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Words of the Day

AmorRoark

AmorRoark

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Jul 28, 2002
Messages
21,182
Hey all, at times I come upon words bluelighters use which I have no knowledge of what they mean. In a very recent example, a lovely bluelighter used the word 'charlatanism'. I was clueless so I looked it up. I now feel more informed about what the word means & feel comfortable using it in my vocabulary.

Essentially, this thread's purpose is to expand our personal vocabulary! Please only include words/terms that might actually be useful to a significant number of bluelighters. Even if you think 'everybody knows this' don't feel like your contribution is worthless... there's probably someone out there who can grow from your knowledge! Lets grow together. :)
 
Would this count? It's an abbreviation.
SCOTUS - Supreme Court of The United States.
Did science in college and did many many gov't classes including AP Gov't and never heard of that being used except for on here by Australians. I always just said supreme court and everyone knew I meant the one here in the US. I'm assuming its the same in Australia where if they say Supreme Court they mean the Australian one.

Do American's use SCOTUS or just say Supreme Court?
 
Deracinate [dih-ras-uh-neyt]

1.
to pull up by the roots; uproot; extirpate; eradicate.
2.
to isolate or alienate (a person) from a native or customary culture or environment.
 
ZYGGY - We generally use the Supreme Court or SC from my experience. If you're referring to a particular state's Supreme Court we just add the state's name before the title: e.g. Kansas Supreme Court. Though to complicate matters some states have different titles for their different levels of court jurisdiction. For example, New York's 'Supreme Court' is their general jurisdiction court (generally the first 'trial court').
 
What a lovely thread from a most lovely lady ;) <3

Since I obsess about words and their etymologies, I naturally love this thread!

Uraeus (You - Ray - ous): representation of the sacred asp or serpent on the headdress of ancient Egyptian* deities or kings. XIX. - Gr. ouraious, of Egyptian origin.

From the Oxford Concise Dictionary of English Etymology which I will be using throughout this thread, even if I think it is not as comprehensive as I'd like it to be. "XIX" refers to the earliest century the word had been recorded. Gr. means Greek. Green is my edit.

* My note: Today, the use of the word is not confined to Egyptians, but any people with such headdress.

tut40b.jpg
 
I love this thread already! :D

mawkish
mawk·ish (môksh)
adj.

1. Excessively and objectionably sentimental.

*Fun fact: It takes using a word 20-some times to actually learn it. (I saw 20-some as I cannot actually remember the number, but I do remember that it was in the twenties!)
 
gangbusters

a word that my grandmother uses to describe when noisy children make a sudden and loud entrance to a room or living space

"You kids need to stop coming in here all gangbusters"
 
^^ In Australia we have a totally different use of the word gangbusters. It's used as an adjective to describe someone/something's intensity of activity
e.g. "How's your new plant growing?"
"Yeah it's going gangbusters!"

:)
 
apocryphal: adj., unconfirmed or perhaps wholly false, typically said of a supposedly factual anecdote or account.

ex.: "The following story--though probably apocryphal--describes how..."

Origin: From the Greek apocryphon, meaning simply "hidden". The term was often used by the Gnostics to describe certain "secret" teachings that were intended only for them; later, Protestants used the term to refer to struck-through books of the Bible that Catholics still use because they weren't originally in the Hebrew Scriptures, writings that were hence invalid, leading to the present meaning of the term.
 
I'm sure I'll come up with a ton for this thread - I freakin looooovvve using words that are more nuanced and descriptive, as well as lots of underused "10 cent" words. :)

Mellifluous
mel·lif·lu·ous /məˈlɪfluəs/ [muh-lif-loo-uhs]
–adjective
1. sweetly or smoothly flowing; sweet-sounding: a mellifluous voice; mellifluous tones.
2. flowing with honey; sweetened with or as if with honey.

Origin: 1375–1425; late ME < LL mellifluus, equiv. to L melli- (s. of mel) honey + -flu(ere) to flow + -us adj. suffix (see -ous)

—Related forms
mel·lif·lu·ous·ly, adverb
mel·lif·lu·ous·ness, noun

—Synonyms
1. melodious, musical, dulcet, harmonious.

Obfuscate
ob·fus·cate /ˈɒbfəˌskeɪt, ɒbˈfʌskeɪt/ [ob-fuh-skeyt, ob-fuhs-keyt]
–verb (used with object),-cat·ed, -cat·ing.
1. to confuse, bewilder, or stupefy.
2. to make obscure or unclear: to obfuscate a problem with extraneous information.
3. to darken.

Origin: 1525–35; < LL obfuscātus (ptp. of obfuscāre to darken), equiv. to L ob- ob- + fusc(us) dark + -ātus -ate1

—Related forms
ob·fus·ca·tion, noun
ob·fus·ca·to·ry  /ɒbˈfʌskəˌtɔri, -ˌtoʊri/ Show Spelled[ob-fuhs-kuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] Show IPA, adjective
un·ob·fus·cat·ed, adjective

—Synonyms
1. muddle, perplex. 2. cloud.

(I love the bumper sticker that says "Eschew Obfuscation" =D)

Arcane
ar·cane /ɑrˈkeɪn/ [ahr-keyn]
–adjective
known or understood by very few; mysterious; secret; obscure; esoteric: She knew a lot about Sanskrit grammar and other arcane matters.

Esoteric
es·o·ter·ic /ˌɛsəˈtɛrɪk/ [es-uh-ter-ik]
–adjective
1. understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; recondite: poetry full of esoteric allusions.
2. belonging to the select few.
3. private; secret; confidential.
4. (of a philosophical doctrine or the like) intended to be revealed only to the initiates of a group: the esoteric doctrines of Pythagoras.



There's a ton that get used in CEP that I can't think of at the moment...
 
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Effervescence: give off bubbles of gas. [sic] XVIII L. effervescere...

* That (Oxford 1996) is a funny description. Almost like a typo!

Personally, I prefer to describe it as the quality of giving off of gas bubbles specifically once immersed in water. But I suppose the water part is redundant because it is implied in the bubbles.

Still, a very nice-sounding word, IMO.
 
The following seems to be a specifically Australian word and was, naturally, not found in my little book (nor on the website linked by Ocean above). Of course, it was taught to me by an Australian. So funny I found it, that it would be a shame not to include it in this thread!

Bogan.

I think I'll leave it for an ozzie to explain :D.

---

What is perhaps more interesting is that, while looking for the above, I came across this:

Bhang: Indian hemp*. XVI Ult. (Via Pg. Bangué), Pers. Bang, Urdu. Bhāng, Skr. Bhanga.

* As most BLers know, Bhang is a cocktail made by dissolving Hashish in a dairy product. What amazed me is that not only does "Pg." actually stands for Portuguese, but that it was also introduced in the 16th century!
 
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^ Lol, taught to me by an Australian as well. If I get heated ill use it in an argument and the person I say it to is always kinda stunned thinking "wtf did he just call me?"

Raffish
Main Entry: raff·ish
Pronunciation: \ˈra-fish\
Function: adjective
Date: 1796

1 : marked by or suggestive of flashy vulgarity or crudeness
 
^Is that ray fish or raa fish?

I also think I have said esoteric wrong!! hahaha I say es oh tehr ick .
whoops, I hate sounding like a moron.

Also, I hope an Aussie hurries in here 'cause I wanna know what a bogan is!
 
Raa-fish

and your pronunciation of esoteric (eh-oh-terr-ick) is correct...either that or we're both saying it wrong hehe.

Bogan
 
ocean said:
I also think I have said esoteric wrong!! hahaha I say es oh tehr ick .
Click to expand...

That's how I say it too so either it's correct or we're both morons =D

Bogans are a category of Australian people generally having a lower socio-economic status. Their standard of education is generally (but not always) lower than other classes of Australian people, as is their income. Their alcoholic beverage of choice is VB or XXXX, and they drink it in large quantities, resulting in uninhibited bogan-typical behaviour. Their attire usually consists of flannelette shirts, with or without a white wifebeater singlet underneath, stubby shorts (which they also wear to work, if they are actually employed), and the hairstyle of choice is the mullet. A bogan usually speaks with a harsh and exaggerated Aussie accent, with hyper-profanity tendancies, even (especially?) the ladies of the populus. The average age of a new bogan mother is about 16 years of age, and by their mid-20s they usually have 4 or 5 children, more than likely with various fathers. Their habitat is usually that of an old weatherboard shanty-esque house, generally with more clapped-out vehicles in the front yard than adults who live there. The term "bogan" is synonymous with yobbo, dero, westie, and is akin to the American redneck, hillbilly or trailer trash.
 
^Oh......I feel better now about saying esoteric the way I do :)

Poor Bogans :D
I can not believe the mullet is universal. How unfortunate.

I am glad its not boogan b/c we call Little Bitty Boogan Doogan sometimes:D
 
ive been using this word alot lately

convoluted - complicated; intricately involved
"i know this process is very convoluted, but its the only way to work around our business system."


and +1 for esoteric. i love that word!

and off topic (and for the pure enjoyment of the english language): if ever you have a chance to use a word with the letter Z in it, by all means, embrace it. hardly ever do we use Z words, its nice to appreciate the letter when its used in your vocabulary.

okay thats all /end crazy brian ;)
 
Pernicious:
per·ni·cious /pərˈnɪʃəs/ [per-nish-uhs]
–adjective
1. causing insidious harm or ruin; ruinous; injurious; hurtful: pernicious teachings; a pernicious lie.
2. deadly; fatal: a pernicious disease.
3. (Obsolete) evil; wicked.

Origin:
1515–25; < L perniciōsus ruinous, equiv. to pernici(ēs) ruin (per- per- + -nici-, comb. form of nex death, murder (s. nec-) + -iēs n. suffix) + -ōsus -ous

—Related forms
per·ni·cious·ly, adverb
per·ni·cious·ness, noun

—Synonyms
1. harmful, detrimental, deleterious, destructive, damaging, baneful, noxious, malicious. 2. lethal.

Nefarious:
ne·far·i·ous /nɪˈfɛəriəs/ [ni-fair-ee-uhs]
–adjective
extremely wicked or villainous; iniquitous: a nefarious plot.

Origin: 1595–1605; < L nefārius wicked, vile, equiv. to nefās offense against divine or moral law (ne- negative prefix + fās law, right) + -ius -ious, with intervocalic s > r

—Related forms
ne·far·i·ous·ly, adverb
ne·far·i·ous·ness, noun

—Synonyms
flagitious, heinous, infamous; vile, atrocious, execrable.

Debauched:
de·bauched /dɪˈbɔtʃt/ [dih-bawcht]
–adjective
1. corrupted; debased: debauched morals.
2. displaying the effect of excessive indulgence in sensual pleasure: a flabby and debauched face.

Origin: 1590–1600; debauch + -ed2

—Related forms
de·bauch·ed·ly  /dɪˈbɔtʃɪdli/ [dih-baw-chid-lee] adverb
de·bauch·ed·ness, noun

—Synonyms
2. depraved, dissipated, profligate; immoral.

Or debauchery:
de·bauch·er·y /dɪˈbɔtʃəri/ [dih-baw-chuh-ree]
–noun,plural-er·ies.
Excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures; intemperance

Often used in the phrase "drunken debauchery," often associated with wild parties, etc.

synonyms: bacchanal, bacchanalia, debauch, drunken revelry, orgy
 
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