Over the last month or two, Webb’s Weird Words has taken a largely thematic approach, with columns on animals, etymology, alcohol and a little-known linguistic item called a doublet.
So now, let’s get back to our eccentric English exploration: plain old-fashioned oddball words.
Here are 12, with another dozen forthcoming next week:
Assegai (noun, ASS-uh-guy) – A sharp, light African spear; or the tree from whose wood these are made.
Blepharospasm (noun, BLEF-uh-roe-spaz-um) – Abnormal, usually involuntary action of the eyelid muscle, making it blink rapidly or close up tight. With various causes, it usually is benign and clears up on its own. According to Wikipedia, blepharospasm is to be distinguished from the similar myokymia and fasciculation; so there are two more weird words for ya!
Crapehanger (noun, KRAPE-hang-er) – Pessimist; killjoy; gloomy person. Also spelled crepehanger, which explains its origin: black strips of the fabric crepe are often worn as signs of mourning over a recent death.
Fritillary (noun, FRITT-uh-larry) – One of dozens of species of butterflies — mostly brown or orange, with checked or spotted black patterns on the wing. From a Latin word meaning dice-box (which these apparently resemble), it is related to fritillaria, a group of plants with drooping, bell-shaped flowers — and, in many cases, similar markings.
Galligaskins (noun, gal-uh-GASS-kinz) – Loose hose or breeches worn by men in the 16th and 17th centuries. Can also refer to any unduly baggy trousers or leggings. Alternately: gallygaskins.
Howdah (noun, HOW-duh) – Ever see one of those canopied seats atop an elephant — kind of like a miniature pavilion? Well, now you know what they’re called.
Impluvium (noun, im-PLOO-vee-um) – A compluvium is a rectangular Roman cistern that collects rainwater — out of which it flows into a smaller, lower basin or tank; that in turn is called an impluvium. Not that this is going to help you in life; but hey … I never claimed this column would be practical. God forbid.
Mollycoddle (verb, MOLL-ee-cod-ull) – To treat with excessive indulgence and attention; to baby, to pamper — or (yes) to coddle. Also, a man or boy who’s been handled this way — a milksop. (One more great word!)
Osnaburg (noun, AHZ-nuh-burg) – A heavy, coarse, plain-woven cotton fabric used for sacking, sportswear and sometimes furniture. The word is a corruption of the German city Osnabruck, where this material originated.
Philosophaster (noun, fi-loss-uh-FASS-ter; or fi-LOSS-uh-fas-ter) – A person who pretends a much greater knowledge of philosophy than s/he really has; a dabber in the subject.
According to Dictionary.com, the suffix -aster is a “pejorative” to indicate a wannabe with little to no expertise; that entry shows it also appearing in criticaster, poetaster and oleaster — though the site as a whole has no listing for that last term (except as a plant), and neither does anyone else!
Schizocarp (noun, SKIZ-uh-carp; or SKITS-uh-carp) – A plant that splits into one-seeded carpels. Carrots, celery, parsnips, and various herbs (coriander, anise, dill) are schizocarps. As you may have guessed, the word is related to schizophrenia — “split personality.”
The adjective for a plant that divides like this gives us another weird word: dehiscent. And for one more, we go to a rare term for schizocarps in the carrot family: umbelliferous.
Schussboomer (noun, SHOOSH-boo-mer — with the first OO pronounced like good or book) – To schuss is to ski straight downhill at great speed. A skier who’s very skilled at this is: a schussboomer.
Honestly, you’d think I were making this up — especially that last one. But go ahead and check the internet if you like.
Or take my (weird) word for it.
