Category: Word lovers

Pulchritude (noun) [pul-chri-tude] It seems like such an ugly looking word but it means the opposite. The Macquarie Dictionary defines it as “beauty” or “comeliness”. So you might say: “The actress Robin Wright is a woman of great pulchritude.” Listen to Valerie and Allison chat more about this and more on the world of

Anomia (noun) [uh-noh-mee-uh] This is the loss of the ability to name objects or recall names. So you might say “As he got older he began experiencing anomia.” We occasionally experience it in day-to-day situations too – when a word or name is “on the tip of our tongue” but we

Sophistry (noun) [soff-uh-stree] This generally means “a false argument or reasoning”. So you might say: “John tried to use sophistry to hide his illegal actions from the tax agency.” (From wordsinasentence.com) Listen to Valerie and Allison chat more about this and more on the world of writing, blogging and publishing.  

Nomenclature (noun) [noh-MEN-kla-cher] I love this word and actually use it all the time. According to the Macquarie Dictionary it is: “a set or system of names or terms, as those used in a particular science or art by an individual or community”. So you might say something like “Make

Farrago (noun) [fuh-rah-goh] This comes from the Latin meaning “cattle feed” and, according to the Macquarie Dictionary means “a confused mixture; a hotchpotch”. So you might say “The police were fed with a farrago of lies from the mafia family members.” To hear Valerie and Allison chat more about this

Ersatz (adjective) [er-sahts] This is a word that comes from the German word for “replacement”. According to the Macquarie Dictionary, it means “serving as a substitute”. So you might say: “Vegetarians often like ersatz meat dishes.” To hear Valerie and Allison chat more about this and more on the world

Ludic (noun) [looh-dik] This cool word means “spontaneously playful” and it encapsulates the behaviour of my kitty Rocky. He’s always ready to play at a moment’s notice. Meanwhile my other cat Rex seems to only want to play under specific circumstances and particular times of day! To hear Valerie and

Apple-knocker (noun) [ap-uh l-nok-er] While this ain’t a common term in Australia and is not listed in the Macquarie Dictionary, it’s more used as a colloquial term in the US where it means “an ignorant or unsophisticated person”, like a hillbilly perhaps. There could be a few reasons for this.

Peregrination (noun) [perra-grin-AY-shin] This means “travelling from one place to another”. So you might say “She took photos of all the big tourist attractions on her peregrination from Cairns to Coffs Harbour.” To hear Valerie and Allison chat more about this and more on the world of writing, blogging and

Ekphrastic (adjective) [eck-frass-tick] I came across this word because Karen Andrews has a new book of poetry called On the Many Shapes Bodies Will Take and she describes her poetry as “ekphrastic“. This is the adjective that comes from the word “ekphrasis” which, according to the Macquarie Dictionary, means “the

Bombilate (verb) [bom-bi-layt] This means “to buzz or hum”. So you might say “The alarm kept on bombilating.” Well, we can’t imagine anyone actually saying that, but if they did now you’d know what it means! To hear Valerie and Allison chat more about this and more on the world