21 Words (That You’ve Never Heard Before) Which Will Speak to Your Soul
It’s time for a vocabulary lesson, just like in your school days. But this time, the lesson is full of words you didn’t know were words. These terms go mostly unused out in the world, but each one perfectly captures a thought, feeling, or moment you can completely relate to but never knew could be captured so succinctly.
I scoured the top posts on Reddit’s Logophilia subreddit (Logophilia: The love of words and word games) to surface some of the more interesting – and most importantly, real – words that each make language just a little bit more beautiful and useful. Isn’t that what we’re all about here?
Decathect (v.)
To withdraw one’s feelings of attachment from (a person, idea, or object), as in anticipation of a future loss.
Clinomania (n.)
An excessive desire to stay in bed.
Ultracrepidarian (n.)
Someone who gives opinions beyond one’s area of expertise.
Tidsoptimist (n.)
A person who’s habitually late because they think they have more time than they do.
Potvaliancy (n.)
Brave only as a result of being drunk.
Sangfroid (n.)
The ability to stay calm in difficult or dangerous situations.
Apricity (n.)
The warmth of the sun in winter.
Swivet (n.)
A state of nervous excitement, haste, or anxiety; flutter.
Tacenda (n.)
Things not to be mentioned or made public—things better left unsaid.
Trouvaille (n.)
A lucky find.
Bibelot (n.)
A small object of curiosity, beauty, or rarity.
Ailurophile (n.)
A cat fancier; a lover of cats.
Abditory (n.)
A place for hiding or preserving articles of value.
Sprezzatura (n.)
Perfect conduct or performance of something (as an artistic endeavor) without apparent effort.
Lachrymose (adj.)
Given to tears or weeping.
Akrasia (n.)
The state of mind in which someone acts against their better judgment through weakness of will.
Cryptomnesia (n.)
When you forget that you’ve forgotten something, and perceive it as a new, original thought.
Foofaraw (n.)
A great fuss or disturbance about something very insignificant, or an excessive amount of decoration or ornamentation, as on a piece of clothing, a building, etc.
Pogonotrophy (n.)
The cultivation of beards, beard-growing.
Mumpsimus (n.)
Adherence to or persistence in an erroneous use of language, memorization, practice, belief, etc., out of habit or obstinacy.
Lethologica (n.)
The inability to remember a word or put your finger on the right word.
There. Now you can skip the next three weeks on your word-of-the-day calendar. Did you know any of these? Which is your favorite new word?
Re-edited from a post originally published 6.5.16-NT