Word Of The Day

As an excercise in expanding everyone's respective vocabularies, I'm going to post a word of the day. Tomorrow anyone can choose to pick up the torch and post their word of the day and so on. Pick something that pops into your head, something interesting, something not everyone will know.

The word that's been on my mind today, for some strange reason, is quango, mainstay of Yes, Minister and meaning quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation. What a word!

 

Let me guess...this is actually the "I want to show off just how much more I know than you thread"?

I have to admit, quango is a funksome word, but I doubt I'd ever actually use it in context.

 

"Quango" reminds me of the late 1990s, it's funny how words and phrases catch on and get used everywhere for a short time and then die off again, it was all over the political news for a while.

 

Not really oh derisive one, it's because quango was on my mind and it set me thinking about interesting and underused words. I'd generally like to hear more. Quango came up in conversation with my friends a few months back. I'd heard it before, but had never known what it meant until then. Now I feel it should be used more....

 

Well strictly speaking quango is an acronym rather than a word *blows a raspberry at Sal*

I used the word inhibit in a writeup today, I think it's quite an interesting word, as in blocking light to inhibit plant growth. It's also used as a technical word in animal learning theory, e.g. latent inhibition.

If I can be bothered to refresh my knowledge of what it means I'll add that in, unless there are any psychologists on here?

 

might of mentioned previously but one of my favourite words used jokingly with my maids is

Obstreperous

title of a book in early years

 

Sorry Sal, was only messing. Didn't mean to offend!

 

My favourite word is sesquipedalian, one of those words that actually describes itself.

 

Good word, good word, I like that, not come across it before.

Another q from me today, quixotic, named for the eponymous Don Quixote and used to describe the fanciful, idealistic and the naive....

 

if they'd only had the Internet back then, Don Q would have been a founder member of Hip Forums

 

May i take "quincunx"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincunx

and "diaphanous"
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diaphanous


I couldnt decide Ive tenderly loved those words since the first time i read them!

Ill shut up now

 

cogent is a cool word I think.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogency

 

Today's word is antinomy, which means a contradiction or opposition
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/antinomy

 

As distinct from "antimony", a metallic element with atomic number 51!

 

And also from antonym, which is the antonym of synonym....

 

Or homonym, which is an expression of how many cups there are in any given situation....

 

My new word for today is:Curmudgeon.


Curmudgeon is an ill natured person. A Miser.

If you ever need an example: Try Squidward. It is the best example of a Curmudgeon.

 

Curmudgeonly is one of my favourite adjectives

 

A word I've never heard anyone use, though I've seen it in print, is anent, which means "alongside; concerning, about". My dictionary flags it as "archaic or Scot."

 

Today's word is eponymous

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eponym

trust R.E.M to make a joke out of it.