Words

[Betty]

For the last few years, I've been big into expanding my vocabulary. One of the things I do is have Dictionary.com's word of the day as my homepage. I don't always pay attention to them, but I'm sure I catch at least a few. Also, I find it surprising how sometimes there are words I've seen a million times and I've deduced their meaning through context, but I wasn't particularly close to knowing the precise definition at all.

Favourite words of the month:

http://dictionary1.classic.reference.com/wordoftheday/archive/2009/01/17.html

http://dictionary1.classic.reference.com/wordoftheday/archive/2009/01/13.html

http://dictionary1.classic.reference.com/wordoftheday/archive/2009/01/07.html

Favourite words of 2008

http://dictionary1.classic.reference.com/wordoftheday/archive/2008/06/19.html

http://dictionary1.classic.reference.com/wordoftheday/archive/2008/05/21.html

http://dictionary1.classic.reference.com/wordoftheday/archive/2008/12/30.html

Also, I think it should be even easier to invent new words. Although, I'm not particularly familiar with the process.

This is kind of a cop out thread, but I still think new words are awesome.

Soooo... awesome words?

[PilZ-E]

I always get really excited when I find a word that means something I would try to explain using several words. It is exceptionally helpful for me because I already have an extraordinarily hard time explaining myself in some cases.

I'm probably going to take your idea with the dictionary.com homepage because I too would like to expand my vocabulary.

[Betty]

I think it's one of the most brilliant ideas I ever came up with.

[Jebus]

Oh man, I've been wanting to you use defenestrate in a sentence ever since my teacher taught to us the word in AP English. Four years since then and it hasn't come up sadly.

[XYlophonetreeZ]

I like boulevardier a lot. I'll look for an excuse to use it soon.

I feel like everyone loves "defenestrate" when they discover it. Sadly it's one of those words that's been killed by overweight Monty Python enthusiasts who wear shirts with dragons on them.

[Cock Joke]

My favorite words are mastication, burrow, and bologna.

[Betty]

I only learned it when dictionary.com taught it to me last year. I guess I'm behind the times when it comes to nifty vocabulary words.

[_Lost_]

I've been so spoiled by my mac, because its got this application called Dashboard, which is opened by hitting a key on the keyboard. Its got a dictionary.

[Little_Miss_1565]

Oh man, I've been wanting to you use defenestrate in a sentence ever since my teacher taught to us the word in AP English. Four years since then and it hasn't come up sadly.

Aw, man. It's one of my favorite words! Especially at work, where I use it to describe what I want to do after an entire afternoon trapped in back to back meetings.

[Budzy]

This threads reminds me of V for Vendetta.

[sKratch]

Over the last several years, I've had an awful thing happen to me in terms of vocabulary. I used to read a lot in high school and had a pretty good vocab. Now, I still have these very specific definitions in my head, but I don't remember the word. It's incredibly frustrating when I want to use it.

[Paint_It_Black]

I always get really excited when I find a word that means something I would try to explain using several words.

That is indeed awesome, but comes with its own drawbacks. Language is essentially about communication. The better your vocabulary the higher the risk of becoming elitist with your language and lessening your effective ability to communicate with the majority.

[Al Coholic]

That is indeed awesome, but comes with its own drawbacks. Language is essentially about communication. The better your vocabulary the higher the risk of becoming elitist with your language and lessening your effective ability to communicate with the majority.

Ever find yourself talking to someone in simpler terms because you think they won't understand? Kinda makes you feel elitist anyway, dumbing it down for people...

[Paint_It_Black]

Yeah, all the damn time. As a massive underachiever I tend to be around people that are intellectually below me. Sounds arrogant but it's not. My intelligence is at least a little above average, and I spend time with people far below average. So it's a natural consequence.

It's not really a problem for me though. I love intelligent people, but I can appreciate many other qualities in people in real life. I'm only massively elitist when it comes to online experiences.

I also do not mistake intelligence with education. I have had incredible discussions with people who lack any real education but have that natural spark of intelligence that has led them to form fascinating opinions on a wide range of subjects. They may not know the right words but they still know what they are talking about.

[PilZ-E]

Yes, I now have two sections of vocabulary. One I use around people I know or think wont understand and the other I use when I know it will be acceptable. It does kind of make me feel like an ass.

You know what really bothers me? When you use a word that someone doesn't understand but there is no synonym for it. That is as basic as it gets.

When I'm drunk my vocabulary is 10x as large. Obviously I know these words when I am sober, I just generally don't feel the need to use them.

[Betty]

I never use fancy words unnecessarily. Doesn't matter who the audience is. I do like knowing the right word for the right situation, and I like being able to understand what I read.

I think it's only a problem when you start using too many obscure words too often, or use obscure words when simple ones will get your point across just as well.

[PilZ-E]

I don't go out of my way to use large words, they have just kind of worked their way into the way I speak. But then I have a lot of friend who I can't talk to on the same level so I have to change my typical vocabulary to accommodate them.

For whatever reason I use the word ostentatious a lot, sometimes jokingly but still. Now a lot of my friends don't know what that means, so I use pretentious. Some still don't know what that means so I have to go even further down and use arrogant. Except arrogant is not the exact same as pretentious and pretentious isn't the exact same as ostentatious.

I'm way to tired to try and explain anything right now.

edit: except when I am drunk, then I go out of my way to replace all normal words with the largest synonym I know. typically I use them correctly.

[Paint_It_Black]

I never use fancy words unnecessarily. Doesn't matter who the audience is. I do like knowing the right word for the right situation, and I like being able to understand what I read.

I think it's only a problem when you start using too many obscure words too often, or use obscure words when simple ones will get your point across just as well.

Ah yes, perfectly put.

[Free?]

So I was congratulating a Japanese person with birthday and I figured out an awesome word.

otanjoubiomedetougozaimasu !

Which supposed to mean "happy birthday" and which I still fail to pronounce.

[T-6005]

I have a very good mastery of the English language, so I find it frustrating when I come across a word I don't know.

Now if only I could expand that mastery to French and Spanish I'd be set.