Language constantly evolves, and as new words are coined, others quietly slip into obscurity. In this post, we take a whimsical stroll through the alphabet, uncovering one rare or obsolete English word for each letter — some humorous, some poetic, all fascinating.
A – Apanthropy
Meaning: A dislike of being around people; the desire to live alone or in seclusion.
Example: After years of social events, Clara developed a gentle apanthropy and moved to a quiet cottage in the hills.
B – Blatteroon
Meaning: A person who talks incessantly or boasts foolishly.
Example: The dinner guest was such a blatteroon that no one else could get a word in.
C – Curglaff
Meaning: The shock felt when plunging into cold water.
Example: She jumped into the lake and yelped at the sudden curglaff that ran up her spine.
D – Dwale
Meaning: A sleeping potion or a delusion; sometimes associated with deadly nightshade.
Example: The apothecary prepared a dwale to ease the knight’s pain.
E – Elflock
Meaning: A tangle of hair, supposedly made by elves.
Example: When she awoke, her hair was a mess of elflocks that no brush could tame.
F – Fopdoodle
Meaning: A stupid or insignificant person.
Example: Don’t waste your time with that fopdoodle; he knows nothing of consequence.
G – Groak
Meaning: To silently watch someone while they are eating, hoping to be offered food.
Example: The dog would groak at the table until someone gave in and fed him a scrap.
H – Hugger-mugger
Meaning: Secret or clandestine activity.
Example: There was something hugger-mugger about the way they passed notes in class.
I – Ill-willy
Meaning: Spiteful or envious in nature.
Example: The ill-willy comments from her rival left a bitter taste.
J – Jargogle
Meaning: To confuse or jumble up.
Example: All the conflicting instructions did nothing but jargogle the poor intern.
K – Kexy
Meaning: Dry, brittle, or withered (especially plants).
Example: The kexy stalks rattled in the autumn wind.
L – Lunting
Meaning: Walking while smoking a pipe.
Example: The old sailor enjoyed lunting along the pier at dusk.
M – Mumpsimus
Meaning: A stubborn person who insists on making an error in spite of being shown that it is wrong.
Example: No matter how many times he was corrected, the professor remained a mumpsimus about that misused phrase.
N – Nimgimmer
Meaning: An old term for a doctor or surgeon, especially one who treats venereal disease.
Example: The nimgimmer was summoned discreetly to the back door of the manor.
O – Overmorrow
Meaning: The day after tomorrow.
Example: We shall depart overmorrow, should the weather hold.
P – Pismire
Meaning: An old word for an ant.
Example: He watched the pismires scurry about their nest with great curiosity.
Q – Quagswagging
Meaning: The action of shaking to and fro.
Example: The loose tooth hung by a thread, quagswagging with every breath.
R – Ratoon
Meaning: A small shoot growing from the root of a plant, especially sugarcane.
Example: After the first harvest, the ratoons sprang up like magic.
S – Sialoquent
Meaning: Tending to spray saliva while speaking.
Example: He was an enthusiastic speaker, albeit a bit too sialoquent.
T – Twattle
Meaning: To gossip or babble idly.
Example: They spent the afternoon twattling about old classmates.
U – Ultracrepidarian
Meaning: Someone who gives opinions on subjects they know nothing about.
Example: The meeting was overrun with ultracrepidarians offering unhelpful advice.
V – Vulpine
Meaning: Relating to or resembling a fox; cunning.
Example: Her vulpine smile made him uneasy.
W – Widdendream
Meaning: A state of mental confusion or delirium.
Example: In his fever, he spoke nonsense as though caught in a widdendream.
X – Xerotic
Meaning: Extremely dry (often used medically, e.g., xerotic skin).
Example: Winter left his hands cracked and xerotic.
Y – Yird
Meaning: An old Scottish word for earth or ground.
Example: He knelt to plant the seed deep in the yird.
Z – Zugzwang
Meaning: A position in chess where any move one makes worsens their position.
Example: Caught in zugzwang, he reluctantly made the losing move.
Bringing these words back into conversation might raise some eyebrows, but they’ll also add flavor and fun to your language. Whether you're a writer, teacher, word nerd, or trivia buff, knowing a few of these linguistic relics gives you a richer understanding of the English language's quirky past.
Which of these words was your favorite? Have you ever heard—or used—any of them? Let us know in the comments below.
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