Today’s word is SYBARITE. It comes from the Greek which is a person from the ancient Greek colony of Sybaris and also comes from the Latin Sybanta which also means someone from that area.
A sybarite is someone devoted to luxuries and pleasures. It also, in our time, means someone who is sensual and loses themselves in sensuality.
One of my British friends used the word LURGEY the other day and it sounded like a cool word so I Googled it.
LURGEY is a fictitious, highly infectious disease akin to what we in America call cooties.
Here at World Wide Words is a cool history of the word. Check out Michael Quinion’s blog. He’s a fount of information.
Today’s word is PANTAGRUELIAN.
It means enormous. Geez. Why not just say enormous? This one is a mouthful, isn’t it? It comes from a character in Rabelias’ satirical stories of Gargantua and Pantagruel. He and his father, Gargantua were giants. The stories were written in the 1500s. I, for one, think it’s a cool word but would probably never use it in a sentence.
You can get the book on Project Guttenberg if you’re so inclined.
Today’s word is a fun one. Its meaning is comparing horoscopes between two (or more) people to determine if they are likely to be compatible or have a good relationship. The word is SYNASTRY.
Have you ever done that? I’ve done it in a few Chinese restaurants where they have the years on the paper placemat. We always check that out with the people we’re with to see if we’re supposed to even be at the same table. I’m a Rat. Next time you’re in the mood, research your animal and see if we’d be compatible. Check it out here– Seems like Rats make good lawyers. Who knew? LOL!
The word of the day today is a super fun one. It’s Cockalorum and means a self important little man.
It’s from the 18th century and of course, it’s a noun. I guess Napoleon would be the obvious choice for this word in that century? I know some in this century as well. Sadly, I have to deal with some of them often. Ha ha.
Sorry I’m a bit late posting today. Lots on my plate.
Today’s word is CONVERSE.
Converse is a noun as well as a verb and an adjective. It’s a true multi-purpose word.
As a verb it means to talk or chat. In other words, to engage in conversation.
As a noun it is an object, situation or statement that’s the opposite or reverse of another.
The adjective is similar to the noun since it basically means the reverse of something else.
So, someone could have a conversation that deals with the converse of something else or maybe they could just wear their Converse sneakers.
The word of the week is PHILLUMENIST.
I used to do this when I was a young girl and teen. In fact, I did this until I graduated from law school. I had a metric ton of these from restaurants, hotels, tourist stops and all kinds of places. What were they? Matchboxes or matchboxes.
Yep, a Phillumentist is a collector of matchbooks or matchboxes.
Today’s word is APTRONYM which means a person’s name that is regarded as amusingly appropriate to their occupation.
Here where I live, we have a dermatologist named Dr. Skinner; a urologist named Dr. Peters; and a lawyer named Chancellor.
I also had a probation officer I knew (interned for) in Alabama named Mr. Law.
I love the way the word apt is in the word aptronym as it really is apt, isn’t it?
Check out this new cover for a romance novel set in Venice, Italy coming out in April. Isn’t it lovely?
Today’s word is MANSUETUDE. What a mouthful, right?
It means meekness or gentleness. Try dropping that into conversation someday. Let me know what reaction you get.
Today’s word is ARBORETUM which means a collection of trees.
The term is used in more modern times as an alternative name for a botanical garden. The term itself was first used in 1833 in a gardener’s magazine article by John Claudius Laudon.
Ramblings of a Writer 