Here's the rules.
1 A word you learned with in the past month.
2 Really off the wall.
3 I need the word and the definition.
I'll start.
triskaidekaphobia
/ˌtriskīˌdekəˈfōbēə, ˌtriskə-/ I. noun extreme superstition regarding the number thirteen. – origin early 20th cent.: from Greek treiskaideka ‘thirteen’
Mr_Asa
MegaDork
8/4/24 7:02 p.m.
eucatastrophe
Tolkien made it up. https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Eucatastrophe
In essence, a eucatastrophe is a massive turn in fortune from a seemingly unconquerable situation to an unforeseen victory, usually brought by grace rather than heroic effort. Such a turn is catastrophic in the sense of its breadth and surprise and positive in that a great evil or misfortune is averted.
ultracrepidarian
/ˌʌl.trə.krep.ɪˈder.i.ən/
someone who gives opinions beyond one’s area of expertise.
I've seen it happen right here on this forum. Maybe even done it myself once or twice.
bucolic
adjective; relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life.
Limerence: (LIM-uh-rents)
a state of mind which results from romantic feelings for another person, and typically includes intrusive, melancholic, or obsessive thoughts, or tragic concerns for the object of one's affection as well as a desire to form or maintain a relationship with the object of love and to have one's feelings reciprocated.
It's basically the butterflies stage of a relationship where you can't wait to see them, you have good and bad anxieties about staying in their good favors, and generally considered to have a slightly negative connotation. Almost a "puppy love" situation where you don't always make the sanest choices in setting boundaries or being realistic and sensible. In a state of loving someone, you keep yourself grounded. In a state of Limerence, you would do anything to keep their affections, including the dumb stuff, like abandoning your own self worth and health, or helping them bury a murdered body because you'd "do anything for them."
"They had only been dating 5 days, and John was already buying her a car and dreaming of marriage because he was in a state of Limerence, instead of taking it slowly and developing true love."
Learned one today, as a matter of fact.
Natrocarbonatite- a rare form of lava that is very poor in silicates and rich in alkalis such as calcium and sodium. It differs from standard magma because of its lack of silicates (less than 25% silica by weight). There is only one volcano in the world known to erupt with this type of lava, the Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano in Tanzania. The lava produced by Ol Doinyo Lengai is the consistency of muddy water and reaches temperatures of 500-600C, making it the coolest lava in the world as well.
Wacky lava
Normal lava is known as silicate lava and has between 45-70% silica content by weight. It typically erupts at temperatures between 800-1200C.
I actually learned this one a while ago, but it is memorable. Backpfeifengesicht is a German word that roughly translates to "a face that's badly in need of a fist."
panspermia
/panˈspərmēə/ I. noun the theory that life on the earth originated from microorganisms or chemical precursors of life present in outer space and able to initiate life on reaching a suitable environment. – origin mid 19th cent.: from Greek, from panspermos ‘containing all kinds of seed.’
Gary
PowerDork
8/5/24 8:10 p.m.
Polyglot
I heard it used today by a guest on a radio talk show. After the interview fortunately the host asked his producer to look up the definition. It's someone who speaks multiple languages.
Trent
UltimaDork
8/5/24 8:23 p.m.
This thread is why Susie Dent has social media
Quixotic.... someone who forgoes all knowledge and wisdom and chases after non existent problems.
Cromulent - Perfectly adequate, acceptable.
Oapfu
Reader
8/5/24 10:32 p.m.
fremdschämen-- 'vicarious embarrassment', or "you messed up so badly that it makes me feel embarrassed for you".
In reply to Oapfu :
As opposed to schadenfreude- lit. Harm-Joy= "I am pleased at your misfortune"
The English equivalent is "epicaricacy"
The current author likes obscure words.
epicanthic
/ˌepəˈkanTHik/ adjective denoting a fold of skin from the upper eyelid covering the inner angle of the eye, typical in many peoples of eastern Asia and found as a congenital abnormality elsewhere.
A new one.
savoir faire /ˌsavwär ˈfer/ I.
noun the ability to act or speak appropriately in social situations. – origin early 19th cent.: French, literally ‘know how to do.’
Oapfu
Reader
8/19/24 9:24 p.m.
In reply to Toyman! :
epicanthic-- William Gibson used it in Johnny Mnemonic. The short story is good, the movie was not.
(link to a pdf, has some OCR or typo mistakes but it's free)
I thought Savoir Faire was everywhere?
TIL Avaricious.
av·a·ri·cious:
adjective
-
having or showing an extreme greed for wealth or material gain.
"avaricious corporate bosses looking to maximize profits"
Similar: grasping, acquisitive, covetous, greedy, rapacious
i.e. "Mary Ann is avaricious enough to want all the paintings for herself".
Pareidolia: The tendency for perception to impose a meaningful interpretation on a nebulous stimulus, usually visual, so that one detects an object, pattern, or meaning where there is none.
Lothario /ləˈTHerēō ləˈTHärēˌō lōˈTHerēō lōˈTHärēˌō/
I. noun a man who behaves selfishly and irresponsibly in his sexual relationships with women.
– origin from a character in Rowe's Fair Penitent (1703).