Jan
4
Absquatulate
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Absquatulate (American, 19th c., to depart in a hurry) has it all: action, old-timey adventure, an inflated sense of its own importance, and the funniest sound in English smack dab in the middle of it. A note on Dictionary.com points out that pseudo-Latinate words like absquatulate, formed from an English verb with Latin affixes, “have an old-fashioned and rustic flavor curiously at odds with their elegance,” which perfectly describes absquatulate’s allure. It immediately brings to mind an itinerant ne’er-do-well extending his pinky while sipping birchbark tea from a tin can over a fire on the outskirts of a town he had to flee because he was caught cheating at dice, but who now, dignity regained, can infuse his narrative with romantic and high-falutin’ words like absquatulate to impress the next batch of yokels he meets. Picture him describing his “subsequent absquatulation” and you get the idea.
Bill Braine
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Jan
4
Articulate
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Either the adjective or the verb; because you can articulate it really strongly in order to emphasize its meaning. Words are awesome (which is another good word because its meaning is like “aweful” but not “awful”) when they make sense that way.
ESQG
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Jan
2
The German word ausgezeichnet.
Perfect rhythm, beautiful phonemes. It means excellent, and it is an excellent word.
A.N.
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Jan
2
Assuage
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Assuage is a useful verb with good connotations. It can signify that someone has been absolved of guilt or that someone’s temper tantrum has been diffused. These are generally good things to do.
It’s also fun to say. Go ahead, say it.
Sandy, Chicago
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Jan
1
Awkward
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The perfect word. It sounds and it is spelled in a way that can only be described as what it means — awkward. What other word could possibly be spelled with wkw in the middle of it?
Stewart
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Jan
1
Autumnal
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I love the way it’s spelled, as one of the very few words in English with “umn.” Autumnal has the edge over autumn because of the sheer sensual pleasure of rolling your lips as you pronounce the last three letters. And that’s before you get to the meaning. Autumn is my favorite season, mists, mellow fruitfulness, smoke, ripening apples, reddening leaves, the whole atmosphere of battening down snugly for winter.
Alex Lawson
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Jan
1
Afeared
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While no longer considered proper English usage, this word still survives where my family originates. Its meaning is very particular, and much better than afraid, which has come to replace it. It implies an onset of fear, being beset with fear, not simply the state of being afraid. This word should be returned to usage!
Ness
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Dec
30
Abominable
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Remember the Abominable Snowman in the classic Christmas cartoon, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer? I love how the word barely rolls off your tongue and sounds like you’re mumbling. It also reminds me of the lesson behind the Abominable Snowman, that someone mean and scary may well be hurting inside (the Abominable was suffering from a toothache, and once the Dentist pulled it for him, he was most agreeable!).
Ellen Auchter, Virginia Beach, Virginia
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Dec
30
Abominated
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As in “Your name is abominated on every civilized world!” It’s such a thunderous word — much more so than reviled or despised — and is great fun to say.
Raoul Lundberg
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Dec
30
Amalgamation
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This word has a very smooth silky sound to it. I derive a lot of pleasure from pronouncing it.
GB
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