Tag Archives: Best Words Ever

Fenugreek

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Today’s Best Word Ever is fenugreek: a leguminous annual Eurasian herb with aromatic seeds; the word also refers to its small, stony seeds, which among other purposes are ground and roasted and used to flavor curry.

A noun, Middle English fenugrek, from Anglo-French fenugrec, from Latin fenum Graecum, “Greek hay.” First known use: 14th century.

Grown in India, Morocco, Egypt and England, fenugreek has strong, aromatic, and bittersweet seeds that when roasted or powdered are used to steep fever-reducing teas; help create soothing lip balms, tonics, and healing ointments; sweeten candies as well as flavor spicy curries; and even season cattle food.

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Yum: aloo gobi!

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    Curiologics

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    Today’s Best Word Ever is curiologics: writing that employs representative pictures rather than symbols, for example, hieroglyphic writing.

    A plural noun that is singular in construction, from curiologic, Greek kyriologikos, “in an obvious sense,” from kyriologia, “obvious language” (kyrios ”ruling, literal,” from kyros, “power, might” + -logia, -logy) + -ikos, -ic.

    Scratching his bald pate, renowned archeologist Gimball Kimball readjusted his spectacles and peered closer at the etchings carved into the cave wall: “What curious curiologics!” 

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      Zwitterion

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      And so we reach the end of the alphabet once again! Today’s Best Word Ever is zwitterion: a dipolar ion, i.e., an ion that carries both a positive and a negative charge in different parts of a molecule, as with certain amino acids and protein molecules.

      A German noun, from Zwitter, “hermaphrodite,” from Old High German zwitaran, from zwi- ”between” + Ion, “ion.” First known use: 1906.

      Thumbnail for version as of 09:05, 14 June 2011

      Speculation about the new zwitterion buzzed through the Twitterverse as chemists contested and defended each and every zwitterionic criterion.

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        Yogibogeybox

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        Today’s Best Word Ever is yogibogeybox: the materials employed by a spiritualist.

        A rhyming, alliterative nonce word—a word created for a particular occasion, sometimes independently by different writers or speakers, but not adopted into general usage—coined by Irish author James Joyce (1881–1941) in his novel Ulysses (1922).

        Yogibogeybox in Dawson chambers. Isis Unveiled. Their Pali book we tried to pawn. Crosslegged under an umbrel umbershoot he thrones an Aztec logos, functioning on astral levels, their oversoul, mahamahatma. The faithful hermetists await the light, ripe for chelaship, ringround-about him. Louis H. Victory. T. Caulfield Irwin. Lotus ladies tend them i’the eyes, their pineal glands aglow. Filled with his god he thrones, Buddh under plantain. Gulfer of souls, engulfer. Hesouls, shesouls, shoals of souls. Engulfed with wailing creecries, whirled, whirling, they bewail.

        —James Joyce, “Scylla and Charybdis,” Ulysses

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          Xanthippe

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          Today’s Best Word Ever is xanthippe: an ill-tempered woman.

          A nagging noun, from Greek Xanthippē, Socrates’s shrewish wife (5th century BCE) and the mother of Lamprocles, Sophroniscus, and Menexenus, their three sons. The name Xanthippē is related to the masculine proper name Xanthippos, a compound of xanthos, “yellow” + hippos, “horse.”  First known use: 1691.

          Bobby and Bradley sat at the bar grumbling about Bonnie and Brenda:
          “Man, you always begin married life with a wife who’s as free-spirited as a hippie—but before you know it you’re debating Xanthippe. Another brewski, bro?”

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            Velleity

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            Today’s  Best Word Ever is velleity: a slight wish or tendency.

            A noun with a bit of a spark, from New Latin velleitas, from Latin velle, “to wish, will” + ity, suffix, “condition or quality of being ___,” from Middle English -ite, from Old French -ité, from Latin -itatem (nom. -itas). First known use, 1618.


            Fairy Godmother Superior called Twinkle to her office for a pep talk: “You’ll never grant wishes with a limp wand and lukewarm velleity, Sister—wishes need sparkling ardent velocity!”

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              Umbelliferous

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              Today’s  Best Word Ever is umbelliferous: of or relating to the carrot family.

              An adjective with roots in the large family of Umbellales (New Latin, from umbell- + -ales), often fragrant or aromatic plants bearing small flowers in umbels (New Latin umbella, “parasol,” from Latin, umbrella, diminutive of umbra, “shade, shadow”), including carrot, anise, caraway, dill, and parsley. First known use: 1662.
               

              Napping safely in the brier, the rabbits enjoyed umbelliferous dreams of nibbling on fields of carrots, parsnips, and parsley.

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