Words I have learned
When I was in high school and even more insufferable than I am now, a friend and I started a tumblr called “sun words”. The concept of this was to collect words that we discovered that were particularly succulent or mellifluous. 1
I have found myself learning more and more words recently. This is fun and good: I was worried for a while that my days of adapting and playing with the English language were largely behind me. I thought it would be interesting and illustrative to collect a list of the words I’ve learned recently alongside the sources from which I’ve gleaned them.
When I first started building this catalog, I expected the plurality to be from the NYT crossword 2, and the data appears to bear that out:
| Source | Count |
|---|---|
| The NYT Crossword | 63 |
| 88 | |
| Books I’ve read | 83 |
| Wikipedia | 14 |
| Miscellany | 83 |
a semipublic administrative body outside the civil service but receiving financial support from the government, which makes senior appointments to it
white lies or half-lies in Russian culture, told without the intention of (maliciously) deceiving, but as a fantasy, suppressing unpleasant parts of the truth
a doctrinal position within traditionalist Catholicism which holds that the present occupier of the Holy See is not a valid pope due to the pope’s espousal of one or more heresies
a flat metal shelf at the side or back of a fireplace, having its surface level with the top of the grate and used especially for heating pans.
a judicial writ issued as a command to an inferior court or ordering a person to perform a public or statutory duty.
the uniform dark gray background that many people report seeing in the absence of light
caramelized sugar, deglazed with vinegar or other sour liquids, used as a sweet and sour flavoring for sauces
a group of stable business enterprises in Germany, Austria and Switzerland that have proved successful in enduring economic change and turbulence
in the mythology of classical antiquity, was a bird of ill omen, the product of metamorphosis, that fed on human flesh and blood
A street market, particularly in Arabic- and Somali-speaking countries; a place where people buy and sell goods; a bazaar.
a slum or shantytown located within or on the outskirts of the country’s large cities
a small round boat made of wickerwork covered with a watertight material, propelled with a paddle
the philosophical position that the question of the existence of God is meaningless
a supposed sexual energy or life force distributed throughout the universe that can be collected and stored (in an orgone box) for therapeutic use
revenue or a profit taken from the minting of coins, usually the difference between the value of the bullion used and the face value of the coin.
alcoholism, specifically in a form characterized by intermittent bouts of craving for alcohol.
an inadequate blood supply to an organ or part of the body, especially the heart muscles
an antechamber, porch, or distinct area at the western entrance of some early Christian churches
the placing of clauses or phrases one after another, without words to indicate coordination or subordination, as in Tell me, how are you?
a tissue graft from a donor of the same species as the recipient but not genetically identical
a mixture of oil and balsam, consecrated and used for anointing at baptism
the policy or practice of more open consultative government and wider dissemination of information
a detailed discussion of a particular point in a book, usually in an appendix.
a square dance performed typically by four couples and containing five figures, each of which is a complete dance in itself.
the mental process by which a person makes sense of an idea by assimilating it to the body of ideas he or she already possesses.
an elevator consisting of a series of linked doorless compartments moving continuously on an endless belt.
relating to or denoting laws that limit private expenditure on food and personal items
a decorated wooden framework supporting the coffin of a distinguished person during a funeral or while lying in state.
the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced
the collection and study of birds’ eggs especially in relation to their shape and coloration
a typically Basque type of closed gastronomical society where men come together to cook, experiment with new ways of cooking, eat and socialize
a selection of passages from an author or authors, designed to help in learning a language.
something that is simultaneously a whole in and of itself, as well as a part of a larger whole
pleasure in looking; in Freudian psychoanalytic theory, an infantile instinct
the death of cells which occurs as a normal and controlled part of an organism’s growth or development.
a layer in an ocean or other body of water in which water density increases rapidly with depth.
a stock character in medieval East Slavic legends, akin to a Western European knight-errant
a contradiction between two beliefs or conclusions that are in themselves reasonable; a paradox.
a condition in which a person with a disability is cognitively unaware of having it due to an underlying physical condition
a marine mollusk that has an oval flattened body with a shell of overlapping plates
a word that only appears once in a work of or genus of literature or in a body of work by a particular author
the investigation or attribution of the cause or reason for something, often expressed in terms of historical or mythical explanation.
to turn (something, such as a telescope or a ship’s spar) about a fixed point that is usually the axis
a flat strip of land, raised bank, or terrace bordering a river or canal.
a bridge-like overhead structure with a platform supporting equipment such as a crane, railroad signals, lights, or cameras.
large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth’s Moon, formed by ancient volcanic eruptions
a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly.
denoting or relating to the kind of language used by ordinary people; popular or colloquial.
apparently attractive but having in reality no value or integrity.
a movement in which one leg is moved outward from the body and in again
the act of appeasing or making well-disposed a deity, thus incurring divine favor or avoiding divine retribution
the part of an automobile, typically an open car, occupied by the back seats
composure or coolness, sometimes excessive, as shown in danger or under trying circumstances.
a type of sledge used to carry goods, consisting of two joined poles pulled by a horse or dog.
vegetation consisting chiefly of tangled shrubs and thorny bushes.
a form of worship consisting of special prayers or services on nine successive days.
having or showing an excessive or submissive fondness for one’s wife
to question (someone, such as a foreign minister) formally concerning an official action or policy or personal conduct
a projection from the wall of a building, typically supported from the ground or by corbels
the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which it is closest to the sun
the study of deliberate, culturally-induced ignorance or doubt, typically to sell a product or win favour
the development of an individual organism or anatomical or behavioral feature from the earliest stage to maturity
a hymn or chant, typically with a biblical text, forming a regular part of a church service.
a room in a church where a priest prepares for a service, and where vestments and other things used in worship are kept.
an ornamental hairnet or fabric bag worn over the hair at the back of a woman’s head
traveling from place to place, in particular working or based in various places for relatively short periods.
a natural chamber or cavity in a bone or other anatomical structure
the presence of an abnormal number of chromosomes in a cell, for example a human cell having 45 or 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46
relating to or denoting birds of a large order distinguished by feet that are adapted for perching, including all songbirds.
a method of painting using opaque pigments ground in water and thickened with a gluelike substance.
a public speech or published text in praise of someone or something
asymmetric in such a way that the structure and its mirror image are not superimposable
a trait that has been co-opted for a use other than the one for which natural selection has built it
a person whose diet consists only or principally of locally grown or produced food.
a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice and/or pitch
a rhetorical device wherein the speaker or writer brings up a subject by either denying it
a person who writes essays, particularly on literary and artistic criticism, that are composed and read primarily for their aesthetic effect
the point of the celestial sphere from which the solar system is moving
a form of betting in which those backing the first three places divide the losers’ stakes
the person who inherits or is entitled to inherit property upon the termination of the life estate of the former owner
relating to or denoting a curve or surface which is closed and can be drawn or swept out in a single movement
the principle in Jewish law that the preservation of human life overrides virtually any other religious rule. When the life of a specific person is in danger, almost any mitzvah lo ta’aseh of the Torah becomes inapplicable
a hard igneous rock containing crystals, usually of feldspar, in a fine-grained, typically reddish groundmass.
to heat something and allow it to cool slowly, in order to remove internal stresses and toughen it.
the reversion of property to the state on the owner’s dying without legal heirs
a state or condition of sluggishness, inactivity, or torpor exhibited by reptiles
the making of false and defamatory statements about someone in order to damage their reputation; slander.
an arrangement of five objects with four at the corners of a square or rectangle and the fifth at its center
exerting a detrimental effect on later generations through the inheritance of undesirable characteristics
the hard white fat on the kidneys and loins of cattle, sheep, and other animals, used to make foods including puddings, pastry, and mincemeat
a single cell or cytoplasmic mass containing several nuclei, formed by fusion of cells or by division of nuclei
a cable railroad, especially one on a mountainside, in which ascending and descending cars are counterbalanced.
a book containing the texts used in the Catholic Mass throughout the year
an irresolvable internal contradiction or logical disjunction in a text, argument, or theory
a person who enjoys watching activity on the canals of the United Kingdom
a difficult choice from three options, each of which is (or appears) unacceptable or unfavourable
a helpful companion or partner, especially one’s husband or wife.
a person who appears to enjoy being depressed, esp a performer of or listener to gloomy music
turn or slide violently or uncontrollably in a particular direction.
seeking to impose a doctrine in all circumstances without regard to practical considerations.
a carved tablet or drawing representing a scroll with rolled-up ends
kettledrums, especially when played by one musician in an orchestra