Weird Word of the Day

Many people estimate that there are more than a million words in the English language. In fact, during a project looking at words in digitised books, researchers from Harvard University and Google in 2010, they estimated a total of 1,022,000 words and that the number would grow by several thousand each year. When you see a massive number like this, though, it’s important to remember that this includes different forms of the same word. It also includes lots of words that we could call archaic (they are not used in modern English).

In the second edition of the Oxford English dictionary, there are approximately 600,000 word forms defined. Again, this includes many old-fashioned words that are not in common use any more. The dictionary also expands every year to keep up with new words that are invented to describe the world around us, or to include new meanings for words that already exist in English. A more useful number from the Oxford English Dictionary would be the 171,476 words that are in current use. That means there are examples of each of these words being used recently.

Each day I’ll post a new, unusual, weird or obsure English word. Your challenge is to try use the word during your day in any way you’d like - speaking, writing, in text and WhatsApp messages, even on your social media accounts. Come and tell us how you used in a reply to that day’s word. Alternatively, you can create a totally new definition for the word if you’d like. Again, share that in reply to the words’ post.

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Easy one to incorporate into your conversation or correspondence to start the ball rolling…

Natatorium

Noun
NORTH AMERICAN

  1. a swimming pool, especially one that is indoors.

#WWOTD-1

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Novercaphobia

Noun
From Latin noverca‎ + -phobia.

  1. an irrational or exaggerated fear or dislike of a stepmother.

“James never did like his father’s new wife, and, although he tried to overcome his novercaphobia, this revulsion persisted for a very long time!”

#WWOTD-2

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James walks into his room. His new very young stepmother is stuck under the bed with only her underwear on. “Help me James, I am stuck and cannot get out no matter what you do to me or my body…”. But James has fled the house. His novercaphobia causing him to flee the scene.

And just like that a whole porn industry subgenre dissapears with James as he runs out the door…

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Karyotype

NOUN

karyotype(noun); karyotypes (plural noun)

  1. the number and visual appearance of the chromosomes in the cell nuclei of an organism or species.

#WWOTD-3

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Karyotype abnormalities may explain the strange and irrational behaviours displayed by typical Karen type people.

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With the wordle thread showing up right night to this one occasionally, I can help but think it should be called “Weirdle word of the day”

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You’re a weirdle word of the day!!

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I can’t argue that!

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skintle

transitive verb

skin·​tle variants or less commonly scintle \ ˈskintᵊl
-ed/-ing/-s

  1. to stack (molded brick) with spaces between to allow ventilation for drying
  2. to separate and rotate half-dry bricks to permit drying to complete
  3. to set (bricks) in a wall irregularly so that the bricks are out of line with the face of the wall ¹/₈ to ¹/₄ inch or more

#WWOTD-4

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tomomania

Noun

  1. A morbid addiction to performing or undergoing surgery
  2. Irrational predilection for performing surgery
  3. An obsession with surgery
  4. A compulsive urge to undergo surgery

Etymology
From Ancient Greek τέμνω (témnō, “I cut”) +‎ -mania.

#WWOTD-5


Side note: Humans are so strange.

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Tomo Mania? Like from Azumanga Daioh?

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Does Tomo Mania from Azumanga Daioh have a weird surgery fetish? If so, then yes, like Tomo Mania from Azumanga Daioh. :smiley:

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Actually, her name is Tomo Takino, I was just thinking she’s a bit of a maniac…

She didn’t get any surgery in the show, but I figure by the time she’s graduated… :sweat_smile:

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sublunary

sub·​lu·​na·​ry | \ ˌsəb-ˈlü-nə-rē , ˈsəb-lu̇-ˌner-ē \

adjective

  1. Of this world; earthly; terrestrial
  2. Of, relating to, or characteristic of the terrestrial world
  3. Literally: under the moon

Synonyms
carnal, earthborn, earthbound, earthly, fleshly, material, mundane, temporal, terrene, terrestrial, worldly

Etymology
Modification of Late Latin sublunaris, from Latin sub- + luna moon

Example
Like all sublunary things, this life will one day end.

#WWOTD-6

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Neat! I gotta squeeze this into my daily vocabulary :slight_smile:

Like I saw an ad for Hunters yesterday. It said “refreshes like nothing on earth”. Made me think it isn’t sublunary, or even imported! Their marketing team obviously doesn’t know the importance of a word like “else”.

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cavil

verb

kav·ə·l

  1. make petty or unnecessary objections
  2. to raise trivial and frivolous objections

Synonyms
carp, fuss, niggle, nitpick, quibble

Etymology
Latin cavillari to jest, cavil, from cavilla raillery; akin to Latin calvi to deceive

Example
Pinching pennies, they cavilled at the cost of everything on the bill.

#WWOTD-7

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That’s a real super word

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It’s beWitching in its Superness.

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mastigophorous

mæstɪˈɡɒfərəs

adjective
(obsolete/rare)

  1. bearing a whip
  2. carrying a cane or whip
  3. carrying a whip, scourge, or wand

Etymology
From Ancient Greek μαστιγοφόρος (mastigophóros)


Also, in Zoology
Another word for mastigophoran: Any of various protozoans possessing one or more flagella.


Also, in Star Wars lore:
Mastigophorous was a clan of Drall living on the planet Drall at the time of the First Corellian Insurrection. As Marcha was the oldest female in the clan, she became its Duchess.


#WWOTD-8

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