] to thrash or beat (a person); to fight

[n] fighting; a brawl or fight, a scrap

stramash

disturbance, racket; crash, smashup

stramineous

[fr. L. stramen, straw]  /struh MIN ius/  

1) consisting of or relating to straw; fig., worthless

2) Bot.  straw-colored; dull pale yellow

strappado

[ad. F. strapade, estrapade, ad. It. strappata, fr. strappare to drag]

obs. exc. hist.  a form of punishment or of torture to extort confession in which the victim's hands were tied behind his back and secured to a pulley; he was then hoisted from the ground and dropped partway back with a jerk; also an application of this punishment or torture; also the device so used

stravage

[prob. by shortening and alteration fr. extravagate]  /struh VAIG/

chiefly Scot.  saunter, stroll, wander

strepitant

[fr. L. strepere, to make noise]  also strepitous

clamorous, noisy, boisterous (strepitous found chiefly in musical criticism)

stridulate

to make a shrill creaking noise by rubbing together special bodily structures -- used esp. of male insects (as crickets or grasshoppers)

strigil

an instrument used by ancient Romans/Greeks for scraping the skin esp. after the bath

stroppiness

UK  obstreperousness, unruliness, rebelliousness

stroppy

Brit.  touchy, belligerent

struldbrug

the appellation given to the immortals in Gulliver's Travels who were incapable of dying but continued to exist in a state of miserable decrepitude, regarded as legally dead, and receiving a small pittance from the state -- hence in allusive uses

struthious

of or relating to ostriches or related birds

stultiloquence

foolish or senseless talk; babble; twaddle

stumer

[origin unknown]  /STJU me(r)/  Brit. slang

1) a bad check; counterfeit money; a sham

2) generally: something which is worthless; a failure, a flop, a dud

3) (also stuma) a state of agitation; a sweat or 'stew'

stupiditarian

nonce-word  one whose ruling principle is stupidity (from stupidity, after humanitarian etc.)

stygian

of or relating to the river Styx; extremely dark; infernal, gloomy; inviolable

stylite

[fr. Gk stylos, pillar]  a Christian ascetic living atop a pillar

stylometry

[fr. style + -metry]  the study of the chronology and development of an author's work based especially on the recurrence of particular turns of expression or trends of thought; hence, stylometrics and stylometrist (or stylometrician)

suasible

capable of being persuaded; easily persuaded

subboreal

extremely cold

subderisorious

rare  ridiculing with moderation

subdolous

[fr. L. subdolus]  /SUB-du-lus/  now rare  crafty, cunning, sly

subfusc

Brit.  drab, dusky

subhumerate

[fr. sub- + L. humerus, shoulder]  to place the shoulders under; to bear upon the shoulders

subreption

[fr .L. subripere, surripere to take away secretly]  /sub REP shun/

a deliberate misrepresentation, or an inference drawn from it

subreptitious

fraudulently obtained; surreptitious; so, subreptiously

subrogate

to substitute for another with regard to a legal right or claim

succedaneous

subrogated, substituted

succedaneum

/suksi DAY nee um/  a thing which (rarely, a person who) replaces or serves in place of another; a substitute

succubus

a demon assuming female form to have intercourse with men in their sleep

succussatory

characterized by up-and-down vibrations of short amplitude -- used of an earthquake

sudatorium

a sweat room in a bath

sudorific

causing or inducing sweat: diaphoretic

suffisance

[ad. late L. sufficientia]  1) obs.  sufficiency; plenty; abundance; contentment

2) after F. suffisance  excess of self-confidence, conceit

suffonsified

[perhaps a blend of sufficiency and fancified]  (also sophonsified, suffancified, suronsified, etc.)

regional(?)  used in phrases to politely refuse more food at a meal: full; e.g., I am sufficiently sophonsified!

suine

[fr. L. sus, pig; cf. suinus, swine]  /SUI ain/  nonce-word  pig-like, porcine

Forget not Madam Grissel Steevens nor the suine scions of the house of Lambert. - James Joyce, Ulysses

sumph

Scot.  a dunce, a blockhead

sumptuary

designed to regulate extravagant expenditures or habits especially on moral or religious grounds   sumptuary laws

superannuate

to become retired; to become antiquated

superannuated

[fr. L. superannuatus]  of persons: disqualified or incapacitated by age; old and infirm; of things: impaired by age, worn out; antiquated, obsolete, out of date

superbity

haughtiness, arrogance

supercilious

haughtily contemptuous

supererogation

the act of performing more than is required by duty, obligation or need

supererogatory

1) observed or performed to an extent not enjoined or required

2) exceeding what is needed: superfluous

superhumerate

a spurious word, error in Richardson's Dict. for subhumerate  [?] to carry on the shoulders

superjacent

lying above or upon: overlying

supernacular

very good; first rate

supernal

1) being or coming from on high; heavenly, ethereal

2) located in or belonging to the sky

supinity

[fr. L. supinus, lying on the back]  obs.  supineness: inertness; sluggishness

suppedaneum

a support for the feet of a crucified person, projecting from the vertical shaft of the cross

supputation

obs.  an act of calculating or computing; a method of reckoning; calculation, computation, reckoning

surbate

to make footsore; to harass or fatigue

surd

[fr. L. surdus, speechless]

1) Math.  irrational; fig. : lacking sense: irrational

2) Linguistic  voiceless, used of speech sounds

surdaster

[fr. L. surdus, deaf + -aster, not genuine]  inkhorn term  deaf person; a little deaf

suresby

obs.  one to be sure of, or to be relied on

surquedry

obs.  arrogance; haughty pride; presumption

surseance

[F.] obs.  cessation or suspension (of hostilities), peace; quiet

suspercollate

[fr. the abbreviation of L. suspendatur per collum (sus. per coll.), 'let him be hanged by the neck' in the entry of a capital sentence in a jailer's books]  to hang by the neck

"None of us Duvals have been suspercollated to my knowledge." -Thackeray

suspire

to sigh

sussultatory

[fr. It. sussultare to leap up, heave]  /suh SAL tuh toe ree/

characterized by up-and-down vibrations of large amplitude -- used of an earthquake

sustention

[fr. sustain, after such pairs as retain : retention, detain : detention]  /suh STEN chen/

an act or instance of sustaining; the state or quality of being sustained

suttee

the act of a Hindu widow willingly being cremated on the funeral pyre of her husband

suzerain

an overlord

suzerainty

[F. suzeraineté]  /SU zeh ren tee/  the dominion of a suzerain: overlordship

swacked

[fr. Sc. swack, to gulp, swill]  drunk, intoxicated

swasivious

/swa SIV ee uhs/  obs.  agreeably persuasive

swedge

/swedj/  to leave without paying

sweven

archaic  a dream, vision

swingeing

/SWI njin/ or /SWIN jeen/  Brit.  whopping, capital

swink

archaic  [n] labor, toil  [v] to labor, toil, work hard; to exert oneself, take trouble

swinkful

obs.  full of toil or trouble; disastrous; troublesome, irksome; painful, distressing

swith

[fr. OE swithe, strongly]

1) obs.  strongly, forcibly; extremely, excessively  2) chiefly dial.  instantly, quickly

swivet

a state of extreme agitation: tizzy

syllogomania

[fr. Gk sylloge, collecting + -mania]   /SIL eh jo mania/?  compulsive hoarding

sylph

[NL sylpha]  /silf/  a slender graceful woman or girl

symphoric

[fr. Gk sumphora, mishap, calamity]  /sim FOR ik/

accident prone, clumsy  elderly and increasingly symphoric - D. Grambs

syncategorem

[ad. L. syncategorema, a. Gk]  /sin KAT uh gor rem/

Logic  a word which cannot be used by itself as a term, but only in conjunction with another word or words: e.g. a sign of quantity (as all, some, no), or an adverb, preposition, or conjunction; hence syncategorematic, of the nature of a syncategorem, also in extended uses in linguistic analysis

synchronoptic

two or more things seen at the same time by one person

syncretic

brought about by fusion of forms of belief/practice

syncretism

1) reconciliation or union of conflicting beliefs or an effort intending such

2) flagrant compromise in religion or philosophy

3) the union or fusion of two or more originally different inflectional forms

syne

[OE siththan, since]   Scot.  [prep] since  [adv] since then: ago

syneidesis

[L.]  /sin uh DEE sis/  (see also synteresis)

Theol.  that part of conscience which is concerned with passing judgement on acts already performed  

synoptic

[ad. Gk. synoptikos]  /si NAHP tik/

1) affording a general view of some subject; spec. depicting weather conditions over a broad area   a synoptic study of polar air masses

2) chacterized by a comprehensive mental view of something   the synoptic genius of Einstein

3) giving an account of events from a common viewpoint   the synoptic Gospels

synteresis

[L.]  /sin tuh REE sis/  (also synderesis)

Theol.  that part of conscience which serves as a guide for conduct; conscience as directive of one's actions

syzygy

alignment of 3 celestial bodies

T

tabescent

[fr. L. tabes, a wasting away]  progressively wasting away

tachydidaxy

rare  a short or rapid method of teaching

tacturiency

[fr. L. tangere, to touch]  obs. nonce-word  the desire of touching

talaria

small wings or winged shoes represented as fastened to the ankles, chiefly used as an attribute of Mercury or Hermes

talion

punishment in kind; an eye for an eye... (lex talionis in legalese)

talionic

pertaining to revenge in kind

tammany

generally, any corrupt political organization (from Tammany Hall, in New York City)

tantivy

[adv] in a headlong dash

[n] 1) a rapid gallop 2) the blare of a trumpet or horn, as at a fox hunt

tapetless

Scot.  senseless

taphephobia

the morbid fear of being buried alive

taphophile

one who loves cemeteries and funerals (see Harold, in "Harold and Maude")

taradiddle

a fib

tarantism

a disorder characterized by an uncontrollable urge to dance attributed popularly to the bite of a tarantula

tarassis

[fr. Gk tarasso(?), to trouble the mind, confound, agitate, disturb, disquiet]  /tuh RASS iss/

male hysteria  {Mrs. Byrne}?

Tardis

[TARDIS (acronym: Time And Relative Dimensions In Space), the name in the science-fiction BBC television series Doctor Who (first broadcast in 1963) of a time machine outwardly resembling a police telephone box, yet inwardly much larger.] allusively  something resembling or likened to Doctor Who's TARDIS; spec. (a) a thing seemingly from another time (past or future); (b) a thing which has a larger capacity than its outward appearance suggests; a building, etc., that is larger on the inside than it appears from the outside

tartarean

[from Gk Tartaros]  of or relating to Tartarus: infernal, hellish

the Tartarean gloom in which he found himself - Edith Sitwell

tartuffery

hypocrisy

tathagatagarbha

the eternal and absolute essence of all reality, according to Buddhism

tatterdemalion

1) ragged or disreputable in appearance, being in a decayed state: dilapidated  2) beggarly, disreputable

tatum

[named to evoke the rapid-fire piano playing of jazz keyboardist, Art Tatum]

Music  the smallest perceptual time interval between successive notes in a rhythmic phrase

tautology

needless repetition of an idea, statement or word; a redundant (tautologous) statement

tautoousian

[fr. Gk words meaning the same + essence]  /tau to OU sian/ (also tautousious)

rare  having absolutely the same essence; being identically of the same nature (used in Theology)

tawpie

Scot.  a foolish or awkward young person

taxon

a group of plants or animals classified according to their presumed natural relationships

taxonomist

a specialist in taxonomy (systematics; classification)

tchotchke

a knickknack, trinket  (see also bibelot)

teetotaciously

[fanciful elaboration of teetotally {OED2}, t(otal) + total + -ly]

U.S. dial.  totally, completely, absolutely

tegestology

[fr. L. tegetis, covering, mat]  the collecting of beer mats or coasters; thus, tegestologist

telamon

a draped male figure used like a caryatid as a supporting column or pilaster: atlas

teleology

the doctrine that final causes exist in nature

telic

tending toward an end

tellurian

an earthling

telos

an ultimate end

temerarious

/tem eh RARE ee us/  marked by temerity

temerity

rash or presumptuous daring

temulent

intoxicated, drunken [inkhorn term]

tendentious

biased

tenebrific

1) gloomy  2) causing gloom or darkness

it brightens the tenebrific scene - Robert Burns

tenebrous

shut off from the light: gloomy, obscure

tenesmus

medical  a distressing but ineffectual urge to evacuate the rectum or bladder

tentiginous

1) stiff or strained   2) sensuous, lascivious, lustful

tenty

Scot.  attentive, watchful

teratism

[Gk terat, marvel, monster + -ism]   /TER eh tizm/

1) an anomaly of organic form and structure: monstrosity  (also teratosis, Medical)

2) love of the marvelous; worship of monsters

teratology

the study of malformations, monstrosities or serious deviations from the normal type in organisms

tergiversate

[L. tergiversari, fr. versare, to turn]

1) to use evasions or ambiguities: equivocate  2) to change sides: apostatize

tergiversation

desertion; equivocation

teritoepiest

[origin unknown]  /?/  bombastic nonsense word(?)

termagancy

a scolding disposition, habitual bad temper: shrewishness

termagant

a shrew; a hard, overbearing woman

terp

[Frisian]  an artificial mound or hillock, the site of a prehistoric village

terp

theater slang  'stage dancer' or chorus girl

terrenity

the quality or condition of being earthy; (conc.) earthy matter

terriculament

[L. terriculament-um, bugbear]  /ter RIK yoo la ment/

obs.  a source or object of needless dread; a bugbear   childhood terriculaments

terroir

[F.] the situation in which wine is made

tessellated

having a checkered appearance (from tessera, used in mosaics)

testamur

[L., we testify] UK, in university use  a certificate from the examiners that a candidate has satisfied them; also, a certificate generally

testudinal

[fr. L. testudo, tortoise] of, relating to, or resembling a tortoise

testudinarious

of a tortoise shell

testudineous

[fr. L. testudine-us]  /tes tju DIN eus/

1) like the shell of a tortoise {Blount}  2) slow, like a tortoise

testudo

[L.]  /tes TOO doe/  a cover of overlapping shields or a shed wheeled up to a wall used by the ancient Romans to protect an attacking force

tetchous

U.S. dial.  easily irritated or made angry; short-tempered; peevish, irritable; testy: tetchy

tetrabard

[fr. L tetra-, four + bard (Shakespeare)]

neologism  a unit of vocabulary : 60,000 words; hence, a tetrabardian vocabulary is one of that size

tetragram

a four-letter word (see next)

tetragrammaton

[Gk, four-letter word] spec. the Hebrew word written YHWH or JHVH, vocalized as YaHWeH or JeHoVaH; often substituted for the ineffable name of God

tetrapyloctomy

nonce-word  "The art of splitting a hair four ways" according to Umberto Eco in Foucault's Pendulum

thagomizer

[coined by Gary Larson]  the cluster of spikes at the end of a stegosaurus' tail

thanatophilia

an undue fascination with death

thanatopsis

a meditation upon death

thanksgive

[by back-formation] to give thanks (for)

thaumaturge

a performer of miracles, esp a magician

theanthropy

a belief in the union of divine and human

theiform

[L. fr. thea, tea + -form]  /THEa form/

having the form of tea; resembling the tea plant

thenar

the fleshy part (ball) of the thumb

theodicy

defense of God's goodness and omnipotence in view of the existence of evil

theologaster

[NL, fr. theologus + -aster; cf. poetaster]  /the AL uh gas te(r)/

a shallow theologian, esp. one who pretends to possess great theological knowledge; a theological quack

theomachy

1) fighting against or amongst the gods

2) opposition to the divine will

theomancy

[fr. Gk theos, god + -mancy, divination]

divination by the responses of oracles supposed to be divinely inspired

theopneustic

[fr. Gk theos + pneustos, inspired]  /THE op neus tic/  given by divine inspiration

theopneusty

[see prvious]  /THE op neus ty/  divine inspiration

therblig

in time-and-motion study, a unit of work or absence of work into which an industrial operation may be divided

[anagrammatic formation by partial reversal of the name of its inventor, F. B. Gilbreth (1868-1924), American engineer and pioneer of time-and-motion studies.]

therianthropic

[fr. Gk therianthropos, beast-man]

1) combining human and animal form : therianthropic deity

2) relating to religions in which the deities worshiped are partly human and partly animal in form

therianthropy

a transformation into animal form, such as lycanthropy

theriomaniac

[fr. Gk combining form; dim. of ther, wild beast]  nonce-word  one who has a mania for hunting wild beasts

theriomorphic

[fr. Gk theriomorphos < therion, wild animal + morphe, form]

having the form of a beast  theriomorphic gods

theriomorphism

[see previous]  the belief that gods exist in animal form

thersitical

loud and abusive, scurrilous

theurgy

the art/technique of compelling or persuading a god to do or refrain from doing something

thirlable

[fr. OE thirl: hole, perforation]  obs. rare  that may be thirled or pierced; penetrable

thixotropy

/thik SOT ro py/  the property of certain gels of becoming fluid when agitated and of reverting back to a gel when left to stand

tholing

archaic  suffering, enduring

thrapple

[origin obscure]  /THRAPul/

Scot.  [n] the throat, windpipe  [v] to throttle, strangle

thrasonical

bragging, boastful

threnody

a song of lamentation for the dead, elegy

throstling

[prob. in origin a misprint or other error for throttling]

spurious word [?] A disease of bovine cattle, consisting of a swelling under the throat, which, unless checked, causes strangulation. - Webster's Revised Unabridged, 1913 (orig. in 1828 Webster; but not known to Vet. Surgery)

thuggee

[fr. Indian thag, thief]  murder and robbery by thugs

thylacine

[fr. NL Thylacinus, genus of marsupials, < Gk thylakos sack, pouch]

the Tasmanian Wolf: a somewhat doglike carnivorous marsupial that formerly inhabited Tasmania but is now considered extinct -- called also Tasmanian Tiger

thyrsus

a staff tipped with a pine cone and twined with ivy, carried by Bacchus, Dionysian revelers and satyrs

tiddledies

[origin unknown]  soft flexible ice, or chunks of floating ice

timber-head

[timber + head]  also, timbernonce(?)

Melville's slang usage  a blockhead

"Don't you see, you timber-head, that no harm can come to the holder of the rod, unless the mast is first struck?" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick

tinnitus

a sensation of noise (as a ringing or roaring) that is purely subjective

tintinnabulation

the ringing or sounding of bells; a jingling or tinkling sound

titivate

to spruce up or adorn

titivil

[L. Tutivillus, of unknown origin]  /tit uh vil/  obs.

1) a name for a demon or devil in the mystery plays, said to collect fragments of words dropped, skipped, or mumbled in the recitation of divine service, and to carry them to hell, to be registered against the offender

2) a term of reprobation: a bad or vile character, scoundrel, knave, villain  b) esp. a tattletale

titubation

a nervous condition marked by staggering

tmesis

separation of the parts of a word by insertion of another word (linguists refer to tmesis as a type of infixation)

tocsin

an alarm

toey

[toe + -y]  /TOE ee/  Austral. informal  nervous, anxious; frisky(?)

tohu-bohu

[F.] that which is empty and formless; chaos; utter confusion (also tohubohu)

tokoloshe

an evil spirit; a supernatural being that does the work of witches

ton

[F.]  the fashion, vogue or mode

tongue-shot

[tongue + shot, range or distance]  speaking or talking distance, voice-range

tonitruone

[see next] a device or instrument for imitating thunder

tonitruous

[fr. L tonitruare, to thunder]   /tu NI tru ous/  (also tonitruant)

thundering, fulminating

tonsure

the shaven crown worn by monks; a bald spot resembling same

tontine

a financial arrangement whereby the last living member of the group gets the whole

toper

a drunkard

topiary

the art of tree or shrub shaping

topos

[Gk, short for (koinos) topos, (common)place]  /TOE pos/

a stock rhetorical theme or topic; a literary convention

torpor

dullness, apathy; lethargy

torschlusspanik

[G., lit. 'shut gate panic'] a sense of alarm or anxiety (said to be experienced particularly in middle age) caused by the feeling that life's opportunities are passing (or have passed) one by; spec. that manifested in an aging woman who longs to discover the excitement of youth, and who fears being left 'on the shelf'

tortiloquy

[fr. late or med.L. tortiloquium < tortus, crooked + loqui, to speak]

obs. rare  crooked talk {Blount, 1656}

tosspot

toper, drunkard

totipotent

[fr. L. toti-, fr. totus : whole + potent; cf. omnipotent]  /toe TIP oh tent/

Biol.  capable of developing into a complete organism or differentiating into any of its cells or tissues; also gen.

totipotent blastomeres

toxophilite

one fond of or expert at archery

tracasserie

[F.] chiefly in pl.  a state of disturbance or annoyance; a turmoil, bother, fuss; an embroilment, a petty quarrel, a tempest in a teapot

traduce

to malign

tragolimia

in a man, an overwhelming and indiscriminate urge to have sex with any woman, regardless of her looks or age

trainspotter

figurative sense  person who collects trivial information of any sort

tramontane

1) the north wind (of the Mediterranean)  [also tramontana]

2) someone from beyond the mountain; a stranger, a foreigner

transdiurnal

nonce-word  that which is beyond the confines of day

transpicuous

clearly seen through or understood

transpontine

situated on the other or far side of the bridge (in London, south of the Thames)

transvection

[fr. L. trans, across + vehere, to carry]  /trans VEK shun/

1) obs.  the act of carrying from one place to another

2) Math.  a method for deriving invariants and covariants

3) witchcraft  flying on something via magical powers

traulism

[fr. Gk traulismos]   /TRA lizem/  stammering, stuttering

trebuchet

[fr. OF trebucher, to overthrow]

also trebucket  /treb yeh SHET/  or  /treb eh KET/

a medieval catapult, a heavy siege engine for hurling large stones and other missiles

treeware

[tree + -ware, after hardware, software, etc.]

computing slang, freq. humorous  documentation or other printed material

tregetour

/TREJ i tur/  a street magician or juggler

trencherman

a hearty eater

trendoid

[blend of trend + android]  /TREN doid/

usu. disparaging  [adj] trendy  [n] a trendy person

trepanation

/treh puh NAY shun/  surgical removal of sections of bone from the skull

trepid

fearful; agitated; trembling

trepidacious (or trepidatious)

(overwrought word for) trepid

trepidity

apprehension

treppenwitz

[G.] wit of the stairs: l'esprit d'escalier [F.]  cf. afterwit (also, stairwit)

trews

1) full-length trousers worn by Scot regiments

2) close-cut tartan drawers sometimes worn under the kilt in Highland dress

trianon

a small, elegant villa; usu. on the grounds of a large estate

tribadism

lesbianism

tribology

the study of friction and lubrication

triboluminescence

luminescence due to friction

trichoptilosis

?/tri kop ti LO sis/?  a longitudinal splitting of hair fiber better known as split ends

trichotillomania

the abnormal urge to pull out one's hair

trimalchion

of or relating to a banquet for gourmands  (after The Banquet of Trimalchio from The Satyricon)

triolet

an eight-line poem of the form AB aA ab AB

tripos

a final honors examination at Cambridge university, orig. in Mathematics

tripudiate

[fr. L. tripudiare, to dance]  rare  

1) to dance, skip, or leap for joy; to exult  2) to trample, stamp, or jump upon in contempt or triumph

trireme

an ancient galley having three banks of oars

triskaidekaphobia

fear of the number thirteen

tristesse

melancholy

tristful

sad, mournful

tritagonist

Greek drama  the actor who plays the role third in importance in a play

triturate

to crush or grind

trivium

[L., crossroads (three roads)]  /TRIV eum/

the lower division of the seven liberal arts in medieval schools, comprising grammar, logic, and rhetoric; cf. quadrivium

trope

a figure of speech

trot

archaic  an old woman; a hag

trothplight

betrothal

trout-tickling

guddling

trouvaille

[F., from trouver, to find]  /troo-VYE/  something discovered by chance; a windfall

trucidation

[fr. L. trucidare, to slaughter]  /tru ci DAY shun/  obs.  a cruel killing or murdering

truckling

acting in a subservient manner; bending obsequiously: submitting

trumpery

worthless nonsense; trivial or useless articles: junk

truthiness

[fr. truth via truthy]  1) obs. rare  truthfulness, faithfulness

2) nonce usage  the quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true

tsunami

[Jap.] a great sea wave produced by submarine earth movement or volcanic eruption

tucket

a fanfare on a trumpet

  ...Then let the trumpets sound

       The tucket sonance and the note to mount - Shakespeare

tubster

one who preaches from a tub; a dissenting preacher or minister  cf. tub-thumper

tub-thumper

a speaker or preacher who for emphasis thumps the pulpit; a violent or declamatory preacher or orator; a ranter

tufthunter

Brit.  someone that seeks association with persons of title or high social status: snob; a toady

tulgey

[nonsense word coined by 'Lewis Carroll' (C. L. Dodgson)]

applied to a wood(s); (usu. interpreted as) thick, dense, and dark; also fig.

tumblebug

dung beetle

tumbrel

a farm tipcart; a vehicle carrying condemned persons to a place of execution

tummler

[fr. Yiddish tumler]  /TOOM ler/  

1) one, such as a social director or entertainer, who encourages guest or audience participation

2) one who incites others to action

tump

regional  to tip or turn over esp. accidentally; to cause to tip over: overturn, upset -- usually used with over

tumulous

/TU myu lus/  an artifical hillock; esp. an ancient burial mound

tunket

U.S. dial.  euphemism for hell; as in what in tunket?

turbid

1) thick or opaque with/as if with roiled sediment; heavy with smoke or mist

2) deficient in clarity or purity: foul, muddy

turdine

characteristic of thrushes

tushery

writing of poor quality distinguished esp. by the affected choice of archaic words

twee

Brit.  affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute or quaint

twitterpated

nonce-word  love-struck, smitten

Nearly everybody gets twitterpated in the springtime. - Friend Owl, Bambi

typoglycemia

[fr. Gk typos : image, type; after hypoglycemia]

the fanciful name given to the mind's ability to read misspelled words

tyro

a novice or beginner

tzigane

a gypsy

ultimately

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