A Few of My Favorite Words

On one my Facebook groups, there is a discussion of people's favorite words. As a language lover, I thought I would list some of my many favorite words and phrases here. Some are my favorites simply because of how they sound, others for what they mean, most for a combination of the two. Here they are, in alphabetical order, with brief definitions and notes.

Antediluvian literally "before the deluge," used to describe the time before The Biblical Flood. Also: old. Avuncular: of or relating to an uncle; benign.

Bellicose. Such a pretty word to mean warlike or combatant. Likewise, I love the country name Belarus, which means something like "White Russia." Bemused which many confuse with amused but actually means bewildered. Betch--my favorite way to say bitch. Blasé, which I believe I first learned from Titanic. Bloody hell is a favorite as both British slang and profanity.

Chimera--a gargoyle that isn't actually a waterspout. Also: fancy, fantasy. Cosmopolitan. Such a sophisticated word to mean worldly and sophisticated. Coup de grâce--deathblow. Pronounced more like "grass" than "grace."

Dendrites. One of the SUU counselors was obsessed with this word. It has to do with neurons and brain stuff. Dénouement: the falling action/resolution of a narrative. Love the barely-there "nt" at the end. Detritus. Dulcet: a sweet and soothing word to mean just that.

Effulgence: radiance. Like many of my favorite words, it flows with Fs and Ls and soft Gs and Cs. Élan: stylish elegance; panache. A frequent crossword solution. Ennui: "Listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement." That is so my life. Ephemeral. Another word with the soft F sound. Eschatological. From the branch of theology dealing with the end of the world. First learned reading Graham Greene's Brighton Rock. Ethereal: sounds similar to ephemeral. Evanesce: to vanish.

Fecund. I love/hate this word. The hard consonants and short vowels. It's fun to say but also sounds dirty. Foppish. Fuck. It can be used as nearly any part of speech. The short "u" and hard "ck." Highly effective.

Gruyère. A delicious cheese and delicious word. "Don't be shy. Say it with me: Gruyère." Gerrymander. A fun word meaning to unfairly map political districts. Learned in AP American History.

Hella janky. Learned on TBTL, meaning inferior quality. Hubris. "Good. Cause you know why? Cause hubris always wins in the end. The Greeks taught us that."

Iconic. Iconoclast: a destroyer of (esp. religious) images; a subversive. Ineffable: incapable of being expressed. Internecine: mutually destructive.

Je ne sais quoi: that intangible, attractive x factor. "Jeuge." Or is it gjush? or zsuzsh? Learned from TBTL via this video about folding jeans. Actress Emily Watson says "It's kind of term for a bit of fancy stuff."

Kummerspeck: a German word for weight gained from emotional overeating. Literally, "grief bacon."

Liminal: relating to the threshold or transitional process. Loquacious: chatty. Luxuriate. It's a wonderful word to luxuriate in.

Mellifluous: melodious. Such a pretty word to say. Métier.: forte. Munificence: generosity; largess.

Occipital. I first came across this word reading Marianne Moore's poem, "To a Snail." Fun to say.

Penultimate: second to last. First learned the definition from Gilmore Girls. Perfidy: deceitfulness. Perspicacious: ready insight, understanding. Also heard on Gilmore Girls. Phantasmagoria: fantastic imagery as in art; associative, dreamlike imagery.

Queue. What an excessive use of vowels. Quixotic: unrealistic and impractical, after Don Quixote. I learned this word in 10th grade AP Euro.

Sagacious. Sanguine: cheerful; having to do with blood. Savoir faire: able to do or say the right thing; social graces. Literally: "to know, to make." Schadenfreude: pleasure from another one's misfortune. Good ole' German words. Shibboleth: watchword, from the Book of Judges. Solipsism. I first learned about this word when studying Virgina Woolf. Somnambulism: sleepwalking. I first came across this word from Charles Brockden Brown's short story "Somnambulism" in Am Lit I. Sonorous.

Teleological. Troglodyte: cave man; hermit. Truculent: isn't this word succulent? It means defiant, aggressive.

Ululation: to howl, wail, or lament loudly.

Voluptuous. What a sensual word.

All of these wonderful words remind me of a poem I like called "Saying Things" by Mariyln Krysl. Check it out.