Unusual words

undeadaffairs:

basorexia: an overwhelming desire to neck or kiss.
lygerastia: the condition of one who is only amorous when the lights are out.
brontide: the low rumbling of distant thunder.
dactylion: the tip of a middle finger.
nudiustertian: pertaining to the day before yesterday.
gargalesthesia: the sensation caused by tickling.
petrichor: the smell of rain on dry ground.
dendolatry: worship of trees.
lethologica: the inability to recall a precise word for something.
psithurism: a whispering sound, i.e: the sound of wind in trees, or rustling leaves.
witzelsucht: a feeble attempt at humour.
epeolatry: worship of words.
woundy: excessively; extremely.
tacenda: things not to be mentioned.
naupathia: sea sickness.
baisemain: a kiss on the hand.

(via undeadaffairs)

Audemus Jura Nostra Defendere

State motto of Alabama, adopted in 1923. Translated into Latin from a paraphrase of the stanza “Men who their duties know / But know their rights, and knowing, dare maintain” from the poem “What Constitutes a State?” by 18th-century author William Jones.

The 100 Most Beautiful Words in English

disturbedsilence:

Ailurophile A cat-lover.
Assemblage A gathering.
Becoming Attractive.
Beleaguer To exhaust with attacks. 
Brood To think alone.
Bucolic In a lovely rural setting.
Bungalow A small, cozy cottage.
Chatoyant Like a cat’s eye.
Comely Attractive.
Conflate To blend together.
Cynosure A focal point of admiration.
Dalliance A brief love affair.
Demesne Dominion, territory.
Demure Shy and reserved.
Denouement The resolution of a mystery.
Desuetude Disuse.
Desultory Slow, sluggish.
Diaphanous Filmy.
Dissemble Deceive.
Dulcet Sweet, sugary.
Ebullience Bubbling enthusiasm.
Effervescent Bubbly.
Efflorescence Flowering, blooming.
Elision Dropping a sound or syllable in a word.
Elixir A good potion.
Eloquence Beauty and persuasion in speech.
Embrocation Rubbing on a lotion.
Emollient A softener
Ephemeral Short-lived.
Epiphany A sudden revelation.
Erstwhile At one time, for a time.
Ethereal Gaseous, invisible but detectable.
Evanescent Vanishing quickly, lasting a very short time.
Evocative Suggestive.
Fetching Pretty.
Felicity Pleasantness.
Forbearance Withholding response to provocation.
Fugacious Fleeting.
Furtive Shifty, sneaky.
Gambol To skip or leap about joyfully.
Glamour Beauty.
Gossamer The finest piece of thread, a spider’s silk
Halcyon Happy, sunny, care-free.
Harbinger Messenger with news of the future.
Imbrication Overlapping and forming a regular pattern.
Imbroglio An altercation or complicated situation.
Imbue To infuse, instill.
Incipient Beginning, in an early stage.
Ineffable Unutterable, inexpressible.
Ingénue A naïve young woman.
Inglenook A cozy nook by the hearth.
Insouciance Blithe nonchalance.
Inure To become jaded.
Labyrinthine Twisting and turning.
Lagniappe A special kind of gift.
Lagoon A small gulf or inlet.
Languor Listlessness, inactivity.
Lassitude Weariness, listlessness.
Leisure Free time.
Lilt To move musically or lively.
Lissome Slender and graceful.
Lithe Slender and flexible.
Love Deep affection.
Mellifluous Sweet sounding.
Moiety One of two equal parts.
Mondegreen A slip of the ear.
Murmurous Murmuring.
Nemesis An unconquerable archenemy.
Offing The sea between the horizon and the offshore.
Onomatopoeia A word that sounds like its meaning.
Opulent Lush, luxuriant.
Palimpsest A manuscript written over earlier ones.
Panacea A solution for all problems
Panoply A complete set.
Pastiche An art work combining materials from various sources.
Penumbra A half-shadow.
Petrichor The smell of earth after rain.
Plethora A large quantity.
Propinquity An inclination.
Pyrrhic Successful with heavy losses.
Quintessential Mose essential.
Ratatouille A spicy French stew.
Ravel To knit or unknit.
Redolent Fragrant.
Riparian By the bank of a stream.
Ripple A very small wave.
Scintilla A spark or very small thing.
Sempiternal Eternal.
Seraglio Rich, luxurious oriental palace or harem.
Serendipity Finding something nice while looking for something else.
Summery Light, delicate or warm and sunny.
Sumptuous Lush, luxurious.
Surreptitious Secretive, sneaky.
Susquehanna A river in Pennsylvania.
Sussurous Whispering, hissing.
Talisman A good luck charm.
Tintinnabulation Tinkling.
Umbrella Protection from sun or rain.
Untoward Unseemly, inappropriate.
Vestigial In trace amounts.
Wafture Waving.
Wherewithal The means.
Woebegone Sorrowful, downcast.

Source: 52hearts

Amandus is an ancient name that developed out of ancient circumstances. It is possible that it derived from a sadder source than the feminine name, a Latin verb amandare meaning ”to send away.” So Amandus could have been a name given to those far from home, and perhaps means ”cast-away” or ”exile.”

Source: babynamer.com

In Girum Imus Nocte et Consumimur Igni

This famous maccaronic verse, called “the devil’s verse”, is a riddle in the form of a palindrome - literally a puzzle inside a puzzle… It means “we wander in the night, and are consumed by fire” or “we enter the circle after dark and are consumed by fire” and is said to describe the movement of months. Some others believe that it is about the ‘mayfly’, that insect that circles the fire only to be consumed by flame.

Source: archimedes-lab.org