Assorted notes on the English language.
English Prime is a version of the English language that excludes all forms of the verb "to be", including all conjugations, contractions and archaic forms. Its goal is to leads to a less dogmatic style of language that reduces the possibility of misunderstanding or conflict.
Bourland sees specifically the "identity" and "predication" functions as pernicious, but advocates eliminating all forms for the sake of simplicity. In the case of the "existence" form (and less idiomatically, the "location" form), one might (for example) simply substitute the verb "exists". Other copula-substitutes in English include taste, feel, smell, sound, grow, remain, stay, and turn, among others a user of E-prime might use instead of "to be".
Identity | The cat is my only pet |
Class membership | Garfield is a cat |
Class inclusion | A cat is an animal |
Predication | The cat is furry |
Auxiliary | The cat is sleeping |
Existence | There is a cat |
Location | The cat is on the mat |
For example, instead of saying, "I am depressed," a student was asked to eliminate that emotionally primed verb and to say something else, such as, "I feel depressed when ..." or "I tend to make myself depressed about ..."
Spivak Pronoun
The Spivak pronouns are a set of gender-neutral pronouns in English.
Masculine | he laughs | I hugged him | his heart warmed | that is his |
Feminine | she laughs | I hugged her | her heart warmed | that is hers |
They(s.) | they laugh | I hugged them | their heart warmed | that is theirs |
Spivak | e laughs | I hugged em | eir heart warmed | that is eirs |
Oulipo Social
Oulipo social is a fedi instance where the letter is not allowed. Try to stop looking for synonyms; if you try to swap out individual words, you'll find it tough going. Pull back and think abstractly about what you want to say and find words for that.
Lost Words
acrasial, adj, 1851-1851 |
---|
ill-regulated; ill-tempered |
The acrasial judge was known for her rants against younger lawyers. |
addecimate, v, 1612-1755 |
to tithe |
They addecimated regularly but were not otherwise known for their charity. |
adimpleate, v, 1657-1657 |
to fill up |
The new technique adimpleates the cans with milk through injection. |
adnascentia, npl, 1706-1731 |
root-like branches that sprout into the earth from a plant's stem |
Every winter, the adnascentia would shift around, destroying the lawn's even texture. |
aeipathy, n, 1847-1853 |
continued passion; an unyielding disease |
Her aeipathy for stamp collecting bordered at times on the pathological. |
affictitious, adj, 1656-1656 |
feigned; counterfeit |
The forger was caught despite his masterfully-crafted affictitious signatures. |
affuage, n, 1753-1847 |
right to cut wood in a forest for family fire |
The family's right of affuage ensured they would have enough wood for winter. |
agonarch, n, 1656-1656 |
judge of a contest or activity |
Our competition will require six agonarchs to ensure fairness. |
agonyclite, n, 1710-1710 |
member of a heretical sect that stood rather than kneeled while praying |
Agonyclites must have had hardy feet to endure their services. |
airgonaut, n, 1784-1784 |
one who journeys through the air |
Balloonists, skydivers and other airgonauts are all a little mad, if you ask me. |
alabandical, adj, 1656-1775 |
barbarous; stupefied from drink |
His behaviour after the party was positively alabandical. |
albedineity, n, 1652-1652 |
whiteness |
The monotonous albedineity of the snow-covered field was blinding. |
alogotrophy, n, 1753-1853 |
excessive nutrition of part of body resulting in deformity |
Was he born with that huge head, or is it the result of alogotrophy? |
amandation, n, 1656-1755 |
act of sending away or dismissing |
His rude amandation of his guests earned him a reputation for curtness. |
amarulence, n, 1731-1755 |
bitterness; spite |
After losing her job to a less qualified man, she was full of amarulence. |
amorevolous, adj, 1670-1670 |
affectionate; loving |
Our father, though amorevolous, could be a strict taskmaster at times. |
antipelargy, n, 1656-1731 |
reciprocal or mutual kindness; love and care of children for their parents |
Having never received any antipelargy, they wrote their daughter out of the will. |
apanthropinization, n, 1880-1880 |
withdrawal from human concerns or the human world |
His life as a hermit in the woods was characterized by apanthropinization. |
aporrhoea, n, 1646-1880 |
a bodily emanation; an effluvium |
The evening's revelries were followed by an unfortunate episode of aporrhoea. |
aquabib, n, 1731-1883 |
water-drinker |
I was never much of an aquabib, and always preferred harder libations. |
archigrapher, n, 1656-1656 |
principal or head secretary or clerk |
The archigrapher efficiently designated transcription duties to her underlings. |
archiloquy, n, 1656- 1656 |
first part of a speech |
We stopped paying attention during his talk due to his monotonous archiloquy. |
aretaloger, n, 1623-1656 |
braggart; one who boasts about his own accomplishments |
While he seemed nice at first, he turned out to be a loudmouthed aretaloger. |
artigrapher, n, 1753-1753 |
writer or composer of a grammar; a grammarian |
Today's prescriptivists are no better than the artigraphers of the Renaissance. |
ascoliasm, n, 1706-1753 |
boys' game of beating each other with gloves or leather while hopping |
If you think bullies are bad today, look at brutal games of the past like ascoliasm. |
assectation, n, 1656-1656 |
act of following after something else |
She stood in the on-deck circle, her assectation virtually guaranteed. |
austerulous, adj, 1731-1731 |
somewhat or slightly harsh |
The austerulous monks were rarely lenient with their pupils. |
autexousious, adj, 1678-1678 |
exercising or possessing free will |
If we are truly autexousious, then why do we so often feel powerless? |
auturgy, n, 1651-1656 |
self-action; independent activity |
The film director's legendary auturgy frustrated editors and producers alike. |
avunculize, v, 1662-1662 |
to act as an uncle; to behave like an uncle |
I often avunculize to my younger friends, which no doubt annoys them. |
bajulate, v, 1613-1662 |
to bear a heavy burden |
Their Sherpa aides were vexed by the demand that they bajulate as well as guide. |
bimarian, adj, 1731-1731 |
pertaining to two seas |
Some think that America needs to improve its bimarian naval defenses. |
binoternary, adj, 1817-1817 |
combining binary and trinary aspects |
The dots on the '6' face of a die are arranged in a binoternary fashion. |
blateration, n, 1656-1864 |
chatter; babbling |
I've had just about enough of your garrulous blateration, you clod! |
bonifate, adj, 1656-1656 |
lucky; fortunate |
The gambler was too bonifate, and attracted the casino manager's attention. |
boreism, n, 1833-1839 |
behaviour of a boring person |
The professor, while brilliant, was afflicted by boreism when lecturing. |
boscaresque, adj, 1734-1734 |
picturesque; scenically wooded |
Despite northern England's industrial pollution, parts of it remain boscaresque. |
brabeum, n, 1675-1675 |
reward or prize |
Without some brabeum, the students will have no incentive to work harder. |
brephophagist, n, 1731-1875 |
one who eats babies |
The character Fat Bastard is a disgustingly obese Scottish brephophagist. |
brochity, n, 1623-1678 |
projecting or crooked quality of teeth |
His parents later regretted that they did not correct his brochity in his youth. |
bromography, n, 1860-1860 |
a treatise on food |
It's not enough to write a bromography - today's celebrity chefs need to be on TV! |
bubulcitate, v, 1623-1678 |
to act as a cowherd; to cry like a cowherd |
When their cat went missing, they were on the street bubulcitating for weeks. |
buccellation, n, 1657-1731 |
act of dividing into small morsels |
The buccellation and apportionment of their rations was the subject of heated argument. |
bumposopher, n, 1834-1886 |
one learned in bumps; a phrenologist |
Craniology has progressed greatly since the days of bumposophers. |
cacatory, adj, 1684-1753 |
accompanied by loose bowels |
For the diners, the effects of the chicken cacciatore, alas, were cacatory. |
cacozealous, adj, 1656-1696 |
imitating badly; poorly affected |
Her cacozealous attempt at mimicking her boss bordered on being offensive. |
cagastric, adj, 1662-1753 |
of diseases, originating under an ill star |
We no longer believe in cagastric causes for illness and deformity. |
cameranious, adj, 1791-1791 |
of or relating to a chamber |
The social gathering benefited from the cozy, cameranious setting. |
canitude, n, 1656-1742 |
greyness; hoariness; whiteness |
The first snowfall of the year gave the field a pleasant canitude. |
caprizant, adj, 1730-1736 |
of the pulse, uneven or irregular |
While he hadn't had a full-blown heart attack, his pulse was very caprizant. |
casitive, adj, 1652-1652 |
having grammatical cases |
The casitive nature of Finnish and Hungarian makes them difficult to learn. |
castaldy, n, 1623-1800 |
stewardship |
His castaldy over the manor was dependent on his good relations with the lord's sons. |
cecograph, n, 1851-1874 |
writing device for the blind |
The development of computers has made the cecograph entirely obsolete. |
celeberrimous, adj, 1768-1768 |
very or most highly celebrated |
Her celeberrimous accomplishments were lauded by her colleagues. |
celeripedean, adj, 1623-1656 |
swift-footed |
The most celeripedean of the Greek deities was Hermes. |
cestuan, adj, 1711-1711 |
of or pertaining to a boxer's gloves or cesti |
No cestuan improvements can negate the damage of such blows to the head. |
chermadic, adj, 1842-1842 |
of a heavy weight used as a projectile |
Wile E. Coyote continues to be crushed by his own chermadic snares. |
chronanagram, n, 1613-1882 |
an anagram of a chronogram |
Jacobites used chronanagrams to cryptically express support for their cause. |
cibosity, n, 1656-1656 |
store of food; plenty of food supplies |
The cibosities of those paranoid about Y2K are still rotting in their cellars. |
circuland, n, 1821-1821 |
that which is to be circulated |
Here we have the circuland, as opposed to our internal earnings report. |
circumbilivagination, n, 1611-1693 |
going around in a circular motion; circumambulation |
She saw many quaint seaside towns in her circumbilivagination of England. |
citharize, v, 1623-1692 |
to play the harp |
If you plan to citharize, prepare to build up calluses on your fingers. |
cloakatively, adv, 1674-1674 |
superficially |
These reforms have only cloakatively made the situation better for the poor. |
coherentific, adj, 1834-1834 |
causing to become coherent; causing cohesion |
Her speech was the coherentific factor behind the jury's consensus verdict. |
colaphize, v, 1450-1656 |
to beat or buffet |
His lawyer claimed that police had colaphized him, which confused the judge. |
commendaces, npl, 1611-1658 |
funeral orations; prayers for the dead |
At his funeral, his brother delivered a set of exquisite commendaces. |
coquinate, v, 1656-1658 |
to behave as a cook |
Martha may seem to be able to coquinate, but her actions are highly scripted. |
cosmogyral, adj, 1808-1808 |
whirling round the universe |
The great cosmogyral peregrinations of galaxies follow simple physical laws. |
crassulent, adj, 1656-1656 |
very fat; grossly obese |
While some point to Brando's crassulent state, others focus on his acting. |
crebrity, n, 1656-1740 |
frequency; period between two occurrences |
Old Faithful is a natural clock, and its invariant crebrity continues to amaze. |
crocitation, n, 1623-1656 |
croaking; cawing |
The crocitation of the gulls meant that I got no sleep last night. |
cynicocratical, adj, 1881-1881 |
pertaining to rule by cynics |
When people mistrust government, our leaders become cynicocratical. |
deartuate, v, 1623-1653 |
to dismember |
He cunningly hoped that if he deartuated the body, he could hide it in the hole. |
decutient, adj, 1656-1656 |
shaking down; beating down |
Their decutient technique for getting apples from trees annoyed the farmer. |
defedate, v, 1669-1669 |
to defile; to pollute |
The toxic chemicals continue to defedate our town's water supply. |
desarcinate, v, 1656-1736 |
to unload; to unburden |
She haughtily ordered her butler to desarcinate her baggage from the car. |
devalgate, adj, 1851-1883 |
bow-legged |
The devalgate cowboy watched his old smell-hound crawl between his legs. |
dicaearchy, n, 1656-1658 |
just government |
While we dream of living in a dicaearchy, in truth, we're governed by dicks. |
diffibulate, v, 1656-1656 |
to unbutton; to unbuckle |
He found it difficult to diffibulate her blouse using only one hand. |
dignorate, v, 1623-1656 |
to mark or brand an animal |
He was glad he had dignorated his horse, or else he couldn't have claimed it. |
diloricate, v, 1623-1656 |
to rip open a sewn piece of clothing |
She diloricated his silk shirts so she could use them as dishrags. |
dipsopathy, n, 1883-1883 |
medical treatment involving abstinence from liquids |
The new antibiotics he was taking required him to practice strict dipsopathy. |
diribitory, n, 1656-1656 |
place where pay is distributed to soldiers |
Directly deposited salaries for soldiers obviate the need for diribitories. |
divinipotent, adj, 1656-1727 |
having strong divinatory powers |
While the TV psychic claims to be divinipotent, he's clearly a charlatan. |
dodrantal, adj, 1656-1883 |
of nine inches in length |
The male stripper's dodrantal instrument impressed the ladies greatly. |
drollic, adj, 1743-1743 |
of or pertaining to puppet shows |
Computer graphics are rapidly replacing the drollic puppet-shows of years ago. |
dromograph, n, 1883-1885 |
instrument for measuring velocity of blood flow |
The dromograph readings from his elderly patient alarmed the doctor. |
ducenarious, adj, 1656-1656 |
pertaining to two hundred |
The ducenarious diversion of the bicentennial brought the countrymen together. |
ebaptization, n, 1659-1659 |
declaring that someone has not been properly baptized |
They feared the priest's heterodoxy would lead to charges of ebaptization. |
ecstasiate, v, 1823-1957 |
to go into an ecstasy; to cause to become ecstatic |
The arrival of the boy-band ecstasiated the pre-teen throng. |
ectylotic, adj, 1736-1864 |
removing warts or calluses |
Use this ectylotic bandage on your finger and you'll be cured in a week or two. |
egrote, v, 1721-1775 |
to feign an illness |
He was a master of egroting in order to find more time to study for tests. |
eicastic, adj, 1669-1669 |
imitative |
The comedian's wit is limited to his considerable eicastic abilities. |
ejurate, v, 1622-1800 |
to renounce; to abjure |
I ejurate this entire organization and its principles, which I now see to be corrupt. |
embaphium, n, 1715-1884 |
small vessel for measuring or serving medicine |
She employed an embaphium to ensure the correct dose was given. |
embolimaeal, adj, 1677-1796 |
intercalary; inserted into the calendar |
The addition of embolimaeal days caused calendrical confusion in the past. |
epalpebrate, adj, 1884-1884 |
lacking eyebrows |
If you don't stop plucking, soon you'll be epalpebrate! |
ephydriad, n, 1823-1823 |
water-nymph |
The synchronized swimmers were like ephydriads, full of natural grace. |
essomenic, adj, 1771-1771 |
showing things as they will be in the future |
The essomenic properties of crystal balls are very much in dispute. |
eternitarian, n, 1746-1746 |
one who believes in the eternity of the soul |
Though she held to no particular faith, she remained a hopeful eternitarian. |
eveniency, n, 1656-1656 |
coming to pass |
His mother thought that the eveniency of her son's marriage was inevitable. |
excutient, adj, 1730-1775 |
shaking off |
The excutient dog showered the topless sunbathers, causing them to rise in alarm. |
exipotic, adj, 1823-1884 |
purgative; cleansing the body of illness |
While the medicine was exipotic to his body, it made a mess of his bathroom. |
exlineal, adj, 1716-1716 |
out of the direct line of descent |
Her cousins and all the other exlineal relations were cut out of the will. |
fabrefaction, n, 1652-1678 |
act of fashioning or making a work of art |
The sculptor felt that fabrefaction was more important than the end result. |
fallaciloquence, n, 1656-1761 |
deceitful speech |
Your fallaciloquence, though charming, will not convince the jury to acquit. |
famelicose, adj, 1730-1775 |
often or very hungry |
The tribe's crops frequently fail, and their children are famelicose. |
famigerate, v, 1623-1736 |
to carry news from abroad |
The bloggers famigerated about the conditions in the war-torn country. |
ficulnean, adj, 1716-1716 |
of fig-tree wood; worthless |
His ficulnean arguments failed to convince his professor to raise his grade. |
filicology, n, 1884-1884 |
study of ferns |
Filicology is a discipline for which paleontological training is a great asset. |
findible, adj, 1656-1790 |
able to be cleft or split |
This pie is perfectly findible, if we can agree to some simple rules for cutting it. |
flosculation, n, 1651-1651 |
an embellishment or ornament in speech |
The speaker's lecture was rendered laughable by ridiculous flosculations. |
foppotee, n, 1663-1663 |
simpleton |
What a pitiful foppotee he was, always oblivious to our jeers! |
frenigerent, adj, 1656-1681 |
bearing a bridle |
The frenigerent filly flew fast from the fire. |
fumificate, v, 1721-1792 |
to make or cause smoke or incense |
The only problem with the new grill is its tendency to fumificate. |
gardeviance, n, 1459-1706 |
chest for valuables; a travelling trunk |
She kept her linens in that old gardeviance for over sixty years. |
gardevisure, n, 1610-1840 |
visor of a helmet as shown on heraldic devices |
Since you're so ugly, why not place a gardevisure on your coat of arms? |
gaudiloquent, adj, 1656-1727 |
speaking joyfully or on joyful matters |
Her gaudiloquent tone was thought excessively perky by the stodgy faculty. |
gelicide, n, 1656-1681 |
a frost |
Unfortunately, the flowers were killed too soon by an early gelicide. |
gipseian, adj, 1749-1749 |
belonging or pertaining to gypsies |
The gipseian rhythms made her feel as if she were in the Middle East. |
gleimous, adj, 1398-1790 |
slimy; full of phlegm |
Its gleimous tongue slipped between its teeth and ensnared the moose. |
gnathonize, v, 1619-1727 |
to flatter |
I can tell that you're just trying to gnathonize me, you sycophantic buffoon! |
graocracy, n, 1830-1830 |
government by an old woman or women |
High voter turnout among elderly women may soon lead us into a graocracy. |
graviloquence, n, 1656-1656 |
grave speech |
The bishop's funeral orations were known for their graviloquence. |
gumfiate, v, 1820-1820 |
to cause to swell; to puff up |
He just had his wisdom teeth extracted, so his cheeks are gumfiated. |
gutturniform, adj, 1886-1886 |
shaped like a water pitcher |
She was never able to mould the clay into a proper gutturniform shape. |
gypsation, n, 1656-1681 |
action or process of plastering with gypsum |
The gypsation of the room took much too long and irritated his allergies. |
habroneme, adj, 1886-1886 |
having the appearance of fine threads |
Her habroneme hair was admired by many hairstylists for its fine texture. |
halatinous, adj, 1886-1886 |
saline; salty |
The halatinous mist brought back memories of his childhood at the seashore. |
hecatologue, n, 1894-1894 |
code consisting of 100 rules |
The teen whined that her parents' list of rules was practically a hecatologue. |
helctic, adj, 1658-1658 |
acting to drag or draw out; drawing |
While leechcraft is derided, it is medicinally useful from a helctic perspective. |
hemerine, adj, 1854-1886 |
daily; quotidian |
The hemerine ritual of walking her dog kept her in good physical shape. |
hercotectonic, adj, 1672-1672 |
of or pertaining to the construction of fortifications or walls |
The fort's hercotectonic strength was insufficient to repel cannon-fire. |
hirculation, n, 1656-1721 |
disease of vines where they grow no fruit |
Despite a fantastic growing season, the vineyard was crippled by hirculation. |
hirquitalliency, n, 1652-1652 |
strength of voice |
The wrestler's hirquitalliency compensated for his lack of strength and talent. |
historiaster, n, 1887-1894 |
petty or contemptible historian |
While Foucault is widely praised today, he was no more than a historiaster. |
hiulcity, n, 1681-1681 |
an opening or cleft |
They stepped into the hiulcity in the cliff face, unaware of the danger within. |
homerkin, n, 1662-1663 |
old liquid measure for beer |
"I'm so thirsty I could drink a homerkin of beer," Simpson lamented. |
hymnicide, n, 1862-1862 |
killing of hymns through alterations |
Many accused the revisionists in the Church of committing hymnicide. |
hyometer, n, 1886-1886 |
rain gauge |
Her homemade hyometer was overwhelmed and destroyed by the deluge. |
hypenemious, n, 1855-1886 |
full of wind; windy; of an egg, malformed |
Let us protect ourselves against the hyenemious assault of the hurricane. |
icasm, n, 1664-1664 |
figurative expression |
He protested at his trial that the death threat he delivered was only an icasm. |
ichorescent, adj, 1684-1684 |
growing or becoming ichorous |
After several months, the carrots were disgustingly ichorescent. |
ichthyarchy, n, 1853-1853 |
the domain or rule of fishes |
Despite his ichthyarchy, Aquaman is really a very pitiful superhero. |
ictuate, v, 1822-1822 |
to emphasize; to put metrical stress on |
She preferred free verse over carefully-ictuated classical poetic styles. |
igniparous, adj, 1684-1684 |
bringing forth fire |
The heroes were scorched by the dragon's igniparous emanation. |
impigrity, n, 1623-1721 |
quickness; speed |
The impigrity of the contract's signing led to vexing legal wranglings. |
improcerous, adj, 1656-1658 |
low; short |
The coffee table was much too improcerous to be of any real use. |
incabinate, v, 1672-1672 |
to enclose in a cabin; to confine |
The solution to her writer's block was to incabinate herself at her country villa. |
ingeniculation, n, 1623-1658 |
bending of the knee |
His ingeniculation was in vain, and she turned away in disgust, never to return. |
ingordigious, adj, 1637-1734 |
greedy; avaricious |
Your ingordigious ways are cruel and heartless; charity is the path to joy. |
inocciduous, adj, 1656-1658 |
of a star, never setting |
Polaris was his inocciduous guide as he trekked across the Great Plains. |
inobligality, n, 1663-1663 |
quality of not being obligatory |
Granting the inobligality of bringing a gift to the party, it is still polite to do so. |
interfation, n, 1656-1658 |
act of interrupting another while speaking |
His boorish interfations were ill-received at the academic lecture. |
inveteratist, n, 1715-1715 |
opponent of reform; one who inveterately holds to tradition |
The golf course's manager, being an inveteratist, continued to refuse women entry. |
ipsographic, adj, 1817-1817 |
self-recording |
He used the CD burner primarily for ipsographic purposes. |
irredivivous, adj, 1656-1656 |
unable to be revived |
Despite Dr. House's best effort, the patient remained irredivivous. |
isangelous, adj, 1768-1774 |
equal to the angels |
I've had just about enough of her isangelous and self-righteous diatribes. |
jecorary, adj, 1684-1684 |
of or relating to the liver |
The alcoholic's refusal to seek treatment caused him no end of jecorary trouble. |
jobler, n, 1662-1662 |
one who does small jobs |
We've found a great jobler who takes care of our repairs quickly and cheaply. |
jumperism, n, 1800-1876 |
principles of a jumping Methodist sect |
While snake-handling is ridiculous, it is no worse than jumperism or the stylites. |
jungible, adj, 1656-1656 |
that may be joined |
The trailers are jungible by means of a complex hitching system. |
jussulent, adj, 1656-1658 |
full of broth or soup |
The bubbling of the jussulent cauldron and the crackling of the campfire soothed her. |
kalotypography, n, 1834-1834 |
beautiful printing |
Medieval manuscripts are attractive, but modern kalotypography surely surpasses them. |
keleusmatically, adv, 1885-1885 |
imperatively; in an imperative mood |
"Sit down!" the teacher instructed his wife keleusmatically, to her chagrin. |
kexy, adj, 1608-1884 |
dry, brittle, withered |
The rustling of the kexy leaves alerted the campers to the bear's presence. |
krioboly, n, 1850-1882 |
sacrifice of many rams; bath in blood of rams |
Contrary to rumour, pagan rituals do not involve krioboly or baby-eating. |
labascate, v, 1727-1727 |
to begin to fall or slide |
He watched with helpless horror as the baby carriage labascated down the stairs. |
lagenarious, adj, 1657-1657 |
flagon-shaped |
He brought our champagne in a lagenarious vessel, much to our embarassment. |
lambition, n, 1658-1800 |
act of licking or lapping |
The child's lambition of the ice cream was interrupted by gravity, the cruellest master. |
lampistry, n, 1874-1874 |
art of decorating lamps |
The church bazaar is always full of skilled needlework, lampistry and other crafts. |
lardlet, n, 1659-1659 |
small piece of bacon to put into meat to enrich with fat |
The secret to her pot roasts is the use of lardlets to enhance the flavour of the meat. |
latibule, n, 1623-1691 |
hiding place |
The girl emerged triumphantly from her latibule, only to find her friends had already left. |
leeftail, adj, 1674-1869 |
in great demand; having a quick sale |
The new Corvettes are a leeftail product, no doubt because of the economic boom. |
legatarian, adj, 1766-1766 |
of or pertaining to a deputy or legate |
The vice-president seems uncomfortable with his legatarian duties. |
leporicide, n, 1788-1914 |
killer or killing of hares or rabbits |
Elmer Fudd's futile attempts at leporicide were always foiled by his intended prey. |
lignatile, adj, 1855-1855 |
living or growing on wood |
She collected lignatile mushrooms on her hike, confident in her identifications. |
lignicide, n, 1656-1656 |
woodcutter |
We will not tolerate the lignicides who would despoil our old-growth forests! |
lococession, n, 1656-1656 |
place for giving |
Deposit your alms in the lococession we have provided, and you will be rewarded. |
locupletative, adj, 1802-1812 |
tending to enrich |
Your locupletative contributions have helped furnish the new stadium lavishly. |
logarithmotechny, n, 1724-1775 |
the art of calculating logarithms |
But sir, without my calculator, I will be reduced to painful logarithmotechny! |
lubency, n, 1623-1669 |
willingness; pleasure |
My lubency to help you in this matter will not be increased by your paltry bribes. |
lugent, adj, 1656-1889 |
weeping; mourning |
After hearing of the attack, her brothers were lugent at first, then enraged. |
Lutherolatry, n, 1859-1883 |
worship of Martin Luther and his teachings |
The priest was poorly received for his denunciation of Lutherolatry and paganism. |
macellarious, adj, 1656-1656 |
pertaining to butchers or meat markets |
Some practitioners of the macellarious arts are more humane to animals than vegans. |
magastromancy, n, 1652-1652 |
magical astrology |
Her reliance on magastromancy to decide the students' grades got her in trouble. |
magistricide, n, 1670-1670 |
the killing or killer of a teacher or master |
While many have considered magistricide, few are bold or wicked enough to do so. |
magophony, n, 1711-1711 |
massacre of magi or priests |
The acts of magophony that accompany religious intolerance are simply unacceptable. |
maleolent, adj, 1657-1727 |
having an ill odour |
His maleolent recipe was avoided by all but the most courageous or polite guests. |
mancation, n, 1727-1727 |
maiming; mutilation |
The general would suffer no mancation or execution of fallen enemy troops. |
mariturient, adj, 1765-1765 |
eager to marry |
He was beset with offers from several distant cousins who were desperately mariturient. |
mecography, n, 1603-1890 |
measurement of the dimensions and weight of body parts |
The condom company used mecography to obtain necessary data about its clientele. |
medioxumate, adj, 1723-1723 |
of gods of intermediate rank between those of heaven and of hell |
Medioxumate deities such as those of the Greek pantheon are rarely worshipped today. |
melanochalcographer, n, 1697-1697 |
engraver of copper printing plates |
No melanochalcographer can match a photographic print in quality of reproduction. |
miliaceous, adj, 1684-1890 |
like millet or the millet-seed |
This miliaceous gift will keep our nation from starvation, but will not appease us. |
mingent, adj, 1685-1685 |
discharging urine |
The mingent dog amused the children but not the owner of the flower garden. |
misqueme, v, 1395-1658 |
to displease; to offend |
If my actions misqueme you or your friends, you need only leave me alone. |
mitescent, adj, 1727-1727 |
growing mild |
You're becoming mitescent in your old age, and can hardly stomach conflict any more. |
mochlic, n, 1657-1753 |
drastic purgative medicine |
This mochlic remedy is worse than the disease, but at least it will be over quickly. |
modernicide, n, 1774-1774 |
killing or killer of modern people |
While the Luddites were radical traditionalists, they never engaged in modernicide. |
molrowing, n, 1860-1896 |
caterwauling; cavorting with prostitutes |
Her son is a molrowing vagabond without any social graces, much to her shame. |
montivagant, adj, 1656-1658 |
wandering over hills and mountains |
The montivagant hiker crossed the Alps with ease but was stymied by the Andes. |
morsicant, adj, 1891-1891 |
producing the sensation of repeated biting or pricking |
After sitting for several hours, I had a terrible morsicant pain in my rear end. |
mowburnt, adj, 1548-1900 |
of crops, spoiled by becoming overheated |
The heat wave last August left us with heaps of mowburnt and useless crops. |
mulcible, adj, 1656-1656 |
able to be appeased |
Despite his promises of food, the crowd was not mulcible and began to riot. |
mulomedic, adj, 1678-1678 |
relating to the medical care of mules |
The doctor's mulomedic abilities were of enormous importance to the trek's success. |
murklins, adv, 1568-1674 |
in the dark |
She stumbled murklins about the house until she found the light switch. |
myriander, adj, 1693-1693 |
consisting of ten thousand men |
Her myriander host of suitors never figured out that she was a lesbian. |
namelings, npl, 1706-1706 |
persons bearing the same name |
The namelings Martin Luther and Dr. King shared a concern with political reform. |
nepheliad, n, 1818-1821 |
cloud-nymph |
Like a nepheliad, the skydiver dove gracefully through the clouds. |
nequient, adj, 1656-1656 |
not being able |
While the other students understand algebra, you are still nequient in this simple art. |
nerterology, n, 1800-1800 |
learning relating to the dead or the underworld |
Her inquiries into nerterology were inspired by a youthful visit to a medieval crypt. |
nidifice, n, 1656-1656 |
a nest |
The lizard climbed into the nidifice, only to be eaten by the mother eagle. |
noscible, adj, 1654-1654 |
knowable; well-known |
It is noscible that no amount of training can make up for experience in the field. |
novaturient, adj, 1679-1679 |
desiring changes or alterations |
The novel's author rightly rejected the novaturient wishes of the screenwriters |
nubivagant, adj, 1656-1656 |
moving throughout or among clouds |
The glider flew like a nubivagant bird before emerging out of the clouds and into view. |
obacerate, v, 1656-1658 |
to stop one's mouth |
When he swore onstage, several audience members obacerated themselves. |
obarmate, v, 1623-1658 |
to arm against |
Let us obarmate ourselves for the upcoming battle against the Mongols! |
obrumpent, adj, 1656-1656 |
breaking; bursting |
The guests were startled to attention by the sound of obrumpent balloons. |
obstrigillate, v, 1623-1656 |
to oppose; to resist |
I will not obstrigillate the efforts of my opponent to besmirch my good name. |
occaecation, n, 1608-1691 |
the act of blinding |
After his occaecation, he was unable to enjoy simple pleasures such as reading. |
occulcation, n, 1656-1656 |
act of treading on or trampling |
Repeated occulcations of this field by soldiers have left it useless for agriculture. |
odynometer, n, 1889-1893 |
instrument for measuring pain |
Suspecting his patient's illness to be feigned, he pulled out his trusty odynometer. |
omniregency, n, 1616-1670 |
universal rulership; state of complete authority |
The principle of omniregency is now seriously mistrusted, and not only by radicals. |
oncethmus, n, 1656-1656 |
braying |
The oncethmus of most politicians is far worse than that given off by any beast. |
operiment, n, 1650-1656 |
a covering |
If you don't get an operiment for your classic car, it will rust away in a brief time. |
oporopolist, n, 1671-1725 |
fruit-seller |
Our oporopolist's oranges often offer odd odours. |
orgiophant, n, 1886-1886 |
one who presides over orgies |
The orgiophant had dozens of hangers-on who sought to attend his parties. |
ossifragant, adj, 1656-1656 |
bone-breaking |
The ossifragant wrestler earned a reputation for brutality, so no one would fight him |
ovablastic, adj, 1922-1922 |
making eggs burst open in the womb |
The doctor rejected the ovablastic technique, finding it to violate his moral principles. |
palintocy, n, 1693-1847 |
repayment of interest paid on a loan |
I understand you can't pay me everything, but I demand a palintocy, at the very least. |
palmoscopy, n, 1857-1890 |
observation of heartbeat or pulse as part of medical diagnosis |
Even without his medical bag, he could use palmoscopy to diagnose her heart attack. |
pamphagous, adj, 1702-1702 |
eating everything; all-consuming |
To the pamphagous victor goes the Golden Wiener of Triumphal Consumption! |
panchymagogue, n, 1657-1893 |
medicine purging all the humours from the body |
What you need is a good panchymagogue to get you back on your feet! |
pannuscorium, n, 1858-1860 |
soft leather cloth used on the tops of shoes and boots |
The pannuscorium of his old shoes was covered in indelible stains. |
papicolist, n, 1633-1810 |
one who worships the pope; a papist |
Today, even papicolists grudgingly admit that papal infallibility cannot be literally true. |
parepochism, n, 1685-1685 |
error in dating or assigning time period |
The antique dealer was well known for his parepochisms, so we didn't feel too bad. |
paterophobia, n, 1840-1840 |
fear of the early Church fathers |
The Romans' paterophobia mellowed over time, until Christianity was fully accepted. |
patration, n, 1656-1656 |
perfection or completion of something |
The patration of my dissertation will be an occasion for great merriment. |
pecuarious, adj, 1656-1658 |
serving or belonging to beasts or cattle |
The children tossed the pecuarious leavings at one another, to their parents' dismay. |
pedegorize, v, 1665-1665 |
to construct a pedigree; to derive through a pedigree |
The owners of the racehorse took great efforts to pedegorize her carefully. |
penarious, adj, 1656-1658 |
of or pertaining to victuals or provisions |
The quartermaster is in charge of penarious matters, so stay out of his business! |
penintime, adj, 1686-1718 |
second from inmost |
Venus, our solar system's penintime planet, is Earth's twin in many regards. |
perantique, adj, 1883-1883 |
very antique or ancient |
She treasured the perantique mirror even though the glass was somewhat warped. |
pessundate, v, 1656-1658 |
to cast down or ruin |
The Roman Empire was pessundated by its economic woes rather than moral decline. |
phalerate, adj, 1656-1702 |
ornamented; decorated |
The phalerate umbrella-stand in the corner of the room attracted the guests' attention. |
phasianic, adj, 1884-1884 |
of or pertaining to pheasants |
Our phasianic hunting-trips have become increasingly futile in recent years. |
philargyrist, n, 1633-1663 |
lover of money; covetous person |
I am no philargyrist, but I like to live well, so charity isn't in my best interest. |
phlyarologist, n, 1867-1867 |
one who talks nonsense |
He was a petty phlyarologist who could rarely hold an intelligent conversation. |
phoenigm, n, 1646-1858 |
reddening of the skin; reddish medical application |
The phoenigm of his cheeks after the race testified both to his fatigue and his elation. |
phylactology, n, 1966-1966 |
science of counter-espionage |
Though phylactology reached its peak in the Cold War, it is arguably still important. |
pication, n, 1684-1684 |
application of warm pitch to the skin as medical treatment |
While it seems harsh, pication is effective for cleansing pores and restoring skin tone. |
pigritude, n, 1623-1656 |
slothfulness |
Despite the college student's pigritude, he continued to maintain a 'B' average. |
piladex, n, 1897-1901 |
game where an inflated bag is hit with hand to keep aloft across a table |
From piladex to hacky-sack, pastimes involving hitting objects are known to all ages. |
pilimiction, n, 1847-1874 |
passing of hair-like bodies in the urine |
His doctor was particularly concerned about his pilimiction, for obvious reasons. |
plebicolar, adj, 1626-1820 |
courting or appealing to the common people |
He profited from his plebicolar demeanour, and avoided the fate of many other nobles. |
plegnic, adj, 1612-1664 |
acting by a blow; striking like a hammer; percussive |
Her plegnic pounding of the piano-keys contrasted sharply with her tiny frame. |
plenisphere, n, 1912-1912 |
a perfect sphere |
The iridescent plenispheres in the sky told him that someone was blowing bubbles. |
pocilliform, adj, 1846-1846 |
shaped like a little cup |
The golf ball hardly budged from its pocilliform resting-spot atop the tee. |
poliadic, adj, 1886-1886 |
of the nature of a local or tutelary god |
Respect for poliadic spirits and deities continued long after the region converted. |
pomarious, adj, 1656-1775 |
of or belonging to an orchard or fruit-garden |
Newton's pomarious enlightenment concerning gravity is no more than a myth. |
ponask, v, 1922-1963 |
to cook game by splitting it and roasting it on a spit |
We ponasked the freshly-caught pheasant at our campsite. |
portmantologist, n, 1887-1934 |
one who studies or coins portmanteau words |
Rather than being a portmantologist, why not use perfectly good existing words? |
prandicle, n, 1656-1658 |
small meal |
In those years, she would take several prandicles during the course of each day. |
prebition, n, 1656-1656 |
act of offering, showing or setting before |
The prebition of his treasure-find to the king earned him great honour and esteem. |
pregnatress, n, 1765-1765 |
female power that generates or gives birth to something |
As the pregnatress of our little group, her opinion was still highly regarded. |
prescited, adj, 1400-1660 |
foreknown or predestined for damnation; condemned |
If you believe some of us are prescited from birth, there is no reason to do good works. |
primifluous, adj, 1657-1657 |
that which flows first |
The primifluous wines of the evening were excellent, unlike the plonk served later. |
privign, n, 1605-1654 |
stepson |
Though he was only her privign, she always treated him as if he were her own child. |
psalloid, adj, 1756-1895 |
resembling a harp or stringed instrument |
Her renown as a maker of psalloid instruments led to a position at the royal court. |
psephograph, n, 1906-1907 |
machine for automatically recording votes |
These newfangled computers are no more reliable than an old-fashioned psephograph. |
pseudisodomous, adj, 1601-1850 |
style of wall construction using stones of different thickness |
The use of pseudisodomous brickwork gives the room an antique feel. |
ptochology, n, 1891-1891 |
study of beggars and unemployment |
If we want to understand the roots of poverty, we must undertake work in ptochology. |
pudify, v, 1656-1656 |
to cause to be ashamed |
Your remarks do not pudify me, for you are as guilty of such offenses as I am! |
pugnastics, n, 1830-1830 |
displays of pugilistic ability |
Ali's pugnastics were much more impressive than his overly boastful showmanship. |
pullarian, adj, 1652-1652 |
of or pertaining to chicken or fowl |
Our pullarian mascot was trampled by the opposing team's offensive line. |
pyroleter, n, 1878-1878 |
double-pump fire extinguisher that produces carbonic acid |
The pyroleter was insufficient to combat the fire at the old library. |
quadragintireme, n, 1799-1799 |
vessel with forty rows of oars |
He couldn't have reached the battle even if he had been commanding a quadragintireme. |
quadrimular, adj, 1664-1664 |
lasting for four years |
The quadrimular interval between Olympiads is a long wait in terms of athletes' careers. |
quaeritate, v, 1657-1657 |
to question; to inquire |
If I might quaeritate, why are we headed in the wrong direction on the trail? |
quercivorous, adj, 1858-1858 |
feeding on oak trees |
The proliferation of quercivorous insects is a boon rather than a bane to the ecosystem. |
quibbleism, n, 1836-1836 |
practice of quibbling |
His carping and quibbleism earned him much scorn, a fact of which he was oblivious. |
quotientive, adj, 1871-1871 |
indicating how often |
She set up the schedule using a quotientive formula to ensure fairness. |
radicarian, adj, 1880-1880 |
pertaining to the roots of words |
A radicarian knowledge of Latin is of central importance for English etymology. |
ramifactive, adj, 1766-1766 |
developing into a branch; forming a branch |
Despite the infertility of the soil, the trees retained a limited ramifactive capacity. |
recineration, n, 1657-1683 |
second reduction to ashes |
The recineration of his book manuscript in the second fire drove him over the edge. |
redamancy, n, 1656-1656 |
act of loving in return |
Despite his lack of redamancy, her passion for him was unabated for several years. |
rendling, n, 1784-1784 |
curdling or setting of cheese |
Seeing the realization slowly dawn upon her was like witnessing the rendling of cheese. |
resarciate, v, 1656-1657 |
to mend; to make amends |
She wanted to resarciate their friendship before it was damaged irreparably. |
rhedarious, adj, 1656-1656 |
of or serving as a carriage or chariot |
His fancy for rhedarious transport was seen as old-fashioned by his friends. |
rhodologist, n, 1911-1924 |
one who studies and classifies roses |
Any rhodologist knows that a rose by any other name does not smell as sweet. |
rimestock, n, 1662-1834 |
old almanac with runic writings |
He bought the old rimestock at auction, but was unaware of its calendric function. |
riviation, n, 1676-1676 |
fishing |
While anglers are the sort who enjoy quiet contemplation, I find riviation to be boring. |
roblet, v, 1674-1755 |
to lead astray |
He roblets his intended victims in the old part of the city before mugging them. |
rogalian, adj, 1656-1656 |
of or pertaining to a great fire |
The books' authors were rightly incensed at their works' rogalian fate under the censors. |
rogitate, v, 1656-1658 |
to ask frequently |
"Are we there yet?", the kids rogitated, apparently unaware of their parents' frustration. |
roomthily, adj, 1674-1674 |
spatially; with respect to space |
His bachelor apartment is roomthily challenged, to say nothing of the smell. |
rupography, n, 1838-1838 |
art of taking impressions of coins or medals in sealing wax |
The police confiscated my rupography tools, thinking that I used them for forgery. |
ruricolous, adj, 1730-1858 |
living in the country or in fields |
Though the city has its attractions, I much prefer the quiet ruricolous life. |
saburrate, v, 1623-1658 |
to put sand or gravel in a ship as ballast |
Fortunately, the ship was thoroughly saburrated, or else it would surely have capsized. |
sacricolist, n, 1727-1727 |
devout worshipper |
She was a skeptic, but became a sacricolist after her father's death. |
sagittiferous, adj, 1656-1858 |
bearing arrows |
The general ordered that some of his foot-soldiers should thereafter be sagittiferous. |
sagittipotent, adj, 1656-1656 |
having great ability in archery |
The sagittipotent hunter found himself unable to kill the beautiful white stag. |
sarcinarious, adj, 1656-1656 |
serving to carry a burden or load |
His sarcinarious draught-horse could take no more, and collapsed on the desert sands. |
scaevity, n, 1623-1658 |
unluckiness; left-handedness |
She attributed her failure to evil forces, but her family felt it was a matter of scaevity. |
scandiscope, n, 1825-1825 |
machine for cleaning chimneys |
The scandiscope removed soot, but also what might have been reindeer droppings. |
scathefire, n, 1632-1796 |
great destructive fire; conflagration |
Despite the scathefire that razed the town, its citizens were determined to rebuild. |
scelidate, adj, 1877-1877 |
having legs; legged |
The legless dragon of Eastern myth contrasts with its scelidate Western counterpart. |
sceptriferous, adj, 1656-1658 |
bearing a scepter |
The court's sceptriferous seneschal had a primarily symbolic function. |
schismarch, n, 1657-1657 |
founder of a schism |
The schismarch of the People's Front of Judea was hated by his former allies. |
secability, n, 1842-1842 |
capability of being cut |
The limited secability of Kevlar makes it an ideal material for modern armour. |
sedecuple, n, 1690-1690 |
quantity sixteen times another |
She enjoyed the Slinky, though her age was the sedecuple of her granddaughter's. |
sementine, adj, 1656-1656 |
pertaining to sowing; of the time of seeding fields |
This year's drought means that our springtime sementine efforts were in vain. |
senticous, adj, 1657-1657 |
prickly; thorny |
He pricked himself on a senticous bush as he searched about for his golf ball. |
seplasiary, n, 1650-1658 |
seller or producer of perfumes and ointments |
She had an allergic reaction after the seplasiary sprayed her in the eyes. |
sermonolatry, n, 1859-1859 |
excessive devotion to sermons |
We moved to a church across town because of our pastor's excessive sermonolatry. |
sevidical, adj, 1656-1656 |
speaking cruel and harsh words; threatening |
I will not tolerate your sevidical tone and manner, you filthy peasant! |
sevous, adj, 1725-1725 |
like tallow or suet |
The sevous mixture wouldn't harden, and so the whole batch of candles was ruined. |
siagonology, n, 1895-1895 |
study of jaw-bones |
Reliance on siagonology alone led to the proliferation of the Piltdown Man hoax. |
sigilism, n, 1865-1865 |
act of revealing the secrets of the confessional |
After learning of such atrocities, it is only natural that he would consider sigilism. |
sinapistic, adj, 1879-1879 |
consisting of mustard |
The chef's sinapistic sauces delighted connoisseurs of French cuisine. |
sireniform, adj, 1849-1852 |
having the lower legs abnormally joined into a single limb |
When they learned that their child had a sireniform deformity, they were devastated. |
slimikin, adj, 1745-1745 |
small and slender |
She was a slimikin young woman who often flirted with the schoolboys at the academy. |
snobographer, n, 1848-1966 |
one who describes or writes about snobs |
The editors scrapped the society page because it was full of pretentious snobographers. |
sodalitious, adj, 1656-1730 |
of or belonging to society or to fellowship |
Sodalitious camaraderie is the basis for gentlemanly life in this civilized era. |
soleated, adj, 1623-1656 |
shod like a horse |
Because his steed was poorly soleated, he was unable to make good time on the trip. |
solennial, adj, 1623-1656 |
occurring once a year; annual |
Welcome to our solennial celebration of the birth of our illustrious institution. |
soloecal, adj, 1716-1716 |
provincially incorrect |
His soloecal Southern dialect cost him more than one job. |
somandric, adj, 1716-1716 |
pertaining to the human body |
Today's athletes frequently exceed natural somandric limits with anabolic steroids. |
sophronize, v, 1827-1827 |
to imbue with sound moral principles or self-control |
It is important that we sophronize children, not merely teach them facts. |
sospital, adj, 1656-1658 |
keeping safe and healthy; preserving from danger |
The bodyguard's sospital functions were compromised by his love for his charge. |
sparsile, adj, 1891-1891 |
of a star, not included in any constellation |
The prevalence of sparsile stars today reflects technical advances in telescopy. |
speustic, adj, 1656-1658 |
made or baked in haste |
At the last minute, he thought to throw together a speustic pie for the gathering. |
spiscious, adj, 1655-1655 |
of a thick consistency |
Her soups are both spiscious and delicious, though perhaps over-laden with salt. |
sputcheon, n, 1842-1878 |
metal lining of the mouth of a scabbard |
The blade rang against the sputcheon as he drew it, eliminating the element of surprise. |
squiriferous, adj, 1796-1796 |
having the character or qualities of a squire |
The squiriferous youth squandered his inheritance with astonishing rapidity. |
stagma, n, 1681-1820 |
any distilled liquor |
I will touch neither wine nor stagma, though I do occasionally partake of ale. |
starrify, v, 1598-1675 |
to decorate with stars; to make into a star |
She would often starrify her high school students' work, thereby infantilizing them. |
stibogram, n, 1891-1898 |
graphic record of footprints |
The detective took stibograms from the scene, hoping they would lead to the culprit. |
stigmatypy, n, 1875-1875 |
printing portraits using dots of different sizes |
The use of stigmatypy takes enormous effort, but provides little artistic benefit. |
stiricide, n, 1656-1656 |
falling of icicles from a house |
The untended tenement was very dangerous in winter due to stiricide. |
sturionic, adj, 1852-1852 |
of or pertaining to the sturgeon |
With its great sturionic strength, it leapt off the hook, never again to be seen. |
succisive, adj, 1619-1656 |
of time, spare or in excess |
Because I worked so much harder than them, they envied my succisive rests. |
suffarcinate, v, 1656-1656 |
to load up; to stuff |
His daughter suffarcinated the moving van with a hoard of old clothing, to his chagrin. |
summotion, n, 1653-1653 |
removal |
The summotion of the unruly committee members was itself an unruly occasion. |
supellectile, adj, 1615-1843 |
of the nature of furniture |
Our apartment is full of knick-knacks, but is lacking in supellectile necessities. |
surgation, n, 1688-1688 |
erection of the penis |
His surgation caused him embarassment when he had to speak in front of the class. |
synallactic, adj, 1853-1853 |
reconciliatory |
A synallactic dinner was a good idea, and helped them save their marriage. |
tabernarious, adj, 1656-1656 |
belonging to shops or taverns |
Our tabernarious citizens have put before us their preposterous demands. |
tantuple, adj, 1656-1656 |
multiplied by the same number; so many times a given quantity |
We expect a tantuple increase in this year's profits as well. |
tauroboly, n, 1700-1891 |
slaughter of a bull or bulls; pagan bull sacrifice |
The cruelty of the matador led her to fight against tauroboly as an inhumane practice. |
tecnolatry, n, 1899-1914 |
worship or idolization of children |
Despite her infertility, or perhaps because of it, she was known for her tecnolatry. |
teliferous, adj, 1656-1658 |
bearing darts or missiles |
The teliferous battalion of soldiers advanced, knowing that they had the upper hand. |
telligraph, n, 1783-1903 |
charter outlining boundaries of landholdings |
Fortunately, he still possessed the telligraph given to his great-grandfather. |
temerate, v, 1635-1654 |
to break a bond or promise; to profane |
She would not compromise, for doing so would force her to temerate her vows. |
tenellous, adj, 1651-1651 |
somewhat tender |
Their tenellous relationship, which was never strong, came under great strain. |
tetanothrum, n, 1519-1823 |
cosmetic for removing wrinkles |
The proliferation of tetanothrums reflects the concerns of aging baby boomers. |
teterrimous, adj, 1704-1864 |
most foul |
The fiend's teterrimous visage alarmed the librarian, who quickly closed the dark tome. |
theomeny, n, 1623-1656 |
the wrath of God |
I may suffer theomeny for my beliefs, but at least I will have been consistent. |
thural, adj, 1624-1714 |
of or pertaining to incense |
The mysteries of the ancient order involved the burning of thural herbs. |
thysiastery, n, 1657-1657 |
sacrificial altar |
They laid the babe upon the thysiastery with his mother's willing consent. |
tolfraedic, adj, 1703-1905 |
of reckoning one hundred as 120; duodecimal |
Unfortunately, our measures still have a strong component of tolfraedic reckoning. |
tollation, n, 1688-1688 |
act of lifting |
The tollation of the child from the well required special equipment to be imported. |
tornatil, adj, 1661-1661 |
made with a wheel; turned on a wheel |
The potter was a master of his tornatil work, but many of his pots broke during firing. |
tortiloquy, n, 1656-1656 |
crooked speech |
I will not tolerate such tortiloquy in my court! |
trabeal, adj, 1862-1866 |
like a beam; of the nature of a horizontal beam |
This trabeal support for the roof won't last more than a decade. |
traboccant, adj, 1651-1654 |
superabundant; excessive |
Your traboccant generosity will no doubt be repaid twice over by the award recipients. |
tragematopolist, n, 1656-1658 |
confectioner; seller of sweets |
No tragematopolist can match the appeal of a toy-store for young children. |
trajectitious, adj, 1656-1855 |
characterized by oversea transport |
The trajectitious movement of sugar cane allowed the merchants to grow rich. |
tremefy, v, 1832-1832 |
to cause to tremble |
His words tremefied the more gullible of onlookers, while others shook their heads. |
triclavianism, n, 1838-1838 |
belief that only three nails were used at Christ's crucifixion |
My debate on triclavianism was ill-received by the priests, who felt it irrelevant. |
tristifical, adj, 1656-1656 |
causing to be sad or mournful |
His tristifical wailing got the best of us, and we also were reduced to tears. |
tropaean, adj, 1686-1686 |
blowing from sea to land |
The tropaean winds blew the raft ashore after long weeks at sea. |
trophaeal, adj, 1646-1660 |
pertaining to or adorned with trophies |
Her trophaeal treasure trove was the only thing undamaged by the fire. |
tudiculate, v, 1623-1658 |
to bruise or pound; to work as with a hammer |
He was brutally tudiculated by the bullies, so he started to work out. |
tussicate, v, 1598-1890 |
to cough |
He tussicated throughout the opera, annoying nearby audience members. |
uglyography, n, 1804-1834 |
bad handwriting; poor spelling |
Your uglyography conceals the cogency and brilliance of your ideas. |
ulvose, adj, 1727-1727 |
full of reeds or weeds |
The ulvose marsh was drained, damaging the habitat of several species of waterfowl. |
urette, n, 1840-1840 |
dried animal urine absorbed into calcareous soil |
The only sign it had ever been a pasture were the patches of urette and dried dung. |
utible, adj, 1623-1711 |
serviceable; useful |
While the new system is much more expensive, at least it is utible. |
utlegation, n, 1678-1678 |
legal process by which someone is outlawed |
The gunslinger's utlegation was no impediment to his efforts to find work. |
uviferous, adj, 1656-1656 |
bearing grapes or vines |
The uviferous hills of Champagne are still renowned for their quality produce. |
vacivity, n, 1656-1721 |
emptiness |
The vacivity of her mind can hardly be a consequence of her blonde hair. |
vadiation, n, 1753-1812 |
act of requiring a pledge |
The secret society insisted that he must attend the vadiation ceremony before entering. |
vadosity, n, 1658-1658 |
fact of being fordable |
The limited vadosity of the river presented an enormous barrier to the pioneers. |
vampirarchy, n, 1823-1823 |
set of rulers comparable to vampires |
Some believe that we are secretly ruled by the Illuminati or a similar vampirarchy. |
vanmost, adv, 1865-1865 |
in the front; foremost |
The vanmost brigade is expected to take very high casualties, unfortunately. |
vappous, adj, 1673-1673 |
flat; insipid |
This chili has a vappous and unpleasant taste, unlike the other offerings. |
vargeous, adj, 1779-1779 |
resembling a rod; rod-like |
He twirled his vargeous billy-club menacingly at the peaceful protesters. |
vectarious, adj, 1656-1696 |
belonging to a wagon or carriage |
At the end of their vectarious voyage, he pulled out the engagement ring. |
vellicle, n, 1676-1676 |
something that pinches or holds fast |
You need some sort of vellicle to keep the papers from falling all over the place. |
venalitious, adj, 1656-1656 |
of the sale of humans as slaves |
Despite universal condemnation, venalitious practices abound in the Third World today. |
venialia, n, 1654-1654 |
minor sins or offences |
Though he had done nothing heinous, all of his friends had been victims of his venialia. |
venundate, v, 1623-1656 |
to buy and sell |
The farmer went to town once a month to venundate, but was otherwise solitary. |
venustation, n, 1656-1658 |
act of causing to become beautiful or handsome |
The cream's manufacturer fraudulently promised venustation to those who used it. |
veprecose, adj, 1721-1721 |
full of brambles |
When they moved onto the estate, the grounds were veprecose and untended. |
veteratorian, adj, 1656-1656 |
crafty; subtle |
Your veteratorian villainy is no match for the might of my armies of men! |
vicambulate, v, 1873-1873 |
to walk about in the streets |
Would you care to vicambulate with me on this fine evening, my dear? |
viduifical, adj, 1657-1657 |
widow-making |
It is often said that golf is just as viduifical as war, and twice as pointless. |
viliorate, v, 1722-1722 |
to make less good; to worsen |
The presence of gangs viliorates the quality of life for everyone in the neighbourhood. |
vinitorian, adj, 1656-1656 |
of or pertaining to tending vines |
Though the orchard was more profitable, her vinitorian skills earned her respect. |
virtival, n, 1794-1794 |
metal support for an axle |
Though he added virtivals to the cart, it fell to pieces at the first major jolt. |
visotactile, adj, 1652-1652 |
involving both touch and vision |
The deaf man learned to make better use of visotactile input in his daily life. |
vocitate, v, 1653-1653 |
to name or call |
I can understand giving a name to a dog, but who vocitates their houseplants? |
volgivagant, adj, 1656-1656 |
pertaining to the common people; poor or base; inconstant |
Her political fortunes were tied to her ability to appeal to her volgivagant constituents. |
vultuous, adj, 1633-1721 |
having a sad or solemn countenance |
The child's vultuous visage was the key to the team's successful con game. |
weequashing, n, 1888-1902 |
spearing of fish or eels by torchlight from canoes |
The Scouts went out weequashing, but they forgot to obtain the proper permit. |
welmish, adj, 1688-1688 |
of a pale or sickly colour |
Her welmish complexion was the first clue that she had become a full-blown addict. |
woundikins, int, 1836-1836 |
diminutive form of "wounds"; mild oath |
He shouted, "Great woundikins!" upon striking his toe, much to their amusement. |
xenization, n, 1818-1818 |
fact of travelling as a stranger |
This period of youthful xenization was the source of his later cultural tolerance. |
yelve, n, 1000-1886 |
dung-fork; garden-fork; to use such a fork |
With her yelve and hoe never far from hand, she grew her crops the old-fashioned way. |
zygostatical, adj, 1623-1656 |
pertaining to a market official in charge of weights |
His zygostatical training allowed him to cheat the scales undetected for decades. |
The American Sign Language has a set of 26 signs which can be used to spell out words.

Morse code is a telecommunication method encoding text characters as sequences of two different signal durations.

Braille is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired.

Assorted notes on various nautical language systems.

celestial navigation
- Zenith: The imaginary point directly above a particular location, opposite to the apparent gravitational force at that location.
- Azimuth: The angle offset between the north vector and target's vector on the horizontal plane.
- Longitude: The east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface.
- Latitude: The north-south position of a point on the Earth's surface.
- Nautical Mile: Defined as 1852 meters, or one minute of angle along a meridian on the Earth.
- LAN: Local Apparent Noon.
- NSL: Noon sight latitude.
- GHA: Greenwich hour angle.
- Sun altitude offset: 4 seconds off is equal to 1 nautical mile.
The Shavian phonemic alphabet.
The Shavian alphabet is a constructed alphabet conceived as a way to provide simple, phonemic orthography for the English language to replace the difficulties of conventional spelling using the Latin alphabet. A phonetic alphabet would look quite different depending on the accent it represented. Shavian, on the other hand, does not purport to represent exactly sounds, but classes of sounds.
- Five common words are represented by single letters: the ๐, of ๐, and ๐ฏ, to ๐, for ๐.
- There are no separate capital or lowercase letters the Shavian alphabet.
- A namer dot (ยท) precedes proper names, if such special indication seems to be necessary.

Tall | Deep | ||||
๐ | /p/ | peep | ๐ | /b/ | bib |
๐ | /t/ | tot | ๐ | /d/ | dead |
๐ | /k/ | kick | ๐ | /ษก/ | gag |
๐ | /f/ | fee | ๐ | /v/ | vow |
๐ | /ฮธ/ | thigh | ๐ | /รฐ/ | they |
๐ | /s/ | so | ๐ | /z/ | zoo |
๐ | /ส/ | sure | ๐ | /ส/ | measure |
๐ | /สง/ | church | ๐ก | /สค/ | judge |
๐ | /j/ | yea | ๐ข | /w/ | woe |
๐ | /ล/ | hung | ๐ฃ | /h/ | ha-ha |
Short | |||||
๐ค | /l/ | loll | ๐ฉ | /ษ/ | ado |
๐ฎ | /r/ | roar | ๐ณ | /ส/ | up |
๐ฅ | /m/ | mime | ๐ช | /ษ/ | on |
๐ฏ | /n/ | nun | ๐ด | /ษส/ | oak |
๐ฆ | /ษช/~/i/ | if | ๐ซ | /ส/ | wool |
๐ฐ | /iห/ | eat | ๐ต | /u(ห)/ | ooze |
๐ง | /ษ/ | egg | ๐ฌ | /aส/ | out |
๐ฑ | /eษช/ | age | ๐ถ | /ษษช/ | oil |
๐จ | /รฆ/ | ash | ๐ญ | /ษห/ | ah |
๐ฒ | /aษช/ | ice | ๐ท | /ษห/ | awe |
Compound | |||||
๐ธ | /ษห(r)/ | are | ๐ผ | /ษ(r)/ | array |
๐น | /ษห(r)/ | or | ๐ฝ | /ษชษ(r)/ | ear |
๐บ | /ษษ(r)/ | air | ๐พ | /ษชษ/ | Ian |
๐ป | /ษห(r)/ | err | ๐ฟ | /ju(ห)/ | yew |
Examples
- a ๐ฉ
- about ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐
- after ๐ญ๐๐๐ผ, ๐จ๐๐๐ผ
- again ๐ฉ๐๐ฑ๐ฏ, ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฏ
- against ๐ฉ๐๐ฑ๐ฏ๐๐, ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฏ๐๐
- all ๐ท๐ค
- already ๐ท๐ค๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ฆ
- although ๐ท๐ค๐๐ด
- also ๐ท๐ค๐๐ด
- always ๐ท๐ค๐ข๐ฑ๐
- am ๐จ๐ฅ
- an ๐ฉ๐ฏ
- and ๐ฏ
- any ๐ง๐ฏ๐ฆ
- are ๐ธ
- as ๐จ๐
- at ๐จ๐
- away ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ
- be ๐๐ฐ
- because ๐๐ฆ๐๐ช๐, ๐๐ฆ๐๐ท๐
- been ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ
- before ๐๐ฆ๐๐น
- between ๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ฐ๐ฏ
- business ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฏ๐ฉ๐
- but ๐๐ณ๐
- by ๐๐ฒ
- came ๐๐ฑ๐ฅ
- can ๐๐จ๐ฏ
- cannot ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐ช๐
- can't ๐๐ญ๐ฏ๐
- come ๐๐ณ๐ฅ
- cordially ๐๐น๐๐พ๐ค๐ฆ
- could ๐๐ซ๐
- day ๐๐ฑ
- dear ๐๐ฝ
- did ๐๐ฆ๐
- didn't ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฉ๐ฏ๐
- do ๐๐ต
- does ๐๐ณ๐
- done ๐๐ณ๐ฏ
- don't ๐๐ด๐ฏ๐
- down ๐๐ฌ๐ฏ
- during ๐๐๐ซ๐ผ๐ฆ๐
- each ๐ฐ๐
- either ๐ฒ๐๐ผ, ๐ฐ๐๐ผ
- enough ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ณ๐
- ever ๐ง๐๐ผ
- every ๐ง๐๐ฎ๐ฆ
- faithfully ๐๐ฑ๐๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ฆ
- far ๐๐ธ
- few ๐๐ฟ
- first ๐๐ป๐๐
- for ๐๐น [๐]
- from ๐๐ฎ๐ช๐ฅ
- give ๐๐ฆ๐
- go ๐๐ด
- good ๐๐ซ๐
- got ๐๐ช๐
- great ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐
- had ๐ฃ๐จ๐
- has ๐ฃ๐จ๐
- have ๐ฃ๐จ๐
- he ๐ฃ๐ฐ
- her ๐ฃ๐ป
- here ๐ฃ๐ฝ
- him ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฅ
- his ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐
- how ๐ฃ๐ฌ
- I ๐ฒ
- if ๐ฆ๐
- in ๐ฆ๐ฏ
- into ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐๐ต
- is ๐ฆ๐
- it ๐ฆ๐
- just ๐ก๐ณ๐๐
- knew ๐ฏ๐ฟ
- know ๐ฏ๐ด
- large ๐ค๐ธ๐ก
- last ๐ค๐ญ๐๐, ๐ค๐จ๐๐
- like ๐ค๐ฒ๐
- little ๐ค๐ฆ๐๐ฉ๐ค
- long ๐ค๐ช๐
- look ๐ค๐ซ๐
- lost ๐ค๐ช๐๐
- love ๐ค๐ณ๐
- made ๐ฅ๐ฑ๐
- make ๐ฅ๐ฑ๐
- man ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ
- many ๐ฅ๐ง๐ฏ๐ฆ
- may ๐ฅ๐ฑ
- me ๐ฅ๐ฐ
- men ๐ฅ๐ง๐ฏ
- might ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐
- money ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ฆ
- more ๐ฅ๐น
- most ๐ฅ๐ด๐๐
- much ๐ฅ๐ณ๐
- must ๐ฅ๐ณ๐๐
- my ๐ฅ๐ฒ
- near ๐ฏ๐ฝ
- never ๐ฏ๐ง๐๐ผ
- new ๐ฏ๐ฟ, ๐ฏ๐ต
- next ๐ฏ๐ง๐๐๐
- no ๐ฏ๐ด
- none ๐ฏ๐ณ๐ฏ
- not ๐ฏ๐ช๐
- nothing ๐ฏ๐ณ๐๐ฆ๐
- now ๐ฏ๐ฌ
- of ๐
- off ๐ช๐
- often ๐ช๐๐ฉ๐ฏ, ๐ช๐๐๐ฉ๐ฏ
- old ๐ด๐ค๐
- on ๐ช๐ฏ
- once ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐
- one ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ
- only ๐ด๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ
- or ๐น
- other ๐ณ๐๐ผ
- our ๐ฌ๐ผ
- over ๐ด๐๐ผ
- out ๐ฌ๐
- own ๐ด๐ฏ
- part ๐๐ธ๐
- pass ๐๐ญ๐, ๐๐จ๐
- past ๐๐ญ๐๐, ๐๐จ๐๐
- people ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฉ๐ค
- please ๐๐ค๐ฐ๐
- pleasure ๐๐ค๐ง๐ ๐ผ
- possible ๐๐ช๐๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐ค
- question ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐ฏ
- quite ๐๐ข๐ฒ๐
- rather ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ผ
- reach ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐
- read ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐, ๐ฎ๐ง๐
- really ๐ฎ๐พ๐ค๐ฆ
- right ๐ฎ๐ฒ๐
- said ๐๐ง๐
- same ๐๐ฑ๐ฅ
- say ๐๐ฑ
- says ๐๐ง๐
- shall ๐๐จ๐ค
- shan't ๐๐ญ๐ฏ๐
- Shavian ยท๐๐ฑ๐๐พ๐ฏ
- she ๐๐ฐ
- should ๐๐ซ๐
- sincerely ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐๐ฝ๐ค๐ฆ
- so ๐๐ด
- some ๐๐ณ๐ฅ
- something ๐๐ณ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐
- still ๐๐๐ฆ๐ค
- such ๐๐ณ๐
- sure ๐๐ซ๐ผ
- take ๐๐ฑ๐
- talk ๐๐ท๐
- than ๐๐จ๐ฏ
- thank ๐๐จ๐๐
- that ๐๐จ๐
- the ๐
- their ๐๐บ
- them ๐๐ง๐ฅ
- then ๐๐ง๐ฏ
- there ๐๐บ
- these ๐๐ฐ๐
- they ๐๐ฑ
- thing ๐๐ฆ๐
- think ๐๐ฆ๐๐
- this ๐๐ฆ๐
- those ๐๐ด๐
- thought ๐๐ท๐
- three ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ
- through ๐๐ฎ๐ต
- time ๐๐ฒ๐ฅ
- to ๐
- today ๐๐ฉ๐๐ฑ
- together ๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ผ
- too ๐๐ต
- two ๐๐ต
- truly ๐๐ฎ๐ต๐ค๐ฆ
- under ๐ณ๐ฏ๐๐ผ
- unless ๐ฉ๐ฏ๐ค๐ง๐
- until ๐ฉ๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐ค
- up ๐ณ๐
- us ๐ณ๐
- use (v.) ๐ฟ๐
- use (n.) ๐ฟ๐
- used ๐ฟ๐๐
- used to ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐
- usual ๐ฟ๐ ๐ซ๐ฉ๐ค
- vary ๐๐บ๐ฆ
- very ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ฆ
- want ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐
- war ๐ข๐น
- was ๐ข๐ช๐
- wasn't ๐ข๐ช๐๐ฉ๐ฏ๐
- way ๐ข๐ฑ
- we ๐ข๐ฐ
- well ๐ข๐ง๐ค
- went ๐ข๐ง๐ฏ๐
- were ๐ข๐ป
- what [๐ฃ]๐ข๐ช๐
- where [๐ฃ]๐ข๐บ
- which [๐ฃ]๐ข๐ฆ๐
- while [๐ฃ]๐ข๐ฒ๐ค
- who ๐ฃ๐ต
- whole ๐ฃ๐ด๐ค
- whose ๐ฃ๐ต๐
- why [๐ฃ]๐ข๐ฒ
- when [๐ฃ]๐ข๐ง๐ฏ
- will ๐ข๐ฆ๐ค
- with ๐ข๐ฆ๐
- woman ๐ข๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฉ๐ฏ
- women ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฏ
- word ๐ข๐ป๐
- work ๐ข๐ป๐
- world ๐ข๐ป๐ค๐
- would ๐ข๐ซ๐
- write ๐ฎ๐ฒ๐
- written ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ฉ๐ฏ
- wrong ๐ฎ๐ช๐
- year ๐๐ฝ
- yesterday ๐๐ง๐๐๐ผ๐๐ฑ
- yet ๐๐ง๐
- you ๐ฟ
- young ๐๐ณ๐
- your ๐๐ซ๐ผ, ๐๐น
Keyboard Input
There is an onscreen keyboard written for Varvara.

Unicode Chart
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | |
U+1045x | ๐ | ๐ | ๐ | ๐ | ๐ | ๐ | ๐ | ๐ | ๐ | ๐ | ๐ | ๐ | ๐ | ๐ | ๐ | ๐ |
U+1046x | ๐ | ๐ก | ๐ข | ๐ฃ | ๐ค | ๐ฅ | ๐ฆ | ๐ง | ๐จ | ๐ฉ | ๐ช | ๐ซ | ๐ฌ | ๐ญ | ๐ฎ | ๐ฏ |
U+1047x | ๐ฐ | ๐ฑ | ๐ฒ | ๐ณ | ๐ด | ๐ต | ๐ถ | ๐ท | ๐ธ | ๐น | ๐บ | ๐ป | ๐ผ | ๐ฝ | ๐พ | ๐ฟ |
Pixel fonts
Glyphs by Dechifro.
shavian6x13 | shavian7x14 |
---|---|
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incoming thousand rooms