SCRABBLE
AMMUNITION--David
Grambs and Ellen S. Levine are co-authors, “The Describer’s Dictionary: A
Treasury of Terms & Literary Quotations.”
In the book they publish a section what they describe big
words can come
in small packages. The following are
terms collected by the co-authors that “are rarely seen or heard today -- have
meanings that are contemporarily relevant. Why not spread the word -- adopt a
few and help get them back into circulation.”
And,
think of these words as ammunition next time you play Scrabble.
vitative:
loving life
secundate:
to make prosperous
mimp:
to purse one's lips
gravedo:
head cold
thob:
to rationalize one's opinions or beliefs
sphalm:
an erroneous or mistaken belief or doctrine
gyre:
giant circular rotating system of ocean currents
preterist:
one who lives in the past
staffage:
details added to a painting
feak:
dangling curl of hair
quoz:
strange or absurd thing or person
faex:
sediment or dregs
terete:
torpedo-shaped
cortinate:
cobweb-like
sinistral:
on or to the left
squage:
to dirty with handling
plat:
building plot or lot
treen:
made of wood; wooden
oculus:
opening at the top of a dome
tucket:
trumpet flourish or signal
riprap:
broken stone
tootlish:
muttering in a childish way
pingo:
mound in permafrost terrain
natiform:
buttocks-like
ledgit:
note or other slip of paper projecting from a book's pages
symphoric:
accident-prone
maremma:
swampy coastline
gleet:
sticky, greasy, or slimy filth
quisquose:
hard to deal with; ticklish
eoan:
pertaining to dawn or the east
pandurate:
fiddle- or violin-shaped
arles:
money to bind a bargain; money up front
lentic:
being in still or slow-moving waters
xeres:
sherry
storge:
instinctive parental affection
vadelect:
servant
indult:
special privilege or license
forfex:
scissors
palafitte:
stilt house
col:
saddle or pass between mountains
empasm:
fragrant powder
clou:
center of attention; cynosure
trantles:
things of little value
ogygian:
very old
benthic:
pertaining to the ocean depths or bottom
bight:
bay at a coastal bend
ashlar:
hewn or squared masonry stone
roupy:
low and throaty (voice)
darg:
a day's work
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