Current favourite word?

The story of Prometheus' sacrifice-trick in Hesiod's Theogony relates how Prometheus tricked Zeus into choosing the bones and fat of the first sacrificial animal rather than the meat to justify why, after a sacrifice, the Greeks offered the bones wrapped in fat to the gods while keeping the meat for themselves.

It wasn't even my new favorite word, but derived from same; etiologic, which I first picked up on playing Dead Space 2. Trying to trick the gods with a fake sacrifice of fat-wrapped bones, while slurping on the goods yourself? As far as I know, the gods of that era turned people into spiders and such for knitting well, so trying to pull a fast one for a decent meal was serious balls.

iBooks with its inbuilt dictionary does wonders for my vocabulary recently. The word of the day for today is: limn (to portray in words; describe).

wanderingtaoist wrote:

The word of the day for today is: limn (to portray in words; describe).

Also, to outline.

I was looking for a word a student of mine used, but I can't remember it (means something like making trivial criticisms. I had never heard it before. bet money it's of Greek origin) but while searching for *that* one, I found a beauty:

fustigate
[fuhs-ti-geyt]
–verb (used with object), -gat·ed, -gat·ing.
1. to cudgel; beat; punish severely.
2. to criticize harshly; castigate: a new satire that fustigates bureaucratic shilly-shallying.

Plus, as a bonus, half the words in definition number 2. That sample sentence rocks.

The Dutch word zompig, meaning moist soil. The texture of the ground needs to be wet enough to sink an inch or two when stepped upon, but not enough that you lose your shoes. That's zompig.

It's pronounced with a soft 'g' at the end, not like the domesticated boar

dejanzie wrote:

The Dutch word zompig, meaning moist soil. The texture of the ground needs to be wet enough to sink an inch or two when stepped upon, but not enough that you lose your shoes. That's zompig.

I'd put money on that being a cognate of "swampy"

edit: etymonline agrees.

wanderingtaoist wrote:

iBooks with its inbuilt dictionary does wonders for my vocabulary recently. The word of the day for today is: limn (to portray in words; describe).

The theme word for my life lately has been "liminal."

Anybody mention "defenestrate" yet?

I just love there's a word for it.

wordsmythe wrote:
wanderingtaoist wrote:

iBooks with its inbuilt dictionary does wonders for my vocabulary recently. The word of the day for today is: limn (to portray in words; describe).

The theme word for my life lately has been "liminal."

Tanglebones wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:
wanderingtaoist wrote:

iBooks with its inbuilt dictionary does wonders for my vocabulary recently. The word of the day for today is: limn (to portray in words; describe).

The theme word for my life lately has been "liminal."

Also, my apartment building is called "The Edge." No kidding.

wordsmythe wrote:
Tanglebones wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:
wanderingtaoist wrote:

iBooks with its inbuilt dictionary does wonders for my vocabulary recently. The word of the day for today is: limn (to portray in words; describe).

The theme word for my life lately has been "liminal."

Also, my apartment building is called "The Edge." No kidding.

wordsmythe wrote:

The theme word for my life lately has been "liminal."

Mine, too. I'm getting tired of being in transition from somewhere to maybe-nowhere.

That aside, a new favorite phrase, courtesy of Boswell: "soap his own beard," which is a quirkier way of saying "follow his own inclinations."

Today's word is "obfuscate", though I prefer it in the adjective form; i.e. "if that marketing twat comes back with yet another load of obfuscatory crap instead of the numbers I need I'm going to go Elven Postal"!

Salacious.

IMAGE(http://www.blueharvest.net/images/crumb/crumb4.jpg)

Roo wrote:

I was looking for a word a student of mine used, but I can't remember it (means something like making trivial criticisms. I had never heard it before. bet money it's of Greek origin)

That made me think of the Emerson quote, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines."

And led me to:
pettifogg - to bicker or quibble over unimportant matters.

and

nugatory - of no real value, worthless

Katy wrote:
Roo wrote:

I was looking for a word a student of mine used, but I can't remember it (means something like making trivial criticisms. I had never heard it before. bet money it's of Greek origin)

That made me think of the Emerson quote, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines."

And led me to:
pettifogg - to bicker or quibble over unimportant matters.

and

nugatory - of no real value, worthless

"Chicanery" can be used that way, too.

Autofloccinaucinihilipilification is a great word for a concept I'm all too familiar with that is completely overshadowed by the fact it generally only gets trotted out to show off how long it is.

I've barely a clue how to pronounce it as well.

Playability.

Lickspittle - thank you George R.R. Martin!

"Cleave". As in both "cleave" and "cleave to". (Inspired by discussions with my co-workers about the latest Doctor Who episode.)

Litigious

Maq wrote:

Autofloccinaucinihilipilification is a great word for a concept I'm all too familiar with that is completely overshadowed by the fact it generally only gets trotted out to show off how long it is.

I've barely a clue how to pronounce it as well.

Dictionary.com usually has a button that lets you hear the word.
Edit: That word is not on there though. Sorry!

Since callipygian was taken on the first page ("having well-shaped buttocks"), I'll go with offal ("the entrails and internal organs of an animal used as food") just because my son thinks it's hilarious to call Waffle House Offal House.

booty wrote:

My son thinks it's hilarious to call Waffle House Offal House.

He's right.

Verisimilitude.

El-Taco-the-Rogue wrote:
booty wrote:

My son thinks it's hilarious to call Waffle House Offal House.

He's right.

They do make a damn good patty melt..

Maq wrote:

Autofloccinaucinihilipilification is a great word for a concept I'm all too familiar with that is completely overshadowed by the fact it generally only gets trotted out to show off how long it is.

I've barely a clue how to pronounce it as well.

I don't think the 'auto' really counts towards it's length, as it's one of those arbitrarily attach-able prefixes. Still a great word, though.

FLOCK-sin-OCK-sinna-HILL-a-PILL-a-fi-KA-shun. More or less.

Hypatian wrote:

"Cleave". As in both "cleave" and "cleave to".

Or in "cleavage". We should never leave "cleavage" out.

Pessimal