Seldom-Used Words

Tio_Narratore said:

And did you know that at my college, Baudie, males and females matriculate together!

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For people you don't like: Ask them, in public, how often they premoralate.

They won't be able to figure out whether they're more embarrassed by what they've been asked or by the fact that they don't understand what they've been asked.

Don't bother looking the word up. It's one that I and a group of my friends made up many years ago.

CarlusMagnus said:

For people you don't like: Ask them, in public, how often they premoralate.

They won't be able to figure out whether they're more embarrassed by what they've been asked or by the fact that they don't understand what they've been asked.

Don't bother looking the word up. It's one that I and a group of my friends made up many years ago.

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I don't know, Big Carl; sounds like declaring a moral judgement before the act is performed...

...and I know many who are guilty of premoralation, and should be ashamed of themselves.

Might as well add this one to the mix;

prosaic - adj 1.a. characteristic of prose as distinguished from poetry: FACTUAL b. DULL, UNIMAGINATIVE 2. belonging to the everyday world: COMMOMPLACE

I encountered this word during my English History studies;

prorouge - verb 1. DEFER, POSTPONE 2. to terminate a session of (as a British parliment) by royal prerogative

We encountered it during the Conservative's recent stint as minority government when the Prime Minister used it to avoid a no-confidence vote.

Yes, Tio, I assumed it could still be used at any time. Thanks for giving us such a current example.

propriety - noun 1. obs: true nature 2. obs: a special characteristic: PECULIARITY 3. the quality or state of being proper 4.a. the standard of what is socially acceptable in conduct or speech: DECORUM b. fear of offending against conventional rules of behavior esp. between the sexes c. pl: the customs and manners of polite society

Here are some obscure words, that may tickle my lit- friends'.

Boanthropy: a type of insanity in which a man thinks he is an ox.
Cachinnation: loud or hysterical laughter.
Chanking: spat-out food (rinds or pits).
Cheiloproclitic: being attracted to a person's lips.
Dactylion: the tip of the middle finger.
Defenestration: the act of throwing someone or something out a window.
Dibble: to drink like a duck.
Diphallic terata: a disease in which a man has two penises.
Diplasiasmus: the incorrect doubling of a letter when spelling a word.
Dishabillophobia: the fear of undressing or undressing in front of someone.
Eyeservice: work done only while the boss is watching.
Farctate: the state of being stuffed with food (overeating).
Fremescence: the grumbling sound of an unhappy mob of people.
Gambrinous: being full of beer.
Grapholagnia: the urge to stare at obscene pictures.
Groak: to watch people eat hoping that they will offer you some of their food.
Gynotikolobomassophile: one who likes to nibble on a woman's earlobe.
Hebephrenic: a condition of adolescent silliness.
Lachanophobia: the fear of vegetables.
Lapling: someone who enjoys resting in women's laps.
Librocubicularist: one who reads in bed.
Logorrhea: excessive talking (or verbal diarrhea).
Misodoctakleidist: someone who hates practicing the piano.
.

Notophile: one who collects bank notes.
Oniochalasia: buying as a means of mental relaxation.
Pandiculation: stretching and yawning before going to bed or after waking up.
Parnel: a priest's stress.
Pilgarlic: a bald head that looks like a peeled garlic.
Polyorchid: a man who has at least three testicles.
Preantepenultimate: fourth from last.
Quisquilian: consisting of trash and rubbish.
Spermologer: one who collects trivia.
Suppedaneim: foot support for crucifix victims.
Timmynoggy: a device the saves time and labor.
Venustaphobia: the fear of beautiful women.
Viraginity: the masculine qualities of some women.
Wether: a castrated sheep.
Wheeple: a poor attempt at whistling.
Witzelsucht: a feebly attempt at humor.
Zarf: a holder of a handless coffee cup.

AllardChardon said:

I encountered this word during my English History studies;

prorouge - verb 1. DEFER, POSTPONE 2. to terminate a session of (as a British parliment) by royal prerogative

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In UK English the word is prorogue.The act is prorogation.

Origin: late Middle English: from Old French proroger; from Latin prorogare 'prolong, extend', from pro 'in front of, publicly' + rogare 'ask'.

But "wether" is still commonly used, mostly in the form "bellwether," referring usually to a riding or electoral district that "leads the Nation." That is, it's returns (or primaries, in the US) come in early, and they usually show the direction the rest of the country will take. The term comes from the "bellwether," a castrated goat that was used to lead sheep through a narrow passage to their slaughter.

A number of years ago, a Montreal sports writer referred to a player as the bellwether of the team. The player asked a teammate what the word meant, and his colleague answered him with the literal definition. "Phil," he explained, "the man said you were a castrated goat."

Tio_Narratore said:

But "wether" is still commonly used, mostly in the form "bellwether," referring usually to a riding or electoral district that "leads the Nation." That is, it's returns (or primaries, in the US) come in early, and they usually show the direction the rest of the country will take. The term comes from the "bellwether," a castrated goat that was used to lead sheep through a narrow passage to their slaughter.

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A very appropriate metaphor for what we all get on erection day…

Oops. Election day.

Og, I spelled prorogue incorrectly. I misspell rogue/rouge on a regular basis, so I suppose my altered brain did it, again. Lol

Welcome Spirited Woman. Those are some great obscure words. A few of them I actually recognize.

Tio, bellwether is defined as LEADER in my dictionary. It says it comes from belling the leader of a flock. Nothing about castrastion, though.

propound - vt to offer for consideration: PROPOSE

Uncastrated bucks, be they sheepor goats, are leaders of flocks and herds, but not followers of people. They arequite untractable, and for domestication, docility is essential. Hence...Wiki has a pretty good dictionary entry on it.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wether

AllardChardon said:

Og, I spelled prorogue incorrectly. I misspell rogue/rouge on a regular basis, so I suppose my altered brain did it, again. Lol

Welcome Spirited Woman. Those are some great obscure words. A few of them I actually recognize.

Tio, bellwether is defined as LEADER in my dictionary. It says it comes from belling the leader of a flock. Nothing about castrastion, though.

propound - vt to offer for consideration: PROPOSE

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I, too, switch rogue/rouge often, only remembering at the last moment that the elephant is GU and red face paint is UG..

But what would a rogue with rouge be? A cross-dresser, maybe? LOL

Tio, Thanks for the clarification on wether. I hope I don't misspell weather or whether, because the difference in definition could seriously askew my meaning.

proposition(2) - vt to make a proposal to; specif: to suggest sexual intercourse to

AllardChardon said:

But what would a rogue with rouge be? A cross-dresser, maybe? LOL

Tio, Thanks for the clarification on wether. I hope I don't misspell weather or whether, because the difference in definition could seriously askew my meaning.

proposition(2) - vt to make a proposal to; specif: to suggest sexual intercourse to

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Well, there are stories of pirates wearing makeup....

AllardChardon said:

But what would a rogue with rouge be?

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A renegade ready to paint the town red.

RJ, the best rogue face-painters had to be indigenous warriors, and I personally favor the American Indians for their originality.

We touched on this word earlier, but it was never actually defined here;

propinquity - noun 1. nearness of blood: KINSHIP 2. nearness in place or time: PROXIMITY

AllardChardon said:

RJ, the best rogue face-painters had to be indigenous warriors, and I personally favor the American Indians for their originality.

We touched on this word earlier, but it was never actually defined here;

propinquity - noun 1. nearness of blood: KINSHIP 2. nearness in place or time: PROXIMITY

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As my paternal grandmother was a member of the Mohawk (Kanien'gehaga) Nation of Akwesasne , I know of some painting, but my cousins and uncles never wore rouge, especially when we hunted

RjThoughts said:

As my paternal grandmother was a member of the Mohawk (Kanien'gehaga) Nation of Akwesasne , I know of some painting, but my cousins and uncles never wore rouge, especially when we hunted

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Well, my mother was Mohawk, and I had an uncle who wore rouge when he went out hunting on Saturday night.

Tio_Narratore said:

Well, my mother was Mohawk, and I had an uncle who wore rouge when he went out hunting on Saturday night.

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ROFL!!

We were "Elmer Fudding", be vewy vewy quiet, we'we hunting wabbit...and deer and pheasant and quail and and and..

RjThoughts said:

ROFL!!

We were "Elmer Fudding", be vewy vewy quiet, we'we hunting wabbit...and deer and pheasant and quail and and and..

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Oh! That kind of hunting.

Wait a minute! You're from NY! There's no pheasant or quail in Prospect Park! What were you drinking after the Powwows at the Ninth Street Y?

Good day, posters. I have a small gold compact with the red rouge my grandmother used to wear. It is much redder than the color I use, but back then, there weren't a lot of color choices. Truthfully, I have never used it to go hunting on a Saturday night. Should I give it a try?

propine(1) - vt chiefly Scot PRESENT, PLEDGE

propine(2) - noun Scot a gift in return for a favor

Tio_Narratore said:

Oh! That kind of hunting.

Wait a minute! You're from NY! There's no pheasant or quail in Prospect Park! What were you drinking after the Powwows at the Ninth Street Y?

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San Quentin quail?

A weekend wish for fun and frolic from me to you.

propensity - noun a natural inclination

Oh this is WONDERFUL and FASCINATING! I read weird old books lots of time and had to search for the definitions of lots of obscure words

Two of the latest (and do forgive me forgetting what books I read these in...)

Viraginity- Masculine qualities in a woman
yclept- By the name of; Called

Both stuck in my head and for different reasons. Yclept just LOOKS so spiffy, I can imagine some noble person talking: "Prithee knave by what art thou yclept? Speakest before thine head is lopped off!" *giggle* (Of course would that be 'yclept' or 'yclepted'? I NEVER found out what part of English it is or was.)

As for viraginity... Suffice to say my Partner has LOADS of qualities of a masculine nature.

-emi