Words to fall in love with — Part 2
A continuation of our love affair with words . . . here are 13 more words, one for each letter of the alphabet, N through Z.
Nameling — people who share the same name
I’m having drinks this evening with my namelings in the accounting department.
Obdurate — hardened against tender feelings; uncompromising
Your obdurate opposition to any change in our sick leave polices is disappointing.
Pervicacious — stubborn; uncooperative
My brother — pervicacious and willful even as a child — would never back down from a fight.
Quiddle — to play with something idly; to pay attention to unimportant things.
Stop quiddling with your phone and let’s actually talk to each other.
Rhytiphobia — an extreme fear of getting wrinkles
My rhytiphobic friend Avery has gone broke paying for laser skin treatments.
Sphygmomanometer — a blood pressure cuff
John kept trying different sphygmomanometers until he got the results he wanted.
Turgid — swollen, bloated
That turgid speech needs to be revised; start by eliminating the adverbs.
Uliginous — growing in mud or swamps
Somehow, “The Uliginous Thing” isn’t quite as catchy as “The Swamp Thing.”
Viridescent — tinged with green
The mold growing on my yogurt was a sickening viridescent shade.
Withershins — counterclockwise; in the opposite or contrary direction
I know it sounds crazy, but if I walk withershins three times around my desk before I sit down, I have a much better day of writing.
Xerodermia — abnormally dry skin
Using too much hand sanitizer and not enough moisturizer can lead to xerodermia.
Yepsen — the amount you can hold in both hands when they are cupped together
Barkeep . . . bring me a yepsen of gin.
Zelotypia — extreme jealousy
“Othello” is William Shakespeare’s greatest tale of zelotypia.
Readers . . . what words are you in love with?
