Category: Dictionary

  • Pelf

    Pelf, n.; money or gain that is acquired in a dishonest way or is viewed with contempt. From Old French pelfre meaning “booty, stolen goods”, related to the word pilfer. [via, see, et]

  • Adventitious

    Adventitious, adj. meaning “happening by chance”, “associated by chance”, “coming from another source”; or, in biology, “appearing sporadically or in an abnormal or unusual place”; from the Latin adventicius, meaning foreign. [see, et, et] To an intellectual person the whole business of love-making is ridiculous, and without dignity. Dreams and fancies are invoked to give…

  • Caducity

    Caducity, n. Meaning the infirmity of old age, or, poetically, the quality of anything being transitory. [via, see, et]

  • Appetence

    Appetence, n. From the Latin, appetere, to strive after; meaning the state or action of a strong desire, tendency or attraction. Also, appentent as an adjective. [via, see, et, et]

  • Adianoeta

    Adianoeta, n. From the Greek for ‘unintelligible’, an expression with both an obvious and another subtle, or even esoteric, meaning; like an allegory or double entendre [via, also, et]. Presumably a – dia – noeta might be translated as, something like, “not through things known” [see]. Amusingly and awesomely, therefore, the word adianoeta is itself…

  • Stigmergy

    Stigmergy, n. the spontaneous, indirect organization that emerges out of the seeming chaos of individuals doing their work, a principle of systems which perhaps suggests that individual agents doing their work create non-coördinated self-organization which makes it possible for others to more efficiently do their own work. [ht, see, et, et]

  • Aperçu

    Aperçu, n. a clever or immediate insight, adopted from the French. [ht, see, et]

  • Conforaneus

    Conforaneus, adj. Of the same court or market, something occurring in the same arena. From the Latin conforaneus meaning using the same forum. [see,also]

  • Malapert

    Malapert, adj. Saucy, insolent, outspoken. From the Latin, mal- meaning badly, wrongly and apertum meaning open. [see,et,also] I presume, open in the sense of impolite, impolitic and unrestrained; as in the way that “uncovered language” is impolite and bawdy.

  • Inconcinnity

    Inconcinnity, n. Lack of harmony or suitability. From the Latin, inconcinnus meaning absurd, awkward, clumsy, I presume.

  • Desuetude

    Desuetude, n. A state of disuse, from the Latin desuetudo meaning outdated, no longer custom. Also, “a doctrine that causes statutes, similar legislation or legal principles to lapse and become unenforceable by a long habit of non-enforcement or lapse of time” [see].

  • Sciolist

    Sciolist, n. An archaic word for a person who pretends to be learned, knowledgable, or well-informed, from Latin sciolus which is a diminutive of scius meaning knowing. il Dottore, though he doesn’t know he doesn’t know it, is an expert sciolist.

  • Sedulous

    Sedulous, adj. being dedicated and diligent, from the Latin sedulus meaning zealous.

  • Anent

    Anent, prep. An archaic word which means “concerning” used much as some usage of “about” currently.

  • Irredentism

    Irredentism, n. From the Italian for “unredeemed” this is the belief and advocacy for a restoration of territory. [via]

  • Anagnorisis

    Anagnorisis, n. The realization of true nature or identity, one’s own or another’s; The transition from ignorance to knowledge. [via,see,et,also]

  • Taciturn

    Taciturn, adj. silent, uncommunicative, withdrawn, tight-lipped. I recently used a word in a conversation that I can’t find in any dictionary. The word I’ve used, and have heard before, is “Tacturn” … but, the only evidence of this word I’m finding is “Taciturn” which doesn’t sound anything like “Tacturn” unless you say your Latin with…

  • Feri

    Feral: “ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from Latin fera ‘wild animal’ (from ferus ‘wild’ ) + -al.” So, feri, pl. n. wild animals of male or mixed sex?

  • Akathisia

    Akathisia, or Acathisia, n. A sensation of inner restlessness; the inability to remain still.

  • Clerisy

    Clerisy, n. the intelligentsia; the theory class. [via, also]