# words

date: 2025-01-03
word: serendipity
ipa: /ˌsɛɹ.ənˈdɪp.ɪ.ti/
pos: Noun
definition:
A combination of events which have come together by chance to make a surprisingly good or wonderful outcome.


date: 2025-01-06
word: ethereal
ipa: /ɪˈθɪə.ɹɪ.əl/
pos: Adjective
definition:
Pertaining to the presupposition of an invisible air-like element permeating all of space, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere.


date: 2025-01-07
word: nefarious
ipa: /nɪˈfɛː.ɹi.əs/
pos: Adjective
definition:
Sinful, villainous, criminal, or wicked, especially when noteworthy or notorious for such characteristics.


date: 2025-01-09
word: pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
ipa: /njuːˌmɒ.nəʊ.ʌl.tɹə.maɪ.kɹəʊˈskɒ.pɪkˌsɪ.lɪ.kəʊ.vɒl.keɪ.nəʊ.kəʊ.niˈəʊ.sɪs/
pos: Noun
definition:
(nonce word) A disease of the lungs, allegedly caused by inhaling microscopic silicate particles originating from the eruption of a volcano. 


date: 2025-01-13
word: tantamount
ipa: /ˈtæntəˌmaʊnt/
pos: Adjective
definition:
Equivalent in meaning or effect; amounting to the same thing in practical terms, even if being technically distinct. [1641–]


date: 2025-01-14
word: melancholy
ipa: /ˈmɛlənkəli/
pos: Noun
definition:
(historical) Black bile, formerly thought to be one of the four "cardinal humours" of animal bodies.


date: 2025-01-17
word: antidisestablishmentarianism
ipa: /ˌæntiˌdɪsɪˌstæblɪʃmənˈtɛəɹiəˌnɪz(ə)m/
pos: Noun
definition:
A political philosophy opposed to the separation of a religious group (church) and a government (state), especially the belief held by those in 19th-century England opposed to separating the Anglican church from the civil government or to refer to separation of church and state. [from 20th c.]


date: 2025-01-19
word: petrichor
ipa: /ˈpɛt.ɹɪˌkɔɹ, -kɚ/
pos: Noun
definition:
The distinctive scent, caused by geosmin, which accompanies the first rain after a long, warm, dry spell.


date: 2025-01-20
word: eucatastrophe
ipa: /ˌjuːkəˈtæstɹəfi/
pos: Noun
definition:
(narratology) A catastrophe (dramatic event leading to plot resolution) that results in the protagonist's well-being. [from 1944]


date: 2025-01-21
word: pareidolia
ipa: /ˌpæɹ.aɪˈdəʊ.li.ə/
pos: Noun
definition:
(psychology) The tendency to interpret a vague stimulus as something known to the observer, such as interpreting marks on Mars as canals, seeing shapes in clouds, or hearing hidden messages in music.


date: 2025-01-22
word: floccinaucinihilipilification
ipa: /ˌflɒksɪˌnɔːsɪˌnɪhɪlɪˌpɪlɪfɪˈkeɪʃn/
pos: Noun
definition:
(often humorous) The act or habit of describing or regarding something as unimportant, of having no value or being worthless.


date: 2025-01-26
word: equinox
ipa: /ˈɛkwɪnɒks/
pos: Noun
definition:
One of two times in the year (one in March and the other in September) when the length of the day and the night are equal, which occurs when the sun is directly overhead at the equator; this marks the beginning of spring in one hemisphere and autumn in the other.


date: 2025-01-29
word: vellichor
ipa: /ˈvɛl.əˌkɔː/
pos: Noun
definition:
(neologism) The pensive nostalgia and temporality of used bookstores; the feeling evoked by the scent of old books or paper.


date: 2025-01-30
word: syzygy
ipa: /ˈsɪz.ɪ.d͡ʒi/
pos: Noun
definition:
(astronomy, astrology) An alignment of three celestial bodies (for example, the Sun, Earth, and Moon) such that one body is directly between the other two, such as occurs at an eclipse.


date: 2025-02-09
word: iconoclast
ipa: /aɪˈkɒn.əˌklæst/
pos: Noun
definition:
(historical, Christianity) One who destroys religious images or icons, especially an opponent of the Orthodox Church in the 8th and 9th centuries, or a Puritan during the European Reformation.


date: 2025-02-15
word: mumpsimus
ipa: /ˈmʌmpsɪməs/
pos: Noun
definition:
A person who obstinately adheres to old ways in spite of clear evidence that they are wrong; an ignorant and bigoted opponent of reform.


date: 2025-02-26
word: habitude
ipa: /ˈhæbɪˌtjuːd/
pos: Noun
definition:
(archaic) Habitual disposition; normal or characteristic mode of behaviour, whether from habit or from nature


date: 2025-02-28
word: jentacular
ipa: /d͡ʒɛnˈtækjʊlə/
pos: Adjective
definition:
(formal, chiefly archaic) Of or pertaining to breakfast; specifically, one taken early in the morning or immediately upon getting up.


date: 2025-03-01
word: kerfuffle
ipa: /kəˈfʌfəl/
pos: Noun
definition:
(chiefly Commonwealth, informal) A disorderly outburst, disturbance, commotion, or tumult. [from 19th c.]


date: 2025-03-02
word: orotund
ipa: /ˈɒɹə(ʊ)tʌnd/
pos: Adjective
definition:
Of a voice: characterized by clarity, fullness, smoothness, and strength of sound; hence, of a person: having a clear, full, and strong voice, appropriate for public speaking, reading aloud, etc.


date: 2025-03-04
word: quockerwodger
ipa: /ˈkwɒkəˌwɒd͡ʒə/
pos: Noun
definition:
Synonym of jumping jack (“a toy figure of a person with jointed limbs that can be made to appear to dance or jump by pulling an attached string”)


date: 2025-03-16
word: quixotic
ipa: /kwɪkˈsɒtɪk/
pos: Adjective
definition:
Resembling or characteristic of the Spanish chivalric hero Don Quixote; possessed with or resulting from the desire to do noble and romantic deeds, without thought of realism and practicality; exceedingly idealistic.


date: 2025-04-03
word: lycanthropy
ipa: /laɪˈkanθɹəpi/
pos: Noun
definition:
(mythology) The state of being a lycanthrope (or werewolf), a person who can shapeshift between the form of a human being and a wolf, often said to happen involuntarily during a full moon; werewolfdom.


date: 2025-04-07
word: ophidian
ipa: /oʊˈfɪdi.ən/
pos: Adjective
definition:
Of or pertaining to the suborder Serpentes; of, related to, or characteristic of a snake or serpent.


date: 2025-04-08
word: smorgasbord
ipa: /ˈsmɔːɡæs(ˌ)bɔːd/
pos: Noun
definition:
A Swedish-style buffet comprising a variety of cold sandwiches and other dishes; (by extension) any buffet with a wide selection of dishes.


date: 2025-04-14
word: inure
ipa: /ɪˈnjʊə/
pos: Verb
definition:
(transitive) To cause someone to become accustomed to something that requires prolonged or repeated tolerance of one or more unpleasantries. [from 16th c.]


date: 2025-04-22
word: tarantism
ipa: /ˈtæɹəntɪzm/
pos: Noun
definition:
An extreme urge to dance, popularly thought to have been caused by the bite of a tarantula (Lycosa tarantula) and prevalent in southern Italy in the 15th through 17th centuries.


date: 2025-05-03
word: kenopsia
ipa: /kəˈnɒp.si.ə/
pos: Noun
definition:
(neologism, rare) The haunting quality of seeing a location typically full of people in a state of emptiness or abandonment.


date: 2025-05-05
word: sonder
ipa: /ˈsɑndɚ/
pos: Noun
definition:
(neologism) The profound feeling of realizing that everyone, including strangers passing in the street, has a life as complex as one's own, which they are constantly living despite one's personal lack of awareness of it.


date: 2025-05-15
word: eidolon
ipa: /aɪˈdəʊlən/
pos: Noun
definition:
An image or representation of an idea; a representation of an ideal form; an apparition of some actual or imaginary entity, or of some aspect of reality.


date: 2025-05-17
word: irenic
ipa: /aɪˈɹiːnɪk/
pos: Adjective
definition:
(chiefly theology) Promoting or fitted to promote peace or peacemaking, especially over disputes; conciliatory, non-confrontational, peaceful.


date: 2025-05-20
word: noisome
ipa: /ˈnɔɪ.səm/
pos: Adjective
definition:
(literary) Offensive to the senses; disgusting, unpleasant, nauseous, especially having an undesirable smell.


date: 2025-05-22
word: palimpsest
ipa: /ˈpælɪmpsɛst/
pos: Noun
definition:
A manuscript or document that has been erased or scraped clean, for reuse of the paper, parchment, vellum, or other medium on which it was written.


date: 2025-05-28
word: weal
ipa: /wiːl/
pos: Noun
definition:
Specifically, the general happiness of a community, country etc. (often with qualifying word). [from 15th c.]


date: 2025-05-31
word: heuristic
ipa: /hjuˈɹɪstɪk/
pos: Adjective
definition:
(of an approach to problem solving, learning, or discovery) That employs a practical method not guaranteed to be optimal or perfect; either not following or derived from any theory, or based on an advisedly oversimplified one. [from 1821]


date: 2025-06-01
word: ichor
ipa: /ˈaɪkɔː/
pos: Noun
definition:
(Greek mythology) The liquid said to flow in place of blood in the veins of the gods. [from late 17th c.]


date: 2025-06-02
word: lagniappe
ipa: /lænˈjæp/
pos: Noun
definition:
(chiefly Louisiana, Mississippi, Trinidad and Tobago) An extra or unexpected gift or benefit, such as that given to customers when they purchase something.


date: 2025-06-09
word: vicissitude
ipa: /vɪˈsɪs.ɪˌt(j)uːd/
pos: Noun
definition:
Regular change or succession from one thing to another, or one part of a cycle to the next; alternation; mutual succession; interchange; variability.


date: 2025-06-12
word: chiaroscuro
ipa: /kɪˌɑːɹəˈskʊəɹəʊ/
pos: Noun
definition:
(painting) An artistic technique developed during the Renaissance, referring to the use of strong contrasts between light and dark in order to create the illusion of volume.


date: 2025-06-18
word: interlard
ipa: /ˌɪntəˈlɑːd/
pos: Verb
definition:
Bloat or embellish (something) by including (often minor and extraneous) details at regular intervals.


date: 2025-06-24
word: quoin
ipa: /k(w)ɔɪn/
pos: Noun
definition:
Any of the corner building blocks of a building, usually larger or more ornate than the surrounding blocks.


date: 2025-07-11
word: usufruct
ipa: /ˈjuːz(j)ʊfɹʌkt/
pos: Noun
definition:
(law) The legal right to use and derive profit or benefit from property that belongs to another person, as long as the property is not damaged.


date: 2025-07-16
word: eidetic
ipa: /aɪˈdɛtɪk/
pos: Adjective
definition:
(neuroscience) Marked by or resulting from extraordinary ability to recall detailed and vivid mental images of visual images.


date: 2025-07-17
word: hiraeth
ipa: /ˈhɪraɨ̯θ/
pos: Noun
definition:
wistfulness; nostalgia; longing; homesickness; a deep feeling of yearning for something, someone or somewhere


date: 2025-07-25
word: heliotrope
ipa: /ˈhiː.li.ə.tɹəʊp/
pos: Noun
definition:
(countable, botany, also figuratively) A plant with flowers which turn to face and follow the sun, such as (archaic) marigolds and sunflowers.


date: 2025-07-27
word: Orwellian
ipa: /ɔɹˈwɛli.ən/
pos: Adjective
definition:
Resembling the totalitarian political methods decried in the works of writer George Orwell, particularly in the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four; characterized by use of misleading terminology, propaganda, censorship, surveillance and repression. [1950]


date: 2025-08-02
word: antithesis
ipa: /ænˈtɪ.θə.sɪs/
pos: Noun
definition:
(rhetoric) A device by which two contrasting ideas are juxtaposed in parallel form; a figure of speech arranged in this manner


date: 2025-08-05
word: pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism
ipa: /ˌsjuː.dəʊˌsjuː.dəʊˌhaɪ.pəʊ.pæɹ.əˈθaɪ.ɹɔɪd.ɪzəm/
pos: Noun
definition:
(medicine) A mild inherited condition in which the sufferer has symptoms similar to those of pseudohypoparathyroidism.


date: 2025-08-07
word: zaibatsu
ipa: /zaɪˈbætsuː/
pos: Noun
definition:
(business, historical) A large business conglomerate founded under the Empire of Japan, generally controlled by a single family or individual.


date: 2025-08-12
word: placate
ipa: /pləˈkeɪt/
pos: Verb
definition:
(transitive) To calm; to bring peace to; to influence someone who was furious to the point that they become content or at least no longer irate.


date: 2025-08-13
word: bonhomie
ipa: /ˈbɒnəmiː/
pos: Noun
definition:
(uncountable) A friendly, good-natured, pleasant manner; an affable and approachable disposition; friendliness.


date: 2025-08-14
word: dysphemism
ipa: /ˈdɪs.fəˌmɪ.z(ə)m/
pos: Noun
definition:
(uncountable) The use of a word or phrase carrying negative connotations or imagery (especially one that is derogatory, offensive or vulgar) to replace a (more) neutral original.


date: 2025-08-18
word: pyrocumulonimbus
ipa: /ˌpaɪɹəʊˌkjuːmjʊləˈnɪmbəs/
pos: Noun
definition:
An extreme manifestation of a pyrocumulus, generated by the heat of a wildfire, that often rises to the upper troposphere or lower stratosphere.


date: 2025-08-19
word: cognitohazard
ipa: /kɒɡˈni.təʊˌhæ.zəd/
pos: Noun
definition:
(neurology, chiefly science fiction) A sensory signal (such as an image or sound) that directly causes harmful or undesired physiological effects to one who senses or perceives it.


date: 2025-08-20
word: quacksalver
ipa: /ˈkwæksælvə/
pos: Noun
definition:
(archaic) One falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills, especially one who dispenses potions, ointments, etc., supposedly having curative powers; a quack.


date: 2025-08-21
word: esurient
ipa: /ɪˈsjʊə.ɹɪ.ənt/
pos: Adjective
definition:
(formal, now often humorous) Very greedy or hungry; ravenous; (figuratively) avid, eager. [from late 17th c.]


date: 2025-08-22
word: redound
ipa: /ɹɪˈdaʊnd/
pos: Verb
definition:
(obsolete, intransitive) To swell up (of water, waves etc.); to overflow, to surge (of bodily fluids). [14th–19th c.]


date: 2025-08-25
word: mete
ipa: /miːt/
pos: Verb
definition:
(transitive, usually with “out”) To dispense, measure in order to dispense, allot (especially punishment, reward etc.).


date: 2025-08-26
word: LUCA
ipa: /ˈluːkə/
pos: Noun
definition:
(taxonomy, biology, paleontology) Initialism of last universal common ancestor; the hypothesised most recent primordial organism that is an ancestor to all organisms now living.


date: 2025-08-27
word: kugelblitz
ipa: /ˈkuːɡl̩ˌblɪt͡s/
pos: Noun
definition:
(theoretical physics) A concentration of light so intense that it forms an event horizon and becomes self-trapped, forming a black hole.


