Words that Send You to the Dictionary – See How Many You Know.
The NT Times put out this list of the top 15 words sending us diving in the dictionary for a definition. I knew 9, see how many you know…
sui generis – Being the only example of its kind; unique:
solopsistic -
- The theory that the self is the only thing that can be known and verified.
- The theory or view that the self is the only reality.
louche – dubious; shady; disreputable.
laconic – using few words; expressing much in few words
saturnine -
1.sluggish in temperament; gloomy; taciturn.
2.suffering from lead poisoning, as a person.
3.due to absorption of lead, as bodily disorders.
antediluvian -
1. of or belonging to the period before the Flood. Gen. 7, 8.
2.very old, old-fashioned, or out of date; antiquated; primitive: antediluvian ideas.
Epistemological – a branch of philosophy that investigates the origin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge.
Shibboleths -
1.a peculiarity of pronunciation, behavior, mode of dress, etc., that distinguishes a particular class or set of persons.
2.a slogan; catchword.
3.a common saying or belief with little current meaning or truth.
Penury -
1.extreme poverty; destitution.
2.scarcity; dearth; inadequacy; insufficiency.
Sumptuary -
1.pertaining to, dealing with, or regulating expense or expenditure.
2.intended to regulate personal habits on moral or religious grounds.
schadenfreude – satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else’s misfortune.
peripatetic -
–adjective
1.walking or traveling about; itinerant.
2.(initial capital letter
) of or pertaining to Aristotle, who taught philosophy while walking in the Lyceum of ancient Athens.
) of or pertaining to Aristotle, who taught philosophy while walking in the Lyceum of ancient Athens.3.(initial capital letter) of or pertaining to the Aristotelian school of philosophy.
) of or pertaining to the Aristotelian school of philosophy.–noun
4.a person who walks or travels about.
5.(initial capital letter) a member of the Aristotelian school.
) a member of the Aristotelian school.Abstruse -
1.hard to understand; recondite; esoteric: abstruse theories.
2.Obsolete. secret; hidden.
parlous -
1.perilous; dangerous.
2.Obsolete. clever; shrewd.
enervating – to deprive of force or strength; destroy the vigor of; weaken.
Andrew Groves said,
June 15, 2009 at 2:39 am
Tom, I hate to seem like a grammar Nazi, but the title of your post is bugging me.
“Word’s that send you to the Dictionary”…
Words doesn’t need an apostrophe.
Tom 1st said,
June 15, 2009 at 2:54 am
Dude, I totally changed that mistake on my facebook version, but forgot to do so here. Thanks for reminding me. I think my finger has a natural tic that makes it put those dang things everywhere.