What are words for

I have developed a new fixation – the words I encounter that I’ve not seen before or can’t define easily. There’s a lot of it about. Sooo, I have a list of almost 1000 (as of May 27 2024) [UPDATE – 1K as of 28 May). I came up with a rough-and-read set of criteria (allusiveness, political oomph and snob value) and ascribed a 1 – low, 2 – medium and 3 – high across those three categories to each word. (No, nobody’s ever suggested I might be on some spectrum or other. Why do you ask?).

That has given me a roughly 3 part division. There are 350 or so which scored 3 (low allusiveness, oomph, snob value). Another 450 score 4 to 6 Finally, there are the “elite”, which score 7 to 9.

(There was a learning process as the scoring set in – all the 9s began with the letter a). Crucially (Marc pats himself on back), although the scoring had to be done manually (AI not there yet), the summation and ordering, well, I figured out how to do that on googlesheets because I am a stone-cold maestro at this stuff (cough, cough).

And without further ado about nothing, the list of seven to nines…

All the SEVENS

Accismusaccismus, a form of irony in which a person feigns indifference to or pretends to refuse something he or she desires.
AcediaAcedia (/əˈsiːdiə/; also accidie or accedie /ˈæksɪdi/, from Latin acēdia, and this from Greek ἀκηδία, “negligence”, ἀ- “lack of” -κηδία “care”) has been variously defined as a state of listlessness or torpor, of not caring or not being concerned with one’s position or condition in the world.
AdiaphoraAdiaphora is the plural of the Greek word adiaphoron, which refers to a thing that exists outside of moral categories, something that in and of itself is neither approved nor condemned. Adiaphora literally means “indifferent things.”
aestivationaestivation
/ˌiːstɪˈveɪʃ(ə)n,ˌɛstɪˈveɪʃ(ə)n/
noun
noun: estivation
1.
ZOOLOGY
prolonged torpor or dormancy of an insect, fish, or amphibian during a hot or dry period.
2.
BOTANY
the arrangement of petals and sepals in a flower bud before it opens.
anadiplosisanadiplosis, (Greek: “doubling” or “repetition,”) a device in which the last word or phrase of one clause, sentence, or line is repeated at the beginning of the next. An example is the phrase that is repeated between stanzas one and two of John Keats’s poem “The Eve of St. Agnes”
AnalepsisA flashback (sometimes called an analepsis) is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point in the story.
aphantasiaaphantasia
/ˌeɪfanˈteɪzɪə/
nounMEDICINE
the inability to form mental images of objects that are not present.
“if counting sheep is an abstract concept, or you are unable to visualize the faces of loved ones, you could have aphantasia”
apopheniaThe tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things.[17]
assetisedIn all these cases, the goods on which society depends have been privatised in the name of encouraging market competition, but with results that look nothing at all like a ‘free’ market, and with predictable beneficiaries. These goods haven’t just been privatised, but ‘assetised’, in the sense that they have been packaged up, quantified and managed in ways that suit the calculations and interests of financiers
(William Davies, LRB, Vol 46,no 7)
AstragalomancyAstragalomancy is often considered to be a branch of cleromancy. As a form of sortition, numbers are scrawled into the dice; the numbers are associated with letters, thus bearing on the questions of the diviner. The diviner then casts the dice, resulting in a random sequence of numbers
BayardBayard – one who has all the self-confidence of ignorance.
BotshitIn a short book on the topic, the late Princeton philosopher Harry Frankfurt defined bullshit specifically as speech intended to persuade without regard to the truth. Throughout the 2010s this appeared to become an increasingly common practice among political leaders. With the rise of generative AI and technologies such as ChatGPT, we could see the rise of a phenomenon my colleagues and I label “botshit”.
brochuremanshipaerospace planners call it “brochuremanship,” the tendency of contractors to make wild claims about the effectiveness of proposed weapons systems.
bunrakuBunraku (文楽) (also known as Ningyō jōruri (人形浄瑠璃)) is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, which is still performed in the modern day.[1] Three kinds of performers take part in a bunraku performance: the Ningyōtsukai or Ningyōzukai (puppeteers), the tayū (chanters), and shamisen musicians. Occasionally other instruments such as taiko drums will be used. The combination of chanting and shamisen playing is called jōruri and the Japanese word for puppet (or dolls, generally) is ningyō. It is used in many plays.
CamarillaA camarilla is a group of courtiers or favourites who surround a king or ruler. Usually, they do not hold any office or have any official authority at the royal court but influence their ruler behind the scenes. Consequently, they also escape having to bear responsibility for the effects of their advice. The term derives from the Spanish word camarilla (diminutive of cámara), meaning “little chamber” or private cabinet of the king
catachresisCatachresis (from Greek κατάχρησις, “abuse”), originally meaning a semantic misuse or error—e.g., using “militate” for “mitigate”, “chronic” for “severe”, “travesty” for “tragedy”, “anachronism” for “anomaly”, “alibi” for “excuse”, etc.—is also the name given to many different types of figures of speech in which a word or phrase is being applied in a way that significantly departs from conventional (or traditional) usage.
CataphractA cataphract was a form of armored heavy cavalryman that originated in Persia and was fielded in ancient warfare throughout Eurasia and Northern Africa.
catenaccioCatenaccio is a defensive system built around man-marking and sweeping. Essentially, it involves dropping a central midfielder back into a more deep-lying defensive position, and using them as a sweeper who plays behind the rest of the back line.
ChrysalismThe amniotic tranquility of being indoors during a thunderstorm.
ConnectomeThe term “connectome” is commonly taken to describe a complete map of neural connections in a nervous system of a given species.
copagandaCopaganda (a portmanteau of cop and propaganda) is propaganda efforts to shape public opinion about police or counter criticism of police and anti-police sentiment.
CosmogramsCaille and his colleagues frame forgotten solar technologies as “cosmograms”: objects which describe the world as it could have been, and could yet become. #
Our model and the solar motor are much more than museum objects: they are “cosmograms.” That is to say, they are objects which propose a reunification of the world, or more exactly a re-description of the world as it could be, by evoking many relations which they “contain,” but which far exceed them in space and time
[https://www.energyhumanities.ca/news/feature-solar-energy-at-the-museum-of-the-future] See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmogram
craquelureThe craquelure on a painting is the network, or pattern, of cracks that develops across the surface as the paint layers age and shrink. Easel paintings in most types of paint, particularly egg tempera and oil, develop cracks which join up into a complex, extensive network.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/may/31/asunder-chloe-aridjis-review
diagonalism‘Diagonalism,’ as Klein says, is the word William Callison and Quinn Slobodian have used to characterise these new alliances, ‘born in part from transformations in technology and communication’ and ‘generally arcing towards far-right beliefs’, while also contesting ‘conventional monikers of left and right’. Diagonalists, in this typology, mostly self-identify as middle-class and are disproportionately self-employed.
enthalpyEnthalpy /ˈɛnθəlpi/ (listen), a property of a thermodynamic system, is the sum of the system’s internal energy and the product of its pressure and volume.[1] It is a state function used in many measurements in chemical, biological, and physical systems at a constant pressure, which is conveniently provided by the large ambient atmosphere.
exergyExergy is a thermodynamic concept, used for many years within engineering analyses of chemical and mechanical processes and systems. Officially, exergy is defined as: The maximum useful work which can be extracted from a system as it reversibly comes into equilibrium with its environment.
fauxletarianFauxletarian – Falsely claiming to be of a lower socio-economic or working class in order to appear humble, hide true wealth, dodge responsibility, or deflect criticism
gnosiophobiaGnosiophobia is the fear of knowledge. This is where an individual encounters extreme stress and anxiety while obtaining knowledge and learning something new.
hahagandaHahaganda is a tactic in which disinformation agents use memes, political comedy from state-run outlets, or speeches to make light of serious matters, attack others, minimize violence or dehumanize, and deflect blame.
This approach provides an easy defense: If challenged, the disinformation agents can say, “Can’t you take a joke?” often followed by accusations of being too politically correct.
heatflationThe dry conditions are leading to “heatflation” whereby food prices rise as high temperatures and drought negatively affect livestock and cause harvests to shrink. In 2021, the European Central Bank warned that hot summers had the major and longest-standing effect on inflation, particularly food inflation
holographAn autograph or holograph is a manuscript or document written in its author’s or composer’s hand. The meaning of autograph as a document penned entirely by the author of its content, as opposed to a typeset document or one written by a copyist or scribe other than the author, overlaps with that of holograph.
hypnopompichypnopompic
/ˌhɪpnə(ʊ)ˈpɒmpɪk/
adjective PSYCHOLOGY
relating to the state immediately preceding waking up.
idiorrhythmicIn a 1977 lecture at the Collège de France, later published in How to Live Together, Roland Barthes explored a ‘fantasy of a life, a regime, a lifestyle’ that was neither reclusive nor communal: ‘Something like solitude with regular interruptions’. Inspired by the monks of Mount Athos, Barthes proposed to call this mode of living together idiorrhythmy, from the Greek idios (one’s own) and rythmos (rhythm). ‘Fantasmatically speaking’, he says, ‘there is nothing contradictory about wanting to live alone and wanting to live together’. In idiorrhythmic communities, ‘each subject lives according to his own rhythm’ while still being ‘in contact with one another within a particular type of structure’. [New Left Review]
incident weaponAn incident weapon is “typically an anti-vehicle device intended to inflict disabling damage or prevent escape without killing the vehicle operators….The United States developed a modified Hedgehog projectile substituting a magnet and clapper for the explosive charge. If the magnet stuck to the submarine hull, flow along the hull as the submarine moved through the water caused the clapper to oscillate hammering against the hull.” (wikipedia)
infandousInfandous – a thing too horrible to be named or uttered.

infandous (comparative more infandous, superlative most infandous)
(obsolete) Extremely odious
kayfabeKayfabe- the practice of trying to make people believe that wrestlers are particular characters, when in fact they are only pretending to be those characters
KuebikoA state of exhaustion inspired by acts of senseless violence.
langarIn Sikhism, a langar (Punjabi: ਲੰਗਰ, pronunciation: [lʌŋɾ], ‘kitchen’) is the community kitchen of a gurdwara, which serves meals to all free of charge, regardless of religion, caste, gender, economic status, or ethnicity.
lenticlentic (of organisms or habitats) inhabiting or situated in still fresh water.
measurebatemeasurebate (slang) To focus excessively on technical specifications (of a camera or other electronic device).
MetanoiaMetanoia, an Ancient Greek word (μετάνοια) meaning “changing one’s mind”, may refer to: Metanoia (psychology), the process of experiencing a psychotic “breakdown” and subsequent, positive psychological re-building or “healing”
murketingMurketing “Blurring calculated dishonesty with impassioned sincerity, murketing operationalises a double-truth dialectic which treats consumers as both subjects and objects within the process of their own persuasion”
nallunguarlukunallunguarluku – pretend it didn’t happen in an Inuit (?) language.
necrobiomenecrobiome, the ecosystem of carcasses. In the necrobiome, dead matter is not inert—it is a base unit of life: Carrion beetles pilfer, maggots feast, seeds scatter, raccoons scavenge, vultures peck, and microbes bloom. “If you zoom in to the microbial level, life is exploding. It’s multiplying, it’s diversifying,” Jeffery Tomberlin, a professor in entomology at Texas A&M, told me. “It’s a beautiful thing.”
Once-ler“Now listen here, dad! All you do is yap-yap and say ‘Bad! Bad! Bad! Bad!’ Well, I have my rights, sir, and I’m telling you I intend to go on doing just what I do! And for your information, you Lorax, I am figgering on biggering and BIGGERING and BIGGERING and BIGGERING, turning MORE Truffula Trees into Thneeds which everyone, EVERYONE needs!” – A younger Once-ler yelling at the Lorax in the book.
palteringPaltering is the active use of selective truthful statements to mislead. The term as applied in psychology and mediation studies was developed by researchers at the John F. Kennedy School of Government in the late 2000s. The first known use of palter to describe acting insincerely or deceitfully was in the 1580s
parataxic distortionParataxic distortion is a psychiatric term first used by Harry S. Sullivan to describe the inclination to skew perceptions of others based on fantasy.
pessoptimistThe novel’s name comes from merging the Arabic words for pessimist (al-mutasha’im المتشائم) and optimist (al-mutafa’il المتفائل), to describe the narrator Saeed’s unique way of viewing the world.[2] Saeed, the novel’s narrator, frequently recounts tragic events related to his family and the plight of Palestinians, but adds in comic flourishes to show his “optimistic” side
poronkusemaPoronkusema = ‘a reindeer’s piss’ is an old distance measurement used in Lapland. Poronkusema is the distance a reindeer can run in one go without peeing. While running, a reindeer cannot pee. Poronkusema can be up to 7.5 kilometres.
protopia“Protopia” is another recent term, coined by futurist Kevin Kelly and it is defined as the opposite of a “Dystopia”. In Dystopia, people are stuck in some kind of recurring pattern of suffering (like George Orwell’s “foot trampling a human face - for ever”, as in 1984). A Protopian society, then, is one where people are free from such gridlocks and can thus work actively to improve life. It’s a more carefully stated form of a dream of societal transformation: It doesn’t say that “everything will be good for everyone”; it focuses not on the state-of-things-at-a-given-moment, but on the possibility - the shared capacity - to move in mutually desirable directions. Simply stated, one could say that a Protopian society is one that has the capacity to become incrementally better as a result of the freedom of its members.
quadratA quadrat is a frame used in ecology, geography, and biology to isolate a standard unit of area for study of the distribution of an item over a large area.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadrat
retrotopiaRetrotopia is a sociological journey into this bleak, fragmented world. In the place the old (often unfair and discriminatory) social institutions and mechanisms, pathologies are developing and growing to take truly dystopian measures. Humanity has not abandoned its aspirations, but it seems to have run out of faith in utopias located in the future, turning instead to the past, as if to turn back the clock which is, of course, not possible, for many reasons.
saprophytesaprophyte is “an organism which gets its energy from dead and decaying organic matter.”
scholasticideToday, this false idol justifies the bombing of every university in Gaza; the destruction of countless schools, of archives, of printing presses; the killing of hundreds of academics, of journalists, of poets – this is what Palestinians call scholasticide, the killing of the means of education.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/24/zionism-seder-protest-new-york-gaza-israel
sewaAt the core of Sikhism lies the philosophy of selfless service, known as Sewa.

Sewa is a principle that transcends religious boundaries and holds universal relevance. The philosophy encourages individuals to engage in acts of kindness, compassion and service without expecting anything in return.

While deeply embedded in Sikh tradition, people of all backgrounds can adopt the principles of Sewa to enhance their day-to-day lives.
spall“Spalling,” writes Vaillant, “is a verb you don’t encounter much below 500 degrees.” It’s what happens to concrete when all the water is burned out of it.
What is spalling? Spalling is a term used to describe areas of concrete which have cracked and delaminated from the substrate. There are a number of reasons why spalling occurs including freeze thaw cycling, the expansive effects of Alkali Silica Reaction or exposure to fire.

spall /spɔːl/ verb
past tense: spalled; past participle: spalled
break (ore, rock, or stone) into smaller pieces, especially in preparation for sorting.
“the ore was spalled by young women seated at anvils”
(of ore, rock, or stone) break off in fragments.
“cracks below the surface cause slabs of material to spall off”
synanthropeSynanthrope – A synanthrope (from the Greek σύν syn, “together with” + ἄνθρωπος anthropos, “man”) is a member of a species of wild animal or plant that lives near, and benefits from, an association with human beings and the somewhat artificial habitats that people create around themselves (see anthropophilia). Such habitats include houses, gardens, farms, roadsides and rubbish dumps.
ThaumatropesDeveloped in the early 19th century, Thaumatropes are an optical toy and one of the earliest forms of animation. Using two illustrated sides of a disc, Thaumatropes create the illusion of motion that seemingly have drawings blend into one.
ThneedsA Thneed is a highly versatile object knitted from the foliage of a Truffula Tree. According to the Once-ler, it is “A-fine-something-that-all-people need.” It costs $3.98 (approximately $30.67 adjusted for inflation) according to The Lorax book and movie.
ThumosThumos (also commonly spelled ‘thymos’; Greek: θυμός) is the Ancient Greek concept of “spiritedness” (as in “a spirited stallion” or “spirited debate”). The word indicates a physical association with breath or blood and is also used to express the human desire for recognition. It is not a somatic feeling, as nausea and giddiness are.
VarvesVarves are defined as annual sediment layers and they can occur in many different environments. According to De Geer (1940) the term “varve” in English is derived from the Swedish term “varv”, (“hvarf” in its older spelling), for the cyclic clay deposits underlying the land surface of eastern Sweden.
VatnikVatnik or vatnyk (Russian: ватник) is a political pejorative[1][2] used in Russia and other post-Soviet states for steadfast jingoistic followers of propaganda from the Russian government.[3]

All the EIGHTS

Abuliaabulia
/əˈb(j)uːlɪə/
nounPSYCHIATRY
noun: aboulia
an absence of willpower or an inability to act decisively, a symptom of schizophrenia or other mental illness
AltschmerzAltschmerz Weariness with the same old issues that you’ve always had — the same boring flaws and anxieties that you’ve been gnawing on for years.
AnocracyAnocracy or semi-democracy[1] is a form of government that is loosely defined as part democracy and part dictatorship,[2][3] or as a “regime that mixes democratic with autocratic features.”[3] Another definition classifies anocracy as “a regime that permits some means of participation through opposition group behavior but that has incomplete development of mechanisms to redress grievances.”
aufbauAufbau
In atomic physics and quantum chemistry, the Aufbau principle, also called the Aufbau rule, states that in the ground state of an atom or ion, electrons first fill subshells of the lowest available energy, then fill subshells of higher energy. For example, the 1s subshell is filled before the 2s subshell is occupied.
(Buchan, 1995:132)
beskonfliktnostbeskonfliktnost
a society in which conflict had been transcended, as Overy notes, the Soviets had a word for
this – beskonfliktnost – meaning “no conflict at all”
dormivegliadormiveglia – state of between being awake and asleep at the same time; light sleep; halfsleep
dysrationaliaStanovich (2009) coined the term „dysrationalia” to describe the inability to think and behave rationally despite having adequate intelligence. Similar to the examples in the introduction, the irrational beliefs often take form of the epistemically suspect beliefs (ESB).28 Feb 2019
ecotoneAn ecotone is a transition area between two biological communities,[1] where two communities meet and integrate.[2] It may be narrow or wide, and it may be local (the zone between a field and forest) or regional (the transition between forest and grassland ecosystems).[3] An ecotone may appear on the ground as a gradual blending of the two communities across a broad area, or it may manifest itself as a sharp boundary line.
enshittoceneenshittocene – an era defined by the spread of degradation from the web to the real world, to our jobs, privacy, politics and beyond. Cory Doctorow, 2024. Year One. Financial Times Magazine, February 10, pp.28-35)
IlithiophobiaIlithiophobia A strong and persistent intolerance of stupidity. Additional Information. Ilithiophobia is a neologism (recently constructed word) from the greek ilithios (stupidity) and the greek phobos (fear).
menticideMenticide The concept of “menticide” indicates an organized system of judicial perversion and psychological intervention, in which a powerful tyrant transfers his own thoughts and words into the minds and mouths of the victims he plans to destroy or to use for his own propaganda.
renkuangYoung people mock the implication that they are little more than a renkuang—a “human mine”—for the nation’s exploitation. As a subtle protest during college-commencement season, graduates took to posting pictures of themselves sprawled face down, or draped over railings, in a manner they named “zombie style.”

All the NINES

akrasiaAkrasia (/əˈkreɪziə/; Greek ἀκρασία, “lacking command” or “weakness”, occasionally transliterated as acrasia or Anglicised as acrasy or acracy) is a lack of self-control or acting against one’s better judgment.
alethophobiaalethophobia – (uncountable) (psychology) A fear or dislike of the truth; an unwillingness to come to terms with truth or facts.
anamorphosisAnamorphosis – Anamorphosis is a distorted projection that requires the viewer to occupy a specific vantage point, use special devices, or both to view a recognizable image. It is used in painting, photography, sculpture and installation, toys, and film special effects.
anecdocheA conversation in which everyone is talking, but nobody is listening.
AporiaAporia an irresolvable internal contradiction or logical disjunction in a text, argument, or theory. “the celebrated aporia whereby a Cretan declares all Cretans to be liars”
aspaklariaaspaklaria
(Noun) [Talmudic – etym. Greek/Hebrew/Aramaic]
Window glass
Prism
Magnifying lens
Mirror
{Metaphorical} Prophetic vision
However one translates it, an Aspaklaria is a tool for seeing differently: Dispelling darkness, diffracting light, bringing ourselves and our world (and beyond our world) into clear focus.
asymboliaAsymbolia for pain denotes the inability to recognize the unpleasant or disagreeable component of a painful or threatening stimulus, with the result that little or no defense reaction is produced, although the noxious stimulus itself is perceived.

And here is a subset of the SIXES (the ones I thought – now – worthy of elevating from the slushpile).

Aggressively-ignorantAggressively-Ignorant (Adjective) – A category of person or organization that goes out of their way to avoid knowing or learning about something so as to avoid responsibility or duty to act.

Usually associated with someone who exhibits either a general lack of intellectual curiosity or just plain burned out in their careers so they don’t even try to improve themselves. These individuals are motivated by a strong desire to be the opposite of the “go-to-guy” so as to discourage requests for help or challenging assignments.
anadromousanadromous
/əˈnadrəməs/
adjectiveZOOLOGY
(of a fish such as the salmon) migrating up rivers from the sea to spawn.
apateticapatetic in British English
(ˌæpəˈtɛtɪk ) adjective. of or relating to coloration that disguises and protects an animal.
CainophobiaCainophobia an abnormal fear of novelty.
Deja woodeja woo. “When you investigate pseudoscience for long enough, you start to see the same kind of ideas resurface in slightly different ways, slightly different packaging. I’d like to call this phenomenon deja woo.” @MrMMarsh
discernemiaAnother troubling condition afflicting our seniors is discernemia, which manifests as an inability to discern and verify information online. Older users, unfamiliar with the mechanics of algorithmic filtering and the profit motives behind social media models, often take the frequency of posts as validation of their truth.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/24/banning-kids-from-social-media-isnt-the-way-its-the-over-60s-who-need-to-get-off-the-internet
entasisentasis, in architecture, the convex curve given to a column, spire, or similar upright member, in an attempt to correct the optical illusion of hollowness or weakness that would arise from normal tapering. Entasis is almost universal in Classical columns.
excrementalitiesexcrementalities

https://www.wiley-vch.de/en?option=com_eshop&view=product&isbn=978-1-5095-5741-7
fabliauA fabliau (French pronunciation: ​[fabljo]; plural fabliaux) is a comic, often anonymous tale written by jongleurs in northeast France between c. 1150 and 1400. They are generally characterized by sexual and scatological obscenity, and by a set of contrary attitudes—contrary to the church and to the nobility.[1] Several of them were reworked by Giovanni Boccaccio for the Decameron and by Geoffrey Chaucer for his Canterbury Tales. Some 150 French fabliaux are extant, the number depending on how narrowly fabliau is defined.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabliau
fauxpologyA fauxpology is a false apology that you say or write in order to tell someone that you are sorry but you do not really mean it. Word origin: The blend of faux and apology e.g. Do not apologise when you do not really mean it. It is a fauxpology.
girlitudeGirlitude was Tennant’s term for the woman’s retreat into marriage: “the dependence, the longed-for protection and the self-reproach of a species which can now only be alluded to self-consciously and with scorn”.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jan/31/emma-tennant-obituary
gornGorn – Extreme, sadistic, over-the-top bloody violence. A portmanteau of “gore” and “porn”. The term can refer to just an extremely graphic scene of bloodshed, or the entire sub-genre of torture films in the spirit of Saw.
ikigaiIkigai – a Japanese concept that means your ‘reason for being. ‘ ‘Iki’ in Japanese means ‘life,’ and ‘gai’ describes value or worth. Your ikigai is your life purpose or your bliss. It’s what brings you joy and inspires you to get out of bed every day.
intarsiaIntarsia is a knitting technique used to create patterns with multiple colours. As with the woodworking technique of the same name, fields of different colours and materials appear to be inlaid in one another, fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.
JouskaA hypothetical conversation that you compulsively play out in your head.
leviaceneIf the word ‘’Leviacene’’ is new to you, as it was to me before the lecture, then you are not alone. Professor Runciman began his lecture with an acknowledgment that this word had only been coined by him when he was devising the lecture’s title. In summary, the Leviacene is a term which Professor Runciman uses to describe the age of state and corporate destruction we are currently living through. He also believes that it more accurately reflects the period than the word which has been used up to this point, the Anthropocene.
marramMarram
Ammophila (synonymous with Psamma P. Beauv.) is a genus of flowering plants consisting of two or three very similar species of grasses. The common names for these grasses include marram grass, bent grass, and beachgrass.[2] These grasses are found almost exclusively on the first line of coastal sand dunes. Their extensive systems of creeping underground stems or rhizomes allow them to thrive under conditions of shifting sands and high winds, and to help stabilize and prevent coastal erosion.
MonachopsisThe subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place.
mottainaiThe Japanese have a word – Mottainai – for the reverence that should be paid to efficiency and the sadness caused by waste.
nidifugousIn biology, nidifugous (UK: /naɪˈdɪfjʊɡəs/ ny-DIF-yuu-gəs, US: /-jə-/ -⁠yə-) organisms are those that leave the nest shortly after hatching or birth.[1] The term is derived from Latin nidus for “nest” and fugere, meaning “to flee”.[1] The terminology is most often used to describe birds and was introduced by Lorenz Oken in 1816.[2] The chicks of birds in many families, such as the waders, waterfowl, and gamebirds, are usually nidifugous.
The opposite of nidifugous organisms are nidicolous (/naɪˈdɪkələs/ ny-DIK-ə-ləs; from Latin nidus “nest” and -colus “inhabiting”) organisms; a nidicolous organism is one which stays at its birthplace for a long time because it depends on its parents for food, protection, and the learning of survival skills. Examples of nidicolous species include mammals and many species of birds. During the life span, the brain of a nidicolous animal expands 8–10 times its initial size; in nidifugous animals, it expands from 1.5 to 2.5 time
presstitutePresstitute – “journalist” who will perform for cash. One of those clever terms that is now a little problematic, given that using the term “prostitute” as an insult reveals misogyny/puritanism [where’s the contempt for the pimps, or the system that makes selling your body the least worst option?]
rubatosisThe unsettling awareness of your own heartbeat.
RückkehrunruheThe feeling of returning home after an immersive trip only to find it fading rapidly from your awareness.
rumintrumint (uncountable) (US) Information of dubious veracity, particularly when grounded in rumor.
scumblescumble \SKUM-bul\ verb. 1 a : to make (something, such as color or a painting) less brilliant by covering with a thin coat of opaque or semiopaque color applied with a nearly dry brush. b : to apply (a color) in this manner. 2 : to soften the lines or colors of (a drawing) by rubbing lightly.
selvage1 a: the edge on either side of a woven or flat-knitted fabric so finished as to prevent raveling
specifically : a narrow border often of different or heavier threads than the fabric and sometimes in a different weave
b: an edge (as of fabric or paper) meant to be cut off and discarded
2: an outer or peripheral part : BORDER, EDGE
selvaged adjective
sherryatricThe constituency sherryatric members loved Boris Johnson because he could win, and I think that the blue rinse types like a cad, as they did Cecil Parkinson. BoJo had to prove a complete liability before they got rid of him, and the membership voted for Loony Liz, but were happy to support Rishi Sunak when Liz lost to the lettuce, all without a sign of contrition.
https://www.ft.com/content/9d5e517f-f11e-4727-a50a-41caabfc825b#comments-anchor
shimShim noun a washer or thin strip of material used to align parts, make them fit, or reduce wear.
“an aluminium shim reduces the diameter so that a standard stem will fit”
Verb wedge (something) or fill up (a space) with a shim.
“display monitors were shimmed up on cardboard”
TartarusTartarus, the infernal regions of ancient Greek mythology. The name was originally used for the deepest region of the world, the lower of the two parts of the underworld, where the gods locked up their enemies. It gradually came to mean the entire underworld.
thagomizerA thagomizer (/ˈθæɡəmaɪzər/) is the distinctive arrangement of four spikes on the tails of stegosaurian dinosaurs. These spikes are believed to have been a defensive measure against predators
TrustanoiaNader has coined the term “trustanoia” to describe the antonym of paranoia and the state of Americans’ feeling of trust of others. She contends that people in the United States trust that there is always someone there to take care of them, and that everyone (including legislators and politicians) acts in their interest.
Tsuyoku naritaiTsuyoku naritai is Japanese. Tsuyoku is “strong”; naru is “becoming,” and the form naritai is “want to become.” Together it means, “I want to become stronger,” and it expresses a sentiment embodied more intensely in Japanese works than in any Western literature I’ve read. You might say it when expressing your determination to become a professional Go player—or after you lose an important match, but you haven’t given up—or after you win an important match, but you’re not a ninth-dan player yet—or after you’ve become the greatest Go player of all time, but you still think you can do better. That is tsuyoku naritai, the will to transcendence.
wangstWangst, a portmanteau of “whiny” and “angst,” (or “wimpy” or “wah” or “whinging”… or possibly “wanker” or “wang” in especially irritating cases) is essentially angst gone wrong. The intended Woobie’s Appeal to Pity ends in an epic failure, and thus becomes a pathetically whiny character who insists on crying (often loudly and repeatedly) about a Dark and Troubled Past instead of, you know, trying to move on with their life. This is made even more annoying when the character’s “trauma” doesn’t come across nearly as tragic as they seem to think it does, compared with other people out there trying to endure yet still determined to solve the problem, making the character’s lamentations seem way out of proportion.
wealthfareWealthfare – government policy designed to enrich further the already wealthy. Financial aid, such as a subsidy or tax break, provided by a government to corporations or other businesses, especially when viewed as wasteful or unjust

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