When I was younger my favourite words were big words. The longer a word was the more I liked it! At eight, my favourite word was antidisestablishmentarianism.
I could even define it.
Later I ditched antidisestablishmentarianism in favour of the slightly longer floccinaucinihilipilification. I feel slightly pathetic now. I just looked it up and realized I've been pronouncing it wrong my whole life.
But my all-time favourite word for years has been defenestration. I've had several people ask me what it means as the name of my blog so... Here! I'll provide you all with this wonderfully witty and rather unhelpful definition:
Defenestration
[dee-fen-uh-strey-shuhn] –noun
1. the act of defenestrating a person or object.
2. the Most Awesome Word In The Universe.
If you need more help, the drawing gives a much better explanation. (A picture is worth a thousand words, right? If encyclopedias were full of just pictures they would be SO much shorter.)
Or, yunno... you can be lame and just Google it.
Hierarchy of Awesome Words:
1. Defenestration
2. Phlogiston
3. Litotes
4. Obfuscation
5. Lugubrious
6. Quasihemidemisemiquaver (also semihemidemisemiquaver)
7. Gramineae
8. Mulct
9. Franglais (is actually a word!)
10. Sesquipedalian
Do you have a contender for Most Awesome Word In The Universe? Bring it!
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is a good one for its length. I just Googled it and apparently it is occasionally defined as a fictitious word, but by defining it in a dictionary, I would think that validates it.
ReplyDeleteBeyond long words, some of my favourites are bereft, feign, whorl, ignoble, kindling, myriad, sovereignty, relinquish, insipid.
I vote DUDE for the most awesomest word in the universe. You can use it for anything - depending on how you say it!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: Definitely awesome. It's ridiculous that the "longest word" has to be so dependent on the argument of what count as actual words.
ReplyDeleteI really like myriad too! It didn't cross my mind but should have been on that list... right between lugubrious and quasihemidemisemiquaver.
Merry: A very good point, but I don't think "dude" carries a level of refinement suitable for this list. =P
whatever, Doode. It's totally a high class word. I'm pretty sure the Queen has used it.
ReplyDeletePeripatetic, phantasmagorical. . .
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather and I choose a letter in the dictionary and find awesome words in the section.
I know this is my second comment. I like to talk.
I quite like 'antediluvian', 'mellifluous' and other Latinate words (the nerdcurse of being a classicist)...such as 'defenestration' :D
ReplyDeleteOh wow! Nice ones there guys. =) I had to Google all of those...
ReplyDeleteGabi, you and your grandpa sound awesome. ^^ And I gotta say Rachel, antediluvian really made me crack up. Love it! =D
I'm not sure if it's my favorite word, but it's definitely the cutest 'snoozies' as it's not even a real word. But it goes for sleeps and snoozing to sleep more. Maybe it's just how I first heard it. Nonetheless, it's the cutest word ever.
ReplyDelete*tries saying "snoozies" aloud*
ReplyDeleteAww that does have a really cute sound to it! I will have to use it with my siblings. =]
I was SURE I'd see "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" somewhere there, but seeing how you're sticking to words that actually mean something.
ReplyDeletePffft, basing your facts on things that actually exist, how predictable! ;)
No see, the problem with that one is that EVERYONE's already heard of it! LOL.
DeleteMaybe I'm a word hipster. >.<