Interesting words
lagniappe: (lan-yap) something given as a bonus or extra gift. (Louisina French, from Spanish la ñapa)
tmesis: to separate a compound word by inserting a new word in the middle. Un-bloody-believable.
quidnunc: A gossip
termagant: A quarrelsome or overbearing woman
oxter: The armpit (though the BBC apparently thinks it's the part under the arm below the armpit)
floccinaucinihilipilification: the action of estimating something as worthless ("the word is used chiefly as a curiosity", says my computer's dictionary)
palimpsest: Writing material on which writing has been erased but traces remain.
maieutic: "intellectual midwifery" -- the Socratic method
crenellate: to furnish a wall with battlements.
metanoia: Change in one's way of life through penitence or spiritual conversion.
ailurophile: a cat lover.
adduce: cite as evidence. ORIGIN late Middle English : from Latin adducere, from ad- ‘toward’ + ducere ‘to lead.’
antediluvian: of or belonging to the time before the biblical Flood. (Humorous) ridiculously old-fashioned. ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from ante- + Latin diluvium ‘deluge’ + -an .
cavil: make petty or unnecessary objections. ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from French caviller, from Latin cavillari, from cavilla ‘mockery.’
coruscate: (of light) flash or sparkle. ORIGIN early 18th cent.: from Latin coruscat- ‘glittered,’ from the verb coruscare.
crepuscular: of, resembling, active in, or relating to twilight. ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Latin crepusculum ‘twilight’ + -ar.
demotic: denoting or relating to the kind of language used by ordinary people; popular or colloquial. ORIGIN early 19th cent.: from Greek dēmotikos ‘popular,’ from dēmotēs ‘one of the people,’ from dēmos ‘the people.’
empyrean: belonging to or deriving from heaven. ORIGIN late Middle English (as an adjective): via medieval Latin from Greek empurios, from en- ‘in’ + pur ‘fire.’ The noun dates from the mid 17th cent.
encomium: a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly. ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: Latin, from Greek enkōmion ‘eulogy,’ from en- ‘within’ + komos ‘revel.’
exiguous: very small in size or amount. ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Latin exiguus ‘scanty’ (from exigere ‘weigh exactly’ ) + -ous .
farrago: a confused mixture. ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Latin, literally ‘mixed fodder,’ from far ‘corn.’
ipsilateral: belonging to or occurring on the same side of the body. ORIGIN early 20th cent.: formed irregularly from Latin ipse ‘self’ + lateral .
nycthemeral: a physiological time unit: 24 hours made up of one day and one night.
paronomasia: a play on words; a pun. ORIGIN late 16th cent.: via Latin from Greek paronomasia, from para- ‘beside’ (expressing alteration) + onomasia ‘naming’ (from onomazein ‘to name,’ from onoma ‘a name’ ).
philtrum: the midline groove in the upper lip that runs from the top of the lip to the nose.
plicate: folded, crumpled, or corrugated. ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: from Latin plicatus ‘folded,’ past participle of plicare.
salmagundi: a dish of chopped meat, anchovies, eggs, onions, and seasoning. A general mixture of things. ORIGIN from French salmigondis, of unknown origin.
scow: a wide-beamed sailing dinghy; a large flat-bottomed boat, having broad, square ends. ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Dutch schouw ‘ferryboat.’
sempiternal: eternal and unchanging; everlasting (18/Apr/2007). ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French sempiternel or late Latin sempiternalis, from Latin sempiternus, from semper ‘always’ + aeternus ‘eternal.’
sesquipedalian: (of a word) polysyllabic; long. Characterized by long words; long-winded. ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Latin sesquipedalis ‘a foot and a half long,’ from sesqui- (one and a half ) + pes, ped- ‘foot.’
shibboleth: a custom, principle, or belief distinguishing a particular class or group of people, esp. a long-standing one regarded as outmoded or no longer important. ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Hebrew šibbōle t ‘ear of corn,’ used as a test of nationality by its difficult pronunciation
solecism: a grammatical mistake in speech or writing. ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from French solécisme, or via Latin from Greek soloikismos, from soloikos ‘speaking incorrectly.’
susurration: whispering, murmuring, or rustling. ORIGIN late Middle English : from late Latin susurratio(n-), from Latin susurrare ‘to murmur, hum.’