The

Avarice

Few seem to know the word, despite it being the core value of the developed Western world. Most, especially the worst offenders, do mental gymnastics to describe their avarice as a feature rather than the character defect and gaping chasm of emptiness where their heart should be that it is.

Vituperative. Means vicious.

It’s German but ‘Rucksackriemenquerverbindungsträger’, the thing between the straps of a backpack that you can connect to lighten the load on your shoulders.

Albeit.

Gloam/gloaming

The onset of twilight/becoming gloomy

Meant to say in my Nero Wolfe comment - there’s a Lemmy community for interesting words at !wotd@lemmy.world - it’s not very busy, but still.

Sorry

Smaragdin which means “green”

Not a word, but there’s a specific phrase uttered when you casually pass by someone working, stop for a chat, and then genuinely wish them well with their work as you leave.

This phrase does not exist in English:

• “Break a leg” is close, but more reserved for some grand performance

Nor does it exist in German:

• “Viel Spass/Glück” (Have fun, Good Luck) is also close, but has an element of sarcasm and/or success through chance.

In Turkish, you just say “Kolay Gelsin”, meaning “May the work come easy so that you finish sooner”.

Its such a useful unjudgemental phrase, easily uttered, that I’ve seen nowhere else. Maybe other languages have it too.

I think it’s used more often in computer science, but the difference between contiguous and continuous. Continuous means “without end” and contiguous means “without break.”

I’m currently reading through all of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe mysteries, and one fun feature is that he almost always includes one or more very obscure words. It’s a nice little thing to look out for.

In the one I’m currently reading it’s, “peculate,” meaning to embezzle or steal money. Others include:

• Plerophory - Fullness, especially of conviction or persuasion
• Apodictically - From apodictic: clearly established or beyond dispute
• Usufruct - The right to enjoy the use and advantages of another’s property short of the destruction or waste of its substance
• Acarpous - Not producing fruit; sterile; barren
• Yclept - By the name of
• Eruction - A belch or burp

I had a look to see if I could find a full list but sadly not. However most Wikipedia entries for the individual novels include a section called, “The unfamiliar word,” if you want to find more.

I’ve got six of them:

• Tittynope: “A small amount left over; a modicum.”
• Cacography: “bad handwriting or spelling.”
• Epeolatry: “the worship of words.”
• Kakistocracy: “a state or society governed by its least suitable or competent citizens.”
• Oikophilia: “love of home”
• Tenebrous: “dark; shadowy or obscure”

Twaddle: something insignificant or worthless or another word Nonsense.

Discovered this word while reading the dictionary during silent reading in English and they wouldn’t let me play games.

Defenestration. Throwing someone out of a window. Example the defenestration of prague