Quote:
Originally Posted by qprogeny79
just for good measure. all from memory except as noted.
eleemosynary -- charitable.
floccinaucinihilipilification -- an estimation of something as valueless.
honorificabilitudinitatibus -- honorableness. (NB -- this is the longest word used by shakespeare -- it's in love's labour's lost, act v, scene i, spoken by prospero. interestingly, it's an anagram of the latin phrase hi ludi f. baconis nati tuiti orbi, which means "these plays, f. bacon's offspring, are preserved for the world." of course, this is widely cited as evidence that francis bacon wrote shakespeare's plays.)
tauromachy -- bullfighting.
hagiography -- a spiritual biography of a saint or other religious figure.
syzygy -- a conjunction or opposition of the moon with the sun, e.g., a full moon. (in honesty, i had a general idea but i had to look it up for details.)
ennui -- boredom, indifference.
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis -- a lung disease caused by the inhalation of silica dust.
niggardly -- parsimonious.
epistemological -- pertaining to the theory of knowledge.
...yes, i am a word geek.
|
All good words. I especially like how you've used a great word to define niggardly. Unfortunately, niggardly is a difficult one to use without people looking at you funny. I have tried calling people 'niggards' before, and it is rarely received well.
Actually, nearly all of those words are impossible to use in general conversation.