In this book you will find some of the most interesting words in the English language. How do we know we have the most interesting? They were chosen by Robert Beard, who has been making dictionaries, creating word lists, and writing poetry for 40 years. For five years he wrote the Word of the Day at yourDictionary.com and since 2004 he has written up over 3000 words in the series, "So, What's the Good Word?" here at alphaDictionary. December 10, 2019 the Good Word series will celebrate its 15th anniversary.
Dr. Beard's book is a collection of the most fascinating words in the English language, carefully researched and written up in small one-page essays designed to help increase the interest our conversations and our understanding of how and why we speak the ways we do. The book is the handbook for word-lovers for it contains an essay on what makes words interesting: its meaning, pronunciation peruliarities, and/ir history. It also explains how English is interrelated with other languages in the world and why so many of our most fascinating words are borrowed from them. The book is printed in large easy-to-read type, great for travel since you may start and stop on any page.
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The 100 Most Interesting Words in English | |
@ | The at-sign. |
Ait | A small island. |
Alarum | A realization of approaching danger. |
Analphabetic | Having no alphabet. |
Anthropomorphism | Attribution of human traits to things. |
Anxious | Nervously worried. |
Apercu | A bright idea. |
Avocado | A green fruit. |
Bon Mot | A witticism. |
Bon Vivant | Someone who enjoys the good life. |
Bootleg | Illegally produced and sold. |
Bourgeois | Having crude, materialistic tastes. |
Calendar | A division of time. |
Candidate | An applicant for an office. |
Canny | Knowledgeable, judicious, prudent. |
Cenacle | An upstairs dining room. |
Cocktail | A mixed alcoholic drink. |
Comedo | A zit. |
Commonization | Making a proper noun common. |
Commonweal | General welfare. |
Congeries | A confused aggregation. |
Connive | To secretly plot. |
Contumely | Arrogant rudeness, contemptuous offensiveness. |
Correption | Chastisement, upbraiding. |
Declivity | A downward slope. |
Denigrate | To demean, belittle, abase. |
Detritus | Leftover debris. |
Diddly-Squat | Next to nothing. |
Disappoint | To let down. |
Divagate | To wander about, meander. |
Drub | To beat thoroughly. |
Emetic | Causing vomiting. |
Fancy | To take a liking for. |
Firgun | Unselfish delight in someone else. |
Fishwife | A coarse woman. |
Fluke | A flatfish. |
Foist | To palm off. |
Frank | Open, truthful. |
Fuddle | To confuse. |
Gadabout | A high-style wanderer. |
Gainsay | To disagree with, dispute. |
Gallimaufry | A hodgepodge, a salmagundi, a mishmash. |
Gallivant | To travel around showily. |
Gloaming | Dusk. |
Gnarly | Covered with gnarls. |
Gobble | To eat fast. |
Gosh | A euphemism for 'God'. |
Hamburger | Chopped or ground beef. |
High-Falutin' | Pompous, ostentatious. |
Hilarious | Screamingly funny. |
Hobnob | To associate with the elite. |
Husbandry | Judicious management of money. |
Illeism | The inappropriate use of third person pronouns. |
Jack-O'-Lantern | A pumpkin with a face. |
Jaunty | Sprightly, lively, cheerful. |
Ketchup | Tomato sauce. |
Kowtow | To show complete submission. |
Lissome | Slender and graceful. |
Leprechaun | An Irish elfin. |
Limbo | Not knowing what will happen next. |
Liminal | On the threshold. |
Misogyny | Hatred of women. |
Mistletoe | A parasitic plant that grows in trees. |
Mogul | A magnate. |
Mojo | Magical powers. |
Nabob | A prominent person. |
Nauseous | Triggering an urge to vomit. |
Noisome | Annoying. |
Omphaloskepsis | Navel gazing. |
Onomastic | The study of names. |
Oomph | Sex appeal. |
Outre | Outlandish, eccentric, bizarre. |
Pandemonium | Complete chaos. |
Pizza | A thin bread with tomato sauce. |
Prairie-Dog | To rubberneck over a cubicle wall. |
Pronk | To leap straight up. |
Resolution | A promise to change this year. |
Rorulent | Bejeweled with dew. |
Scandal | A spicy French stew. |
Shanghai | To kidnap. |
Shemozzle | A noisy row. |
Shindig | A big important party. |
Smithereens | Very tiny pieces. |
Snuck | Past tense of 'sneak'? |
So-So | Ordinary, neither good nor bad. |
Spheristerium | A ball park. |
Succotash | A dish of lima beans and corn. |
Tenement | An apartment building. |
Thingamabob | A thingamajig, doohickey, whatsit. |
Tom Swifty | A special pun with an adverb. |
Toodle-Oo | Good-bye. |
Trichotillomania | Pulling out you hair. |
Tuxedo | Men's formal eveningwear. |
Ultracrepidarian | Talking about something you know nothing about. |
Vamoose | Bug out, push off. |
Varmint | Obnoxious creature. |
Vermiform | Worm-like. |
Vomitory | Exit. |
Whataboutism | The equivalency ploy. |
Winnow | To separate the chaff from the grain. |
Wordle | A creative design composed of words. |
Wreak | To inflict. |
Wrench | To twist violently. |
Yonder | At a distance from the speaker. |
Wreak | To inflict. |
Zeitgeist | The spirit of the times. |
Zeugma | A special syntactic structure. |
Zounds | An interjection of great surprise. |
You might want to look at The 100 Funniest Words in English or The 100 Most Beautiful Words in English. You can buy these as a set at a reduced price. |