You word lover’s know who you are, and it was for you and yours that I created today’s show. While the Oxford English Dictionary is actually much older than its 80 years (the first published piece of the OED came out in 1884;1928 marks the publication of the OED in its entirety), any chance to celebrate such a remarkable collection of words is good enough for me.
Here’s a list of a few of Ammon Shea’s favorite discoveries from his year reading the OED:
- All-overish : having a general and indefinite sense of illness pervading the body.
- Accismus : an insincere refusal of a thing that is desired
- Addubitation : a suggestion of doubt
- Aerumnous : full of trouble
- Assy: asinine
- Balaamite : one who is religious for the sake of monetary gain
- Beadledom : the sense of self-importance and officiousness seen as characteristic of beadles, or minor officials.
- Callisthenical : addicted to exercise or calisthenics.
- Cimicine : smelling like bugs
- Colloquialist : an excellent talker; a person who is good at conversing
- Empleomania : a manic compulsion to hold public office
- Gaum : to stare vapidly
- Idiorepulisve : self repelling
- Petrichor : The pleasant loamy smell of rain on the ground, especially after a long dry spell.
- Sardonian : one who flatters with deadly intent
- Selfist : a person who is selfish or self-centered
- Sequacious : prone to following the thoughts and opinions of others in a fashion that is slavish and unreasoning
- Trumpery : something of less value than it seems
- Twi-thought : a vague or indistinct thought
- Unbepissed : not having been urinated on; unwet with urine
- Vicambulist : one who walks about in the streets
- Vocabularian : one who pays too much attention to words
- pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis : a kind of lung disease
- Boree : one who is bored
- Complainee : a person who is complained about
- Laughee : someone who is laughted at
- Sornee : one who has been sponged upon by others for free food or lodging
As recorded by Thomas Nashe, author of The Anatomie of Absurditie and Christ’s Teares over Jerusalem
- Goat drunke: made lascivious by alcohol
- Ape-drunke : he leapes, and sings, and hollowes, and dances for the heavens
- Lion-drunke : “he flings the pots about the house, calls his Hostess whore, breakes the glass window with his dagger, and is apt to quarrel with any man that speaks to himi.”
- Swine-drunke : heavy lumpish, and sleepie and cries for a little more drink
- Sheepe-drunke : wise in his own soncpit, when he cannot bring forth a right word
- Mawdlen-drunke : when a fellow will weep for kindness in the midst of his ale, and kiss you
- Martin-drunke : when a man is drunk and drinks himself sober ere he stir
- Foxe-drunke : when he is craftie drunk, as many of the Dutch men be, and never bargain but when they are drunk.
— Cristy Meiners
Hey Sandy, the word you are looking for is Remord, meaning "(n.) A touch of remorse; (v.) to remember with regret.
Sandy – I think the word you’re looking for is "remore" or remor". I can’t vouch for the spelling though since they didn’t spell it on the show (at least that I can remember anyway).
I missed a word as well. The meaning was something like "an object who’s memory is tinged with regret". What was the word and the correct definition? I’ve tried to figure it out on line to no avail
This is the second interview that I have heard with this author and I have thoroughly enjoyed both of them. Thank you for bringing them to me. How about developing a show jsut about words in the OED. Think about it…
Oh yes, those were good ones. They are:
Peristeronic (adj.) Suggestive of pigeons.
and
Paracme (n.) The point at which one’s prime is past.
Shea mentioned two really cool words that I could not write down (driving). One meant "like a pigeon" and the other meant "past your prime."
Anyone remember what they were? Google isn’t even smart enough to help here. Great show today!
Cristy has had a lot of fun with this project and made it fun for me, too. That’s routine stuff for her because she’s the kind of person who lights up whatever room she’s in. I like this blog because it affords you listeners a chance to meet the fabulous producers who make me sound good every day and to get to know them. Cristy is a gem and she makes it a joy to go to work each day. If you listen closely to the material she produces, you’ll share the joy.