Finding Style in Forgotten English
I love the English language. I am referring here to the richness and texture of the language and the myriad of ways in which it allows itself to be used.
Depending on who does the counting and how, the English language comprises a half million plus words, not including what some philologists refer to as word forms (combination words, derivatives and phrases) and not including a further half million technical and scientific terms that daily appendage themselves, catalogued or otherwise, to our collective vocabulary.
There are the words that contribute to substance and others to style. Some words are themselves quite stylish. I have found that many of the more obscure words and those that have fallen into disuse can be counted among these.
Here are a few of the latter, lifted from Jeffrey Kacirk’s Forgotten English (with helpful explanations):
To chalm: to chew or nibble into fine pieces as do mice and my octogenarian Aunt Mable. In both cases, there are leftover signs of someone or something being there.
Pediluvium: a footbath. What would the long lost word have been for what is now a sitz bath, I wonder?
Erubescent: a blushing for shame. A word with just a hint of fragrance that probably explains the appropriateness of the blush.
Curlgaff: the shock felt when one first plunges into cold water. Under the circumstances, it likely ain’t just the gaff that curls.
Nullifidian: one of no faith or religion. Was there also a nullandvoidian, that is, one who doesn’t believe in the hereafter?
Vraisemblance: from the French, a true representation. This was replaced over time (for obvious reasons) by the much more common ‘verisimilitude’. To what kind of parties do I get invited, you ask?
For more of Forgotten English and more of Jeffrey Kacirk, go to: http://www.forgottenenglish.com.
Nice entry on the forgotten English. On the flip side, I can’t wait to see your take on the ginormous list of neologisms chosen by Merriam-Webster each year to be added to the dictionary (including ‘ginormous’, which made the grade in 2007…). Great site!