11.20.2008

Redeeming qualities of the English language

There are a couple of words that when I hear them I get so happy.

1. Corpulent - large or bulky of body; portly; stout; fat.
I was studying this word for a vocab test once while I was visiting family in Vegas. My aunt said, "That's not really a word you can use in a sentence." Oh yes, I can! "Aunt Nanette is corpulent." She did not say it had to be a true sentence! It has been my favorite word ever since. (She is tiny, just in case you were wondering.)

2. Awry - away from the expected or proper direction; amiss; wrong.
I remember when I finally realized that this written word was the same as the word I heard pronounced uh-rye. Whenever I would read this word, I would think it was awe-ree. Yeah, I realized that is was not on September 13th. Of this year...

3. Via - by a route that touches or passes through; by way of.
This word is distinctly connected with punch balloons in my mind. And punch balloons are hilarious to me.

4. Onomatopoeia - in language, the representation of a sound by an imitation thereof.
This word definitely has its fill of vowels. And whenever people say "onomatopoeia" they feel smart. It is just a big word for something small, like meow.

5. Lackadaisical - without interest, vigor, or determination; listless; lethargic.
I used this word once when I was young, and I tricked everyone around into thinking I was really smart. Being verbose pays off!

I dare you to use all of these words today!

Definitions are all from dictionary.com.

2 comments:

  1. I also enjoy the word corpulent. :0)

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  2. Hahaha! Seriously, every time I read your blog I think to myself the same thing! Plus this word list is hilarious! We do need to do something together. So you are in a cooking class, does that include baking?

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