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A Book of Words
words I didn't know before,
words that are precise or concise beyond more familiar alternatives,
words that seem useless, but are apparently in use,
words with a surprising or appropriate juxtaposition of senses,
words which have been unfairly left out of crossword puzzles,
words that preserve or transform a root sense,
words whose meaning should have been obvious,
words that come in odd groups,
words intriguing in themselves.
(Definitions for each set of words are available from the question-mark link.)
- ?
- argil
- gyttja
- tephra
- malm
- gangue
- bole
- drumlin
- stade
- edaphon
- ?
- haffet
- inion
- chine
- tragus
- gena
- buccinator
- nares
- sural
- pollex
- hallux
- paxwax
- minimus
- thenar
- hypothenar
- ?
- awn
- horrent
- horripilation
- seta
- hispid
- glochis
- aristate
- hirtellous
- strigose
- calvities
- crine
- buzzwig
- pelage
- peruke
- postiche
- penicil
- chaetotaxy
- ?
- nervuration
- Anopheles
- Aedes
- ciberian
- suctorial
- haustellum
- punkie
- dor
- fecula
- setireme
- aedeagus
- ?
- anguine
- anguilliform
- grig
- sniggle
- spitchcock
- ort
- flummery
- duff
- duff
- duff
- prove
- burgoo
- brawn
- fress
- shaddock
- saloop
- salep
- soja
- prairie oyster
- ?
- auxesis
- sorosis
- ramet
- sensillum
- zoon
- zoogloea
- brei
- broo
- ?
- embus
- togate
- superciliary
- deratize
- evitable
- papable
- abdominous
- interrex
- torrefy
- tepefy
- monokini
- inenarrable
- ampliate
- resile
- squush
- grum
- glumpy
- sthenic
- feck
- embacle
- debacle
- opuscule
- vegetably
- bloodnoun
- pickleworm
- ?
- pannus
- aniseikonia
- syllepsis
- anisocoria
- zeugma
- seiche
- hippus
- eustacy
- anacoluthon
- ?
- Dutch gold
- ormolu
- tombac
- oroide
- billon
- pinchbeck
- Prince Rupert's metal
- Mannheim gold
- skewing
- clinquant
- latten
- ?
- panopticon
- glabella
- quaquaversal
- zugzwang
- linn
- dalles
- swallet
- infundibuliform
- cuniculus
- anfractuous
- white damp
- ?
- balderdash
- mazer
- mountain dew
- tyg
- caudle cup
- fuddling cup
- puzzle jug
- dobbin
- perry
- jorum
- coin glass
- grog lifter
- verjuice
- monteith
- coaching glass
- sneaky pete
- skinking
- shilpit
- slumgullion
- mustache cup
- air twist
- concinnous
- ?
- anteater
- ?
- ilex
- squirting cucumber
- animated oat
- neep
- fimble
- forb
- scrog
- dumb cane
- pepo
- pelargonium
- cauliflorous
- eddo
- culm
- silique
- encina
- dionaea
- ?
- love arrows
- Pehlevi
- ratoon
- howff
- /sub specie aeternitatis/
- nymphae
- sycee
- goliard
- liquidambar
- propolis
- ?
- incarnadine
- fuscous
- kermes
- cochineal
- lateritious
- aeneous
- bistre
- puccoon
- fulvous
- ponceau
- glaucous
- orchil
- peachblow
- cudbear
- perse
- anil
- merle
- atroceruleous
- fuliginous
- animal black
- lyard
- blae
- griseous
- ?
- mixt
- gemel
- swoose
- sucket fork
- runcible spoon
- opisthograph
- liger
- cherry-bob
- tiglon
- ginglymus
- twibill
- splake
- recto/verso
- bracteate
- gemel bottle
- amphigenous
- ?
- biennial
- biannual
- prolepsis
- apophasis
- enantiosis
- tmesis
- battology
- enallage
- hypallage
- dextrocardia
- hyperbaton
- ?
- rood
- ternion
- tierce
- tod
- pica
- heer
- ligne
- dol
- koku
- grex
- oxgang
- carucate
- parasang
- momme
- stere
- ?
- fistnote
- jukebox
- panel house
- mundify
- ecthlipsis
- sool
- towser
- skite
-
- ?
- triad
- tetrad
- pentad
- hexad
- hebdomad
- ogdoad
- ennead
- decade
- chiliad
- ?
- propadeutic
- adumbrate
- cinereous
- decussate
- enchiridion
- glacis
- ?
- succinic
- nacre
- amber
- ambergris
- paronym
- naker
- paregmenon
- raggle
- regle
- tatpurusha
- strickle
- croze
- bahuvrihi
- howel
- fillister
- calque
- ?
- mora
- vocable
- reduct
- cheville
- plumper
- caprifig
- ?
- psellism
- battology
- ploce
- psittacism
- pleonasm
- gemination
- mussitation
- floccilation
- ?
- ganosis
- druse
- Mohorovi\vcić discontinuity
- kenning
- crizzle
- whin
- skintle
- rimose
- frazil
- winnow
- ?
- aleuromancy
- cleromancy
- sortilege
- axinomancy
- ?
- paranymph
- paradoctor
- paradiddle
- taradiddle
- paralipomena
- paralepsis
- ?
- glyptics
- curiosa
- sphragistics
- pyrognostics
- ana
- thaumatology
- koniology
- cryptometer
- arcanist
- ?
- abraxas
- morion
- padparadschah
- Venus hairstone
- prase
- balas
- schorl
- carbonado
- ustulate
- carbonado
- girasol
- adularescent
- smaragd
- pyrope
- macle
- ?
- mackle
- pi
- friar
- monk
- minikin
- brilliant
- pearl
- agate
- nonpareil
- emerald
- minion
- brevier
- bourgeois
- long primer
- paragon
- ?
- cark
- adunc
- careen
- erotesis
- cleoid
- sugg
- klippe
- crosier
- ?
- ganymede
- brander
- pree
- historiated
- velvet ant
- mote spoon
- faconne
- mirador
- scroop
- ?
- sialoid
- vadose
- recrement
- emunctory
- chyme
- chyle
- sump
- blunge
- mundungus
- ?
- narghile
- benne
- kalian
- til
- hubble-bubble
- gingili
- ?
- rapt full
- strake
- vang
- kellet
- Cape Horn fever
- rainbow fashion
- ?
- coquina
- lory
- tombolo
- o-o
- Dutch wife
- nyctitropic
- arenicolous
- lagan
- benthos
- sapropel
- ?
- palisander
- deodand
- regulus
- basilic
- pulvinar
- praemunire
- claque
- King's Bounty
- ?
- grains
- razzia
- angel shot
- langrage
- brisance
- Mohock
- apache
- ?
- claver
- scaife
- scurf
- swarf
- humble pie
- exuviae
- numbles
- fitcher
- purtenance
- muscae volitantes
- crock
- chimaera
- ?
- liturgical east
- cantoris
- decani
- soteriology
- cimelia
- simony
- latria
- hyperdulia
- dulia
- dulocracy
- ?
- sequacious
- a^me damne'e
- bellwether
- wether
- lanate
- mortling
- gare
- abb
- roo
- dinmont
- teg
- moit
- tum
- suint
- fellmonger
- circling disease
- needfire
- ?
- piloti
- hade
- graben
- ha-ha
- horst
- porrect
- swale
- paludal
- alligate
- ?
- palinode
- pseudoscope
- cassation
- tain
- librate
- equivoque
- squeg
- diadochokinesia
- ?
- demonomania
- go-devil
- bottle imp
- sarcophile
- hoodoo
- catface
- clapperclaw
- hellgrammite
- decalcomania
- gibbous
- palpebrate
- ?
- cullet
- parison
- marver
- punty
- prunt
- merese
- moil
- murrhine glass
- grozing iron
- smalto
- smalt
- zaffer
- frigger
- end-of-day glass
- ?
- stithy
- mitis
- kish
- roke
- tough cake
- tin pest
- scoria
- waste waste
- Wollaston wire
- ?
- apostil
- nunatak
- Atmos clock
- lentic
- septentrional
- wiredraw
- eloign
- longueur
- bibliotaph
- ?
- wiredrawn
- filature
- clew
- shirr
- pebrine
- dupion
- filar
- daedal
- ?
- bagasse
- filasse
- S-twist / Z-twist
- linsey-woolsey
- grandrelle
- noil
- ixtle
- poil
- thrum
- ?
- ansa
- gyrose
- sulcus
- Grolier
- guilloche
- oblate/prolate
- cissoid/sistroid
- running dog
- synclastic
- wimple
- gyrovague
- ?
- isochasm
- almucantar
- aclinic line
- agonic line
- thalweg
- hachure
- ?
- secern
- alethiology
- agnoiology
- haecceity
- quiddity
- compossible
- antinomy
- elenchus
- porism
- misology
- organon
- omphaloskepsis
- ?
- palimscope
- novia
- quant
- probang
- lazy tongs
- jedding ax
- burin
- snath
- ?
- mithridate
- theriac
- bezoar
- saturnine
- mithridatism
- ?
- eyas
- coarctate
- coadunate
- vugg
- gurge
- giglet
- gimmal
- nodus
- arris
- mukade
- nuque
- nucha
- ?
- bine
- triple point
- uvala
- symphysis
- arcuate
- cernuous
- amadan
- ?
- scabble
- menhir
- dolmen
- sarsen
- cromlech
- graywether
- ?
- monadnock
- growen
- levigate
- glacial meal
- corrade
- detrition
- einkanter
- glacial milk
- dreikanter
- talus
- slickenside
- congelifraction
- congeliturbation
- smeddum
- ?
- gleet
- tabes
- hyatid
- volvulus
- lazar
- strangury
- rheum
- mucedinous
- favus
- chordee
- autotomy
- amadou
- congius
- noma
- ptosis
- ?
- shu
- tup
- ala
- zax
- fug
- mog
- ich
- gam
- pam
- neb
- aby
- eme
- xat
- kas
- lea
- taw
- haw
- ley
- ?
- valitudinarian
- clavus
- prosodemic
- festination
- ptisan
- hyperprosexia
- sjambok
- caries
- ?
- parget
- pargeting
- parging
- snecked
- sneck harling
- harl
- roughcast
- pebble dash
- depeter
- Gunite
-
-
- ?
- greenth
- treen
- breastsummer
- shredding
- brandreth
- cruck
- skive
- sypher
- planish
-
- ?
- grume
- adust
- stylite
- culm^1
- firefang
- karaburan
- dornick
- cruor
- pedesis
- ruddle
- ?
- katamorphism
- medlar
- knar
- knaggy
- ross
- edulcorate
- gribble
- nitid
- doty
- chenier
- wood
- candent
- devil-in-the-bush
- ?
- boondoggle
- anecdotage
- bungaloid
- bardolater
- indri
- slurvian
- bumf
- abusage
- galloping dandruff
- ?
- thylacine
- carnassial
- flews
- carcajou
- vibrissa
- discerptible
- lytta
- ?
- Era of Good Feeling
- New Thought
- Fletcherism
- Bantingism
- Year of Confusion
- Ido
- International Year of the Quiet Sun
- ?
- mawkish
- myiasis
- maggot
- whigmaleerie
- nef
- trangam
- orra
- breloque
- bibelot
- crank
- lumber
- ?
- merrythought
- abaptiston
- marcescent
- rutilant
- xyster
- kibble
- rongeur
- kerf
- cicatrix
- furcula
- ?
- sklent
- glime
- gliff
- gleg
- gley
- glunch
- glim
- glisk
- gleed
- gloze
- ?
- naked smut
- hardcore
- sarcastic fringehead
- tribble
- segregator
- mechanical twin
- sewer pill
- pallet knife
- kitchen police
- time immemorial
- ?
- eyebeam
- thrice
- lily iron
- seel
- wastrel
- serein
- ?
- armillary
- leman
- azoth
- virga
- alkahest
- reseau
- embrangle
- complect
- rete
- parataxis
- hololith
- ?
- maccaboy
- bedeguar
- tortile
- remontant
- rose engine
- peloria
- pleiomery
- verticil
-
-
- chandelle
- verticillaster
- umbel
- umbellule
- girandole
- tourbillion
- karrusel
- stackfreed
- tortillon
- vrille
- ?
- ichnite
- baetyl
- adret
- speos
- grisaille
- sweven
- rogue's yarn
- grimalkin
- discalced
- hirundine
- tenor/vehicle
- perpend
- Muse
- irrorate
- ?
- acouasm
- anoesis
- eisegesis
- surd
- ouphe
- heteroptics
- systemoid
- ghost word
- Ginnungagap
- dauerschlaf
- ?
- rote
- aiguille
- cochlea
- samara
- offing
- airlight
- volplane
- plangent
- ylem
- bourdon
- ?
- jow
- Jehu
- foudroyant
- grandsire
- fanfaron
- contravallation
- immure
- fulgurite
- pluton
- camouflet
- tailor
- ?
- peri
- hebetate
- abulia
- cacoe"thes
- nona
- velleity
- sciamachy
- ullage
- tare
- agio
- tret
- ?
- moschate
- vigia
- barghest
- hagseed
- bandog
- deray
- ?
- taphephobia
- felo-dese
- bioscopy
- fossor
- cerecloth
- gisant
- redivivus
- resurrection man
- flapdragon
- nim
- crambo
- bagatelle
- ?
- overlive
- burke
- torso murder
- fustigate
- immane
- noyade
- ?
- clapotis
- reflet
- schlieren
- wry
- laurence
- retrodirective
- pointel
- delitescent
- perdu
- ?
- gloriole
- halo of 22 degrees
- sundog
- Arc of Lowitz
- antitwilight arch
- parhelic circle
- anthelion
- zodiacal light
- false dawn
-
-
- noctilucent cloud
- Hevelian halo
- dark segment
- paraselene
- fogbow
- anticorona
- gegenschein
- heiligenschein
- ?
- alpenglow
- iceblink
- snowblink
- launlaufer
- skijoring
- sitzmark
- ne've'
- firn
- nisus
- nival
- streek
- lawine
- rax