Lions roar. Pigs oink. Crows caw. Elephants trumpet. People use words.
Leaning new words is fun. Using them sagaciously is even more fun. Here follows a few that one might tuck in the back of one’s mind for a rainy-day discussion.
Lovecraftian Horror that emphasizes the unknowable and incomprehensible.
“This is slowly driving me into even deeper levels of Lovecraftian madness.”
Apricate To sunbathe or bask in the sunshine.
"The cat lay apricating on the back of the couch near the window."
Crepuscular Active during dawn and dusk? Animals such as deer are crepuscular.
"Gerbils are crepuscular, so they can serve as an alarm clock if you keep them in the bedroom."
Eschew Staying away from something on purpose.
"I'm eschewing all social media during the election season."
Insouciant Lighthearted unconcern; nonchalance.
"Since Jane is insouciant about her health, she does not bother to take her medication."
Mélange A mixture; a medley.
"Weird is not necessarily bad, especially when a wine is a mélange of grape varietals."
Penultimate Next to the last.
“Italian words usually have the main stress on the penultimate syllable in the word.”
Schadenfreude The emotional experience of pleasure in response to another's misfortune.
“As the suffering increased, a certain inevitable schadenfreude set in.”
Verisimilitude The quality of seeming true or of having the appearance of being real.
“Stories must have verisimilitude to interest most people.”
When is the last time you used insouciant in speaking or writing? Thought so. Perhaps keep it (and others) on the tip of your tongue . . . for fun and profit.
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