Where have all the weird words gone?
Photo by Greeblie
English is an old language that is constantly adapting. Fifty years ago, many of the words we use today were either not around or not used often. The phrase “hard drive” probably made someone think of a long road-trip. “Tweet” was something baby birds did. You’d be a bad guest if you posted something on your friend’s wall. I can’t even think of what people would imagine as a flash mob.
The ever-evolving nature of the English language means that many odd and interesting words fall by the wayside.
To try and bring some of these oddities out of disuse, Oxford Dictionaries created Savethewords.org. This website is essentially a wastebasket of tossed-out words for people to rummage around in. You can send these words to friends, or even just try and use them in your own conversations. The site has some great ones:
- Cynicocratical – rule by cynics
- Vultuous – having a sad or solemn expression
- Isangelous – equivalent to the angels
- Boreism – behavior of a boring person
- Amorevolus – affectionate; doting
- Cosmogyral – whirling around the universe
Some, like drollic (pertaining to a puppet show) are a bit useless, but it would be nice to see some of these come back into style. There’s nothing wrong with adding a little color to the language.
For now, mine might have to be “jobler”: one who does small jobs.
