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list of wwftds

Herein is a complete list of "wwftd"s™ dating from ca. 1987 to present. This started as a "word for the day up on the blackboard" sort of thing and has degenerated into its current form; irregular distribution to a mail list via e-mail... and now this.

 Copyright © 1995-2020 -- Michael A. Fischer 
    wwftd email

D

dacrygelosis

1) a mental state characterized by extreme mood swings

2) a condition of alternating laughing and crying

dactylonomy

counting using one's fingers

daedal

ingenious; intricate; varied

daedalian

[fr. Daedalus, mythical Greek craftsman and inventor noted especially for the construction of a labyrinth to contain the Minotaur and for the invention of wings with which he and his son Icarus escaped imprisonment]

usu. capitalized  ingeniously formed: intricate; skillful, ingenious

daltonism

[after John Dalton, who first described it]

eponym  (esp. red-green) colorblindness  (also fig.)

dap(1)

to skip or bounce, as a stone off the surface of a lake; hence dapping, the act of skimming stones

dap(2)

[of imitative origin]  urban slang  a knuckle-to-knuckle fist bump, as a greeting or form of respect

dapatical

[L. dapaticus, magnificent (of a feast) < dapis, feast]  obs.  sumptuous in cheer {Bailey}

dapocaginous

low-spirited; having feelings of little self-worth

darg

Scot.  a day's work, the task of a day  (from daywark (daywork) through the series of forms dawark, da'ark, dark, darg)

dartle

[dim. of dart]  /DART ul/  (cf. sparkle)

archaic, rare  to dart or shoot forth repeatedly

dastard

coward; esp one who sneakily commits malicious acts

dasypygal

having hairy buttocks

davit

a crane that projects over the side of a ship hatchway for moving cargo

daw

a sluggard

deasil

clockwise (compare widdershins)

debarrass

[F.] to disembarrass; to disencumber from anything that embarrasses

debellation

obs.   the action of vanquishing or reducing by force of arms; conquest, subjugation

deblaterate

[fr. L. deblaterare, to prate of, blab out]

rare  to babble, prate

deblateration

the act of prating or babbling  (usu. in the phrase quisquiliary deblaterations)

decamp

to break up a camp; to depart suddenly: abscond

deckled

[G. deckel]  having a rough edge; used of handmade paper or paper resembling handmade  (so that's what that's called)

declination

the angular distance north or south from the celestial equator measured along a great circle passing through the celestial poles

decoct

to boil down; hence, to figure out by deduction what the true meaning is of a statement, a symbol, or an oblique communication

decollate

to behead

deconstruction

1) to extract the flavor of by boiling 2) boil down, concentrate by or as if by boiling

3) transf., interpreting literature so as to show the impossibility of a definite interpretation

decorticate

[fr. L. decorticare, to remove the bark from]

1) to remove the bark or outer layer; peel

2) to remove the outer layer or covering (of an organ or structure)

decretive

[fr. L. decernere, to decree + -ive]  /dih KREE tiv/

having the force of a decree: decretory   decretive will

decubitus

one's posture or position in bed

decussate

[fr. L. decussis, the number ten (X), intersection of two lines]

to intersect; hence, decussation: an intersection esp. in the form of an X

dedolent

[L., giving over grieving]  (also dedolant)

 rare  that feels sorrow no more; feeling no compunction; insensible, callous; apathetic

A tanker sinks into a dedolant sea. - W.H. Auden

deedbote

obs.  penance, repentance   (also dedbote)

defalcate

deduct; curtail; to engage in embezzlement, e.g. as a trustee  (see also peculate)

defatigable

[a lost form then back-formed fr. indefatigable]  capable of being wearied or tired out: fatigable

defeasible

[OF de(s)faisible, cf. feasible]  /di FEE zuh bul/

1) Law  capable of being annulled or voided: subject to defeasance (a rendering null and void)   a defeasible claim

2) Logic  capable of defeat by contrary evidence

defenestrate

[back-formation from next]  to throw something out of a window (see also adfenestrate)

defenestration

throwing a person or thing out the window

defi

[F.]  /DAY fee/  challenge, defiance

deflexed

turned abruptly downward

defoedation

(var. of defedation)  pollution, defiling

defossion

[fr. L. defodere, to bury (in the earth)]  /dee FOSH un/  burying (alive)

degringolade

[F.] a rapid decline or deterioration; downfall

de gustibus non est disputandum

[L.] there is no disputing (with) taste

dehort

[fr. L. dehortari, to dissuade]  now rare  to (attempt to) dissuade

dehortation

advice against something: dissuasion [marked rare in 1913]

dehortatory

dissuading

deictic

[fr. Gk deiktos, able to show]  /DIK tik/

showing or pointing out directly  the words this, that, and those have a deictic function

deinotherian

[fr. L. Deinotherium, a genus of prehistoric mammals related to but often larger than the elephants]

fig.  uncommonly large: elephantine

deipnetic

[fr. Gk deipnon, the principal meal + -etic]

obs. rare  pertaining to dinner; fond of eating

deipnosophist

a person skilled in dinner conversation

deipnosophobia

a fear of dinner conversation

dejecta

excrements

delapsation

[?] a spurious word in Webster, copied in subsequent Dicts.

De`lap*sa"tion (?), n. See Delapsion (a falling down). Ray.  {Webster's Revised Unabridged, 1913}

< DELAPSATION, n. A falling down.  {Webster's 1828 Dictionary}  (see also delassation)  [the Ray citation actually has delassation.]

delapse

[fr. L. delabi, to slip or fall down]  archaic  to slip down: descend, sink

delapsion

[fr. L. delabi]  obs.  a falling down

delassation

[fr. L. delassare, to weary or tire out]  obs. rare   fatigue, weariness

delation

[fr. L. delatio, an accusation, denunciation]  accusation, denouncement

delator

[L. informer, accuser]  an informer, a secret or professional accuser

delectation

delight, enjoyment

delible

capable of being deleted

deliquesce

to melt away; to dissolve gradually and become liquid by attracting and absorbing moisture

deliquescent

[fr. L. deliquescere, to melt away, dissolve, disappear]  /de li KWE sunt/

1) tending to melt away or dissolve

2) having repeated division into branches [also transf. and fig.]

delirament

[fr. L. deliramentum, < delirare, to be crazy]

archaic  an insane fancy: craze, delusion

delitescent

[fr. L. delitescere, to hide]  /del eh TES sent/

lying hidden: obfuscated, latent; thus, delitescence: latent state, concealment, seclusion

Delphic

/DEL fik/ 1) of or relating to the oracle of Apollo at Delphi  2) obscurely prophetic; oracular

delphically

[fr. Delphic pronouncements; i.e., obscurely prophetic]  ambiguously, obscurely

delphinity

[fr. L. Delphinidae, after humanity]  humorous nonce-word   dolphin-kind, the nature of dolphins

deltiologist

one who collects postcards

deltiology

the collecting of postcards

delusive

[fr. delusion + -ive]  1) deceptive, beguiling  2) delusional

démarche

[F. literally, gait]

a) a course of action: maneuver  b) a diplomatic or political initiative or maneuver

demegoric

[fr. Gk demegoros, popular orator]  /dee muh GAW rik/  of or pertaining to public speaking

dementate

[fr. L. dementare < demens, mad]  archaic   to deprive of reason

demephitize

[fr. de- + mephit-ic + -ize] rare 'To purify from foul unwholesome air' {Webster 1828}

hence, demephitization

demigorgon

[fr. LL. Demogorgon]

a terrifying ancient deity or demon of the underworld (Melville's mistaken(?) usage for Demogorgon, evidently conflating it with demiurge)

demimonde

1) a class of women on the fringes of respectable society supported by wealthy lovers

2) a group having little reputation

demisemiquaver

a 1/32 note in music [see also semiquaver]

demiurge

something that is an autonomous creative force or decisive power

demonomania

[demon + -mania]  a delusion of being possessed by evil spirits

demonym

[fr. Gk demos, people + onuma, name]

a name for a resident of a particular locality, derived from the name of that locality

demotic

relating to the common people: popular  demotic idiom

dendrochronology

the study of growth rings on trees

denegate

[fr. L. denegare]  obs.  to deny

denouement

[F.] the final outcome

dentiloquy

speaking through clenched teeth; thus, dentiloquist

deontic(s)

[from Gk deon, that which is obligatory]

1) [adj] of or relating to moral obligation: deontological

2) [n] pl. the science of duty: deontology

deontology

the theory or study of moral obligation

depalmate

obs.  to give one a box on the ear {Cockerham}

deparadisation

[de- + paradise + -ation]  nonce-word  expulsion from the Garden

depauperate

[fr. L. pauper poor, impoverished]  obs.   to render poor, impoverish

depeditation

[coined by Johnson(?), after decapitation]  amputation of a foot

depertible

[fr. L. dispertire  to distribute, divide (as if fr. depertire]

obs.  capable of being divided into parts; divisible

dephlogisticate

[cf.. phlogiston]  to remove or deprive of phlogiston; to take away the ability to burn (now understood to be chemically impossible)

deponent

one who gives evidence

deponticate

[fr. L. de, down from + pons, bridge + -ate]

nonce-word  to hurl from a bridge; hence

We will defenestrate and deponticate.

depontication

[ad L. pons/pontis, bridge; after defenestration]  the act of hurling from a bridg

deprehend

[fr. L. deprehendere  to seize, catch, detect, etc.]

obs.  1) to seize, capture  2) to take by surprise  3) to perceive or detect

deprehendible

obs.  capable of being detected

deprehensible

obs.  see previous

deracinate

[fr. L. dis- + racine, root]  to uproot

deracination

eradication, extirpation

derecho

[Sp., straight ahead]  /day-RAY-cho/

a widespread and usually fast-moving windstorm, which may produce damaging straight-line winds

derf

Scot.  bold, daring

dermatoglyphics

skin patterns on the hands and feet (palms and heels)

dern

[fr. Fris. dern  hidden, secret, obscure]  now chiefly dialect

1) hidden, secret; crafty, underhanded  2) drear, dark, somber, dire  3) UK  earnest, determined

derogate

[adj] diminished in value; dishonored; degraded

deruncinate

inkhorn term  to weed

desideratum (pl. desiderata)

[L.] something desired as essential

the concept that peace of mind is the great desideratum - Warren Weaver

desidious

[fr. L. desidere to sit long, sit idle]  obs.  idle, indolent, slothful

desipience

1) foolishness, silliness

2) relaxed dallying in enjoyment of foolish trifles

desipient

foolish

desition

an ending, or conclusion

desitive

final, serving to complete, conclusive

desperadoism

[fr. desperado + -ism]   /des peh RAHD o izem/  a wave or period of unusual activity by desperadoes

despiteous

/dis PIT ee us/  also, dispiteous

archaic  despiteful; malicious; cruel

desudation

[fr. L. desudare, to sweat greatly]  /de sjui DAY shun/

Med.  a profuse and inordinate sweating

desuetude

discontinuance from use or exercise; disuse

desuperpollicate

to give a 'thumbs down'

"Mr. Warford peers over at this wife, who for the second time tonight desuperpollicates..."  - Thomas Pynchon

detenebrate

obs. rare  to free from darkness or obscurity  (from L. de + tenebrare, to darken)

detritivore

[ad. Gk Detritivore > L. detritus, rubbing away + -vore]  /deh TRID uh vore/

Zool.  an organism that feeds on detritus; also, detritivorous : feeding on detritus

detur

[L., let it be given] a prize of books given annually to meritorious undergraduate students at Harvard Univ., U.S.

deuteragonist

1) the actor taking the part of second importance in a classical Greek drama

2) a person who serves as a foil to another (second banana?)

deuterogamist

someone who remarries after a spouse's death; also called a digamist

devenustate

[fr. L. de- + venustare, to beautify]  obs.  to deprive of beauty or comeliness; to disfigure, deform

devenustation

obs. rare  the condition or process of being reduced from Venus status: de-aestheticization

devorative

[fr. L. devorare, to devour]  /de VOR uh tiv/

Med., obs.  capable of being swallowed whole

diablerie

1) black magic: sorcery

2) demon lore

3) mischievous conduct or manner

diapason

/dye uh PAY zun/  

1 a) a burst of harmonious sound  b) the principal foundation stop of an organ  c) (i) the entire compass of musical tones (ii) range, scope

2 a) tuning fork  b) a standard of pitch

diaphone

a foghorn with a two-toned, penetrating sound

diaphor

a metaphor that implies the possibility of something (compare diaphor)

diaphoretic

having the power to increase perspiration

diastema

[Gk diastema, interval]  /die uh STEE muh/  a gap or space between two teeth

diasyrm

/DAI a sirm/  a figure of speech expressing disparagement or ridicule; also, damning with faint praise

dicacity

[fr. L. dicacitas]  archaic  raillery: biting wit

dictionatical

[dictionary + -ical, relating to]  authorized or approved by the dictionary

didactic

designed or intended to teach; intended to convey instruction and information

diddicoi

[fr. Romani didikai]  also diddicoy

Eng. dialect  a gypsy or other nomadic person

diddly-squat

[prob. euphemistic, cf. doodly-squat]

U.S. slang  the least amount: nothing (in negative constructions, anything)

 if everyone ignores it, it won't be worth diddly-squat -- Andrew Tobias

diddums

UK, interj.  an exclamation indicating that the speaker thinks that the person addressed is being childish and petulant (in speech to children: did 'ems did they?)

didymous

[fr. Gk didumos, twin]  /DID uh mus/  arranged or growing in pairs; twin

diegesis

a recitation; a narration

diegogarcity

[fr. Diego Garcia, Indian Ocean atoll; after serendipity]

"a term used [at Wordorigins.org] to denote the appearance of another term in multiple sources shortly after you have looked it up in the dictionary" (or first noticed it)

dietrologia

[It.] the science of what's behind it all

the art of finding dark, ulterior motives behind the most obvious decisions - Alessandra Stanley

diffidation

[fr. L. diffidare, to renounce one's vassalage, renounce friendship]  /dif uh DAY shun/

archaic, historical  a renunciation of faith or allegiance; formal severing of peaceful relations

diffidelity

[dis- + fidelity, after infidelity]  obs. rare  disbelief, unbelief

diffident

hesitant in acting or speaking; reserved, unassertive

digamist

one who marries a second time (legally); cf. deuterogamist

digerati

people who are knowledgeable about digital technologies such as computer programming and design [digital + literati]

digladiation

(dai-gla-di-a'-tion) [from L. dis + gladius, a sword]

1) fighting or fencing with swords  2) fig. strife or bickering of words; wrangling, contention, disputation

dilogy

[rhet.] 1) the use of an ambiguous or equivocal expression; the word or expression so used

2) repetition of a word or phrase, in the same context

dimbox

someone who settles a controversy or dispute

diminute

[fr. L. diminuere]  obs. diminished, diminutive

dimmening

[fr. dimmen, to grow dim (rare)]  rare  growing dim

dingbat

[origin unknown]

a typographical ornament or symbol used typically to call attention to an opening sentence or to make a break between two paragraphs; also, any of the pi fonts

(not to be confused with Archie Bunker's dingbat spouse)

dinsome

Scot.  loud; noisy

dioristic

serving to distinguish

dipsetic

[(n), adj] (something) causing thirst

dirdum

[origin unknown]  Scot.  [n] 1) uproar, tumultuous noise or din  2) outcry; loud reprehension, obloquy, blame

direption

[fr. L. diripere : to tear asunder, lay waste, snatch away]

obs.  1) the sacking or pillaging of a town  2) an act of plundering

direptitious

[after surreptitious, fr. L. direption, the sacking or pillaging of a town < diripere, to tear asunder)

obs. rare  characterized by plundering or pillaging; hence direptitiously

disambiguation

the establishment of a single semantic or grammatical interpretation

discalceation

[fr. L. discalceare, to pull off the shoes]  obs.  to put off the shoes {Johnson, 1828}

the act of taking off the shoes, esp. in token of reverence

discalced

unshod; barefoot  discalced friars

discinct

rare  loosely dressed; also: loose, negligent

discobolus

a discus thrower

discordianism

the veneration of Eris (a.k.a. Discordia) -- the goddess of chaos, discord and confusion

disembogue

to discharge or pour forth from the mouth (as from a river)

disfluency (dysfluency)

[dis-, apart or away + fluency]  /dis FLOO un see/

1) Pathol.  impairment of the ability to produce smooth, fluent speech

2) an interruption in the smooth flow of speech, as by a pause or the repetition of a word or syllable; lack of skillfulness in speaking

disincommodate

[erroneous (or jocular) mixture of discommodate and incommodate (themselves rather archaic forms for discommode and incommode)]  to cause inconvenience to: trouble

disintermediate

[originally a banking term, now more broadly used]

Econ.  to withdraw one's money from intermediate institutions for direct investment; to eliminate the middleman

dislimn

to dim

disponible

[ad. L. disponere, to set in different places, place here and there, arrange, dispose; cf. F. disponible]

capable of being assigned or disposed of as one wishes: available

disposophobia

[dispose + -phobia]  the fear of throwing anything away

disquiparant

[fr. med. L. disquiparantia]  Logic obs.  pertaining to the relation of two correlates which are heteronymous, i.e. denoted by different names, as father and son, or husband and wife

disquixote

[dis- + quixote, to act like Don Quixote]  to disillusion

dissemble

to hide under a false appearance; disguise

dissentient

[fr. L. dissentire, to dissent]  disagreeing, esp. with a majority

dissmell

the reflex to avoid a bad smell (contrast with disgust)

disworth

[fr. the archaic verb worth, to happen, to become; the stem is prob. the same as that of L. vertere, to turn]

obs. rare  to deprive of worth; to render worthless or unworthy

dithyrambic

wildly enthusiastic in statement or writing

diurnal

[fr. L. diurnalis]

1) recurring every day; having a daily cycle  2) occurring in the daytime

diurnality

[see previous]  behavior characterized by activity during the day

divagate

[fr. L. dis- + vagari, to wander]  /DI vuh gate/

to wander or stray from a course or subject: diverge, digress

divagation

/di vuh GAY shun/  a divergence or digression from a course or subject

divaricate

to diverge

diversiloquent

[fr. L. diversus, diverse + loquentem, speaking]  /dy ver SIL o kwent/?

rare  speaking diversely

diversivolent

[fr. L. diversus, diverse + volentum, wishing]  /dy ver SIV o lent/?

desiring strife or differences: contentious

divertissement

a diversion or entertainment

divinate

[fr. L. divinare, to divine (back-formation from divination?)]

to foretell future events, soothsay, augur, prophesy

divulgate

[fr. L. divulgare, to divulge]  /duh VUL gate/

1) obs.  divulge  2) archaic  disclose, reveal; publish

divulsion

[fr. L. divello, to rend asunder]  (now used chiefly in surgery)

the act of pulling away; a tearing asunder; a violent separation

dizen

[fr. earlier disen to dress a distaff with flax]

archaic  to attire or array with finery, to deck out, adorn: bedizen; also fig.

dizzard

archaic  a foolish fellow, idiot, blockhead

docent

1) a college or university teacher orlecturer

2) a person who leads guided tours esp. through a museum or art gallery

doch-an-dorris

Irish, a drink at the door  /dakh un DOORus (kh as in Bach)/

a parting drink

docity

[perhaps alter. of docility]  dial.  teachableness; quickness of comprehension

doddle

[origin unknown]  Brit. colloq.  a very easy task; a 'walk-over'

dogdayed

[fr. dog-days, the hottest, sultriest days of summer]  poetic nonce-word  of or relating to the dog-days

doggery

a cheap saloon, dive

doggo

in hiding

dogsbody

one whose work is routine and boring: drudge

doit

a trifle

dol

[fr. L. dolor, pain]  a unit of intensity of pain

dolent

obs.  attended with or causing sorrow or grief; grievous, distressing

dolorifuge

[fr. L. dolere, to feel pain, grieve + fuga, flight]  /dah LOR ah fyuj/

archaic  something that banishes or mitigates grief

dolorimeter

a psychological torture instrument which measures pain in units called dols

domnoddy

[origin uncertain]  /DOM noddy/

fool, ninny, nincompoop, simpleton  (also, noddypoll, noddy)

donnicker

a toilet: bathroom, lavatory

donsie

1) Brit.  unlucky

2) Scot.  restive; saucy

3) slightly ill

doofusistic

[fr. doofus, a stupid, incompetent person]  done by a doofus, or with a doofus, or to a doofus, or in the name of a doofus, or in lieu of a doofus, or just with a doofus-like flair

doolally

[spoken form of Deolali, India; from 'doolally tap']  characterized by an unbalanced state of mind

doppelganger

[G.] a ghostly counterpart of a living person

dord

non-word  defined in WNI2 as "density"; began life as an error made when transcribing a card that read "D or d" (meaning a capital D or small d) as an abbreviation for "density" -- subsequently cited in WNI3 definition of the term ghost word

dorts

Scot.  a mood of bad temper: sulks

doryphore

[F. doryphore, Colorado beetle (a pest)]  /dor i fo(r)/  (coined by Sir Harold Nicholson) also doriphore

one who gains inordinate pleasure from detecting minor errors; a pedantic nitpicker

dosh

Brit. slang  money

dotterel

[fr. ME; related to dote, dotard]  /DAH teh rel/ or /DAH trel/  also dottrel

1) a species of plover (said to be very easily caught)

2) Brit.  a silly, foolish person, esp. one who is easily duped

dottle

unburnt and partially burnt tobacco caked in the bowl of a pipe

double entente

There is no use pointing out that double entendre does not exist in French and that the proper [French] phrase for a double meaning, one of them usually indelicate, is double entente. - B. & C. Evans, A Dictionary of Contemporary American Usage

doula

[modern Gk, female helper < Gk doule, female slave]  /DU luh/

a woman experienced in childbirth who provides advice, information, emotional support, and physical comfort to a mother before, during, and just after childbirth

dowless

Scot.  /DOW lis/  without strength or energy; feeble; infirm

dowsabel

[fr. the female name Dulcibella]

obs.  sweetheart (perhaps first used in some pastoral song, whence applied generically to a sweetheart)

doxology

an expression of praise to God

doxy

a woman of loose morals: prostitute; mistress

doyen

[F., doyenne is the feminine form]

1) the eldest or senior member of a group

2) a person uniquely skilled by long experience in some field of endeavor

3) something which is the best of its kind

drachenfutter

[G.] a peace offering to a wife from a guilty husband (literally: dragon fodder)

draff

refuse; dregs; hogwash

draffsack

(also draftsack)  Brit. dialect

a sack of draff or refuse; also fig. a big paunch; a lazy glutton

draffy

worthless [also draffish]

drammock

Scot.  raw oatmeal mixed with cold water

drasy

[fr. drast, obs. : dregs, lees]

obs.  dreggy; fig. vile, worthless, rubbishy

drawcansir

a blustering, bullying fellow; a pot-valiant braggart; a bully

dree

Scot.  to suffer; endure

dreich

Scot.  /dreek or dree/  dreary (also dree or dreigh)

drogulus

an entity whose presence is unverifiable because it has no physical effects

drongo

Austral. slang   a simpleton; a stupid, worthless person

dropsonde

a cylindrical cannister that acts like a miniature weather station when dropped into the eye of a hurricane, transmitting back to the aircraft a vertical atmospheric profile of temperature, humidity, barometric pressure and wind data every half second

droumy

[origin uncertain, but see Sc. drumlie]  obs. rare  troubled; muddy: turbid  to fish in droumy waters - Bacon

dryasdust

[coined by Sir Walter Scott]  boring; pedantic

dubiety

doubtfulness; uncertainty; doubt

dudgeon

a fit or state of angry indignation usually provoked by opposition; ill humor, resentment

duende

[Sp.]  /dw'ende/  a) a ghost, an evil spirit  b) (transf.) inspiration, magic, fire

duff

[origin uncertain]

Scot. and U.S.  decaying leaves and branches covering a forest floor; in extended use for a lake bottom

dumbledore

1) Brit.  the bumblebee; "the most good-natured of God's Insects" -Southey

2) Brit dial.  the dung-beetle

dummerer

[< dumb]  slang, archaic  the cant name for a beggar who pretended to lack the faculty of speech

duncical

rare  of or pertaining to a dunce; dull-witted, stupid, blockheaded

dunkle

Scot. [v] to make a dint or pit in; to dint  [n] the cavity produced by a blow, or in consequence of a fall

durance

imprisonment

durbar

[fr. Pers. and Urdu darbar, court]  East Indian  /DUR bar/

1) the court of an Indian prince; an audience held by a prince

2) a hall or place of audience

duumvirate

government or control by two people

duvet

a comforter

dybbuk

[fr. Yiddish dibek]  the wandering soul of a dead person believed in Jewish folklore to enter and control a living body

dyslogy

[dys- + stem of eulogy]  dispraise, censure (as opposed to eulogy)

dysnomy

[fr. Gk dys, bad + nomos, law]  /DIS noh mee/

rare  bad legislation; the enactment of bad laws {Cockeram}

dysphemism

the substitution of a disagreeable or offensive expression for an agreeable or inoffensive one

dysphoria

a state of feeling unwell or unhappy

dysteleology

the doctrine of purposelessness in nature (compare teleology)

dysthymia

[fr. Gk dysthymos, despondent]  a depression

dysthymic

[see previous]  /dis THY mik/  affected with despondency or depression of spirits

dystmesis

[fr. Gk. tmesis, act of cutting + dys-, bad]

defined variously as: a synonym for tmesis; tmesis at syllable boundaries, as opposed to between parts of a compound; separation at an inappropriate or unlikely position [considering the lexemes, it seems as if the actual meaning should be closer to the last of these; e.g., unbefreakinglievable (as opposed to the tmesis of unfreakingbelievable)]

dystopia

an imaginary society in which social or technological trends have culminated in a greatly diminished quality of life or degradation of values

dystychiphobia

the fear of accidents

dyvoury

[fr. Sc. dyvour, beggar (perh. related to diver -- drowned in debt?)]

Scot. obs.  bankruptcy; beggary

dziggetai

[fr. Mongolian tchikhitei]   /DZIG uh tai/  the wild ass of Mongolia

E

eagre

[origin unknown]  /E-gur/ or /A-gur/

chiefly Brit.  a tidal bore or flood tide (up an estuary)

earworm

[G. ohrwurm]  a song or tune that repeats over and over inside a person's head

ebriection

mental breakdown from too much boozing

ebullition

the act, process or state of boiling or bubbling up; a sudden violent outburst or display

eccedentesiast

a person who fakes a smile, such as on television

[coined by Florence King, of whom George Will wrote, "If Mencken were alive, he would be her."]

eccentricate

obs.  to go out of one's proper sphere

ecdemomania

[fr. Gk ekdmeos, being away from home + -mania]  

rare!  a compulsive wandering

ecdysiast

one who performs a striptease  (coined by H. L. Mencken in 1940, see following)

ecdysis

[fr. Gk ekdusis, a stripping off]  /EK di sis/

the shedding of an outer layer of skin, as by insects, crustaceans, or snakes; molting

echolalia

the often pathological repetition of what is said by other people as if echoing them

echt

[G.]  /ekt/  genuine, authentic, typical  as performances these are echt masterpieces

eclaircise

[back-formation fr. F. éclaircissement, clearing up]  rare  to clear up

eclipsis

[ad. Gk ekleipsis, omission]

Ling./Rhet.  an omission or suppression of words or sounds  (sometimes erroneously given as a synonym of ellipsis)

eclogue

a poem in which shepherds are introduced conversing

ecphonesis

[Gk ekphonesis < ekphonein, to cry out]  /ek feh NEE sis/

Rhet.  an emotional exclamation; e.g., O tempora! O mores! - Cicero

ecphorize (also ecphore)

[fr. Gk ekphoros, (to be) made known]  /EK fur ize/  

Psychol.  to evoke or revive an engram (an emotion, a memory, or the like) by means of a stimulus

ecphory (or ecphoria)

the evocation of an engram from a latent to a manifest state

ecumenicity

[L. oecumenicus, of the whole Christian world]  also oecumenicity

universality, catholicity; ecumenical character

edacious

[fr. L. edax < edere, to eat]  /i DAY shus/

voracious; devouring, often said of time

Tempus edax rerum. (Time devours everything.) - Ovid, Metamorphoses

edacity

1) ravenousness  2) voraciousness  3) esurience  4) greediness

edentulous

 [fr. L. edentulus]  /ee DEN chu lus/  toothless, edentate, agomphious

edulcorate

to make pleasant, sweeten

eellogofusciouhipoppokunurious

dubious  good, perhaps very good

eesome

attractive or gratifying to the eye

effable

utterable; that that can be uttered or spoken

effigiate

/ef FIG i ate/  rare  to form as an effigy; hence, to fashion; to adapt

effluxion

[fr. L. effluere, to flow]

1) the process of flowing out  2) effluence; emanation

effrenate

[fr. L. effrenare, unbridled]  obs.  of passions: unbridled, ungovernable

effrenation

unruliness

effulgence

radiant splendor: brilliance

effutiation

[fr. L. effutire, to prate]  nonce-word  twaddle, balderdash

eggcorn

[sounds like acorn]  a word which is changed into another which is either said the same or is closely similar and which seems to make at least as much sense in context as the original  (see also mondegreen)

eglomerate

[faux L. from e- + glomerare, to wind or gather into a ball]

obs.  to unwind, as thread from a ball

egoism

[fr. ego + -ism]  the ethical doctrine that morality has its foundations in self-interest; hence egoist

eidetic

marked by or involving extraordinarily accurate and vivid recall

eidolon

an unsubstantial image: phantom; ideal

eidos

[Gk, literally, shape, form]

1) something that is seen or intuited  a) idea (Plato)  b) form, essence (Aristotle)

2) the cognitive part of cultural structure

einfuhlung

[G.] understanding so intimate that the feelings, thoughts, and motives of one person are readily comprehended by another

eisegesis

the interpretation of a text (as of the bible) by reading into it one's own ideas

eisteddfod

/eis TEDD vod/  an annual Welsh competitive arts festival [early Aug.]

eiswein

a sweet German wine made from grapes that have frozen on the vine

ejulation

[L. ejulatio, fr. ejulare to wail, lament]  /EJ u Lay shun/?

obs.  a wailing, lamentation

ekistic

relating to ekistics

ekistician

one who studies or is versed in ekistics

ekistics

[fr. Gk oikistikos, relating to settlement]  /i KIS tiks/

a name given by C. A. Doxiadis to the study of human settlements and the way they develop and adapt themselves to changing circumstances (first used in his lectures of 1942 at the Athens Technical University)

ekpyrotic

[fr. Gk ekpurosis, conflagration]  referring to the destruction and recreation of the world in fire:  ekpyrotic universe

elbedritsch

[Penn. G.]  /EL buh drich/  (cf. snipe hunt)

an imaginary creature which, as a practical joke, a greenhorn is sent to hunt or capture

{DARE - Dictionary of American Regional English}

eldritch

weird, eerie

eleemosynary

of, relating to, or supported by charity

elenchus

refutation; esp. one in syllogistic form

elenctic

[Gk elenktikos, < elenktos]  /ee LENC tic/  variants: elenchtic, elenctical, elenchtical

serving to refute; refutative (used of indirect modes of proof)  opposed to deictic

Eleusinian

of or relating to ancient Eleusis or to the religious mysteries celebrated there in worship of Demeter and Persephone:  Eleusinian mysteries

elide

to suppress or alter by elision; to strike out (a word or passage)

elogium

eulogy

eloign

to move to a distant/unknown place

elozable

[fr. OF esloser, to praise]  /el LO za bul(?)/  obs. rare  amenable to flattery  

a very insecure and elozable widow - D. Grambs

elsewhen

[else + when]  obs.  at another time, at other times

but used by R. A. Heinlein in 1941 as a novella title; so now (in time-travel situations) at another point in time

elucubrate

[fr. L. elucubrare, to compose by lamplight]  to work out or express by studious effort; to burn the midnight oil

elysian

1) pertaining to Elysium  2) blissful, delightful

emacity

[fr. L. emacitas, a desire to buy]   /ee MAS i tee/  rare  a fondness for buying things

emberlucock

[fr. F. emburelucocquer, a nonce-word of Rabelais]  to bewilder, confuse

embolalia

the use of... um... virtually meaningless filler words, phrases, or... er... stammerings (or so-called hesitation-forms) in speech, whether as... uh... unconscious utterings while arranging one's thoughts or as... like... a vacuous, inexpressive... you know... mannerism

embonpoint

plumpness of person; stout

embracery

an attempt to corruptly influence a jury

embrangle

[en- + brangle (obs.)]  embroil, confuse, entangle

embuggerance

Brit. military slang  a natural or artificial hazard that complicates any proposed course of action

eminentissimo

[It. (used as a title for cardinals) fr. eminente]  /em eh nen TIS eh mo/  a person of superlative eminence

eminento

[mod. of It. eminente]  an eminent person (but often used as a disparaging epithet)

emmet

[fr. emmet, a synonym of ant]  in Cornwall, mildly disparaging

a holiday-maker or tourist; a summer visitor (cf. grockle)

empennage

the tail assembly of an airplane

empleomania

a mania for holding public office

emption

the act of buying: purchase

empyreal

1) celestial

2) sublime

empyrean

1a) the highest heaven or heavenly sphere in ancient and medieval cosmology usually consisting of fire or light

b) the true and ultimate heavenly paradise

2) firmament, heavens  3) an ideal place or state

emunctory

1) [adj] of or pertaining to the blowing of the nose; that has the function of conveying waste matters from the body

2) [n] a cleansing organ or canal; a term applied to the excretory ducts and organs of the body

enallage

[L.] 1) Gram.  the substitution of one grammatical form for another; e.g., the editorial we for I

2) obs.  a Rhet. figure whereby we change or invert the order of terms in a discourse

enantiodrome

a word which has two (nearly) opposite meanings: a Janus word, contranym; e.g. sanction, cleave

enantiodromia

the changing of something into its opposite

enantiodromic

characteristic of something which has become its opposite

enantiomorph

[fr. Gk enantios, opposite + -morph, form]   /eh NAN tee uh morf/

a form which is related to another as an object is related to its image in a mirror; a mirror image

enantiomorphic (or enantiomorphous)

of or relating to, or exhibiting properties of an enantiomorph

enantiomorphism (or enantiomorphy)

the condition or property of being enantiomorphous (esp. in Crystallography)

enantiosis

the rhetorical device of stating the opposite of what is meant, usually ironically; affirmation by contraries

enatic (also enate)

[L. enatus]   related on the mother's side   enatic clans  (compare agnatic)

encephalophone

an apparatus that emits a continuous hum whose pitch is changed by interference of brain waves transmitted through oscillators from electrodes attached to the scalp and that is used to diagnose abnormal brain functioning

enchiridion

a manual or handbook

encomiastic

[fr. Gk enkomiazein, to praise]  /en CO mi AS tic/

praising; eulogistic; laudatory

encomium

[L. fr. Gk enkomion, praise for a victor]  glowing and warmly enthusiastic praise; an expression of said praise

encumbrous

obs.  cumbersome, distressing, troublesome

endochronic

relating to transformed or modified internal time

endomusia

silent recall of a melody; endomusia often appears as a type of obsessive thought   {Psychiatric Dictionary, 4th ed., Hinsie and Campbell}

energumen

[see next]  a person supposedly possessed by an evil spirit

energumenist

[fr. Gk energoumenos, possessed by an evil spirit]

obs. rare  one possessed by demons

enervate

to weaken; to debilitate

engastration

the action of stuffing one fowl inside another

engastrimyth

a ventriloquist (the Greek equivalent of the Latin-based ventriloquist)

enigmatologist

[see next]  one who studies enigmas

enigmatology

[enigmato- + -logy; fr. L. (Gk) ænigma]

the investigation or analysis of enigmas

also, the art and science of puzzle construction

ennead

a group of nine

enology

the science dealing with wine and wine-making

enormity

[fr. L. enormitas]

1) great wickedness  2) an improper, vicious or immoral act  3) usage problem: great size, immensity

enracinate

[en- + L. racine, root]  to put forth roots  (compare deracinate)

enracination

the act or process of taking root

ensorcel

to bewitch

entasis

[fr. Gk word for tension]  /EN tuh sis/

 archaic  a slight convexity or swelling, as in the shaft of a column, intended to compensate for the illusion of concavity resulting from straight sides

entelechy

[fr. Gk entelekheia]  /en TEL eh key/

Philos. 1) [Aristotle] the condition of a thing whose essence is fully realized; actuality

2) a vital force that directs an organism toward self-fulfillment

entheastic

[fr. Gk entheastikos, inspired]   /en thee AS tic/

obs.  agitated by divine energy; inspired

entheate

[fr. L, entheos, divinely inspired]  obs.  possessed or inspired by a god

entheomania

[fr. L, entheos + -mania]

a passion for divine inspiration; religious mania (cf. demonomania)

enthymeme

[fr. Gk enthyméma, thought, argument]  /EN thuh meem/

Logic  a syllogism or other argument in which a premise or the conclusion is suppressed

entrechat

[F.] /A(n) tre shaw/  a ballet leap in which the dancer repeatedly crosses the legs; used figuratively, as in his verbal entrechats

entrepôt

[F.]  /A(n) tre po/  an intermediary center of trade and transshipment

enturbulate

[coined by L. Ron Hubbard, prob. fr. turbulent/disturbed]

used as a shibboleth by Scientologists  to disturb; to harass

entwicklungsroman

[G.]  a novel dealing with the protagonist's character development from childhood to maturity [compare bildungsroman]

eolithic

of or relating to the early period of the Stone Age marked by the use of crudely chipped flint

eonism

[eponym, fr. the Chevalier Charles d'Éon (1728-1810), a French adventurer who wore women's clothes + -ism]  transvestism, esp. by a man

epact

a period added to harmonize the lunar with the solar calendar

epanorthosis

the correcting of a statement as one is making it

epassyterotically

[fr. Gk epassuteros]  nonce-word  one after another

epenthesis

[fr. Gk epentithenai, to insert a letter]   /e PEN(t) thuh sis/

the insertion (or development) of a sound or letter within a word; hence epenthesize, to so insert

epeolatry

/epe OL atry/  the worship of words; hence, epeolatrist

epexegesis

additional explanation

ephebophile

 [fr.Gk phepius, youth]  /ef FEE bo file/

an adult who is attracted to youths who are postpubescent; hence, ephebophilia

ephectic

 [fr. Gk ephektikos, to hold back]  /e FEK tik/  characterized by suspense of judgement

ephemeral

beginning and ending in a day

ephemerist

[fr. Gk ephemeris, diary]  /ee PHEM er ist/

1) obs.  one who keeps an ephemeris; a journalist

2) obs.  one who studies the daily motions and positions of the planets

3) a collector of ephemera [paper items (as posters, broadsides, and tickets) that were originally meant to be discarded after use but have since become collectibles]

ephesian

/i FEE zhen/  a jovial companion; a thief; a roysterer

ephialtes

[fr. Gk ephialtes, an incubus; fr. epihallomai, to leap upon)

a demon supposed to cause nightmares; the nightmare itself

ephorize

[fr. Gk ephoros, uplifted]  obs.  to exercise a controlling influence over

epicaricacy

/EP i kar IK i see/?  taking pleasure in another's misfortune: schadenfreude

epicritic

[fr. Gk epikrinein, to decide]  /ep i KRIT ik/

of or relating to sensory nerve fibers that enable the perception of slight differences in the intensity of stimuli, esp. touch or temperature  (compare protopathic)

epideictic

rhetorically demonstrative (showing off)

epigone

an inferior imitator of a creative thinker or artist; hence, epigonic

epimyth

the moral of the story

epinician

[fr. Gk epinicion, song of victory]  /ep eh NI si un/  in celebration of victory

epiphenomenon

/EP uh fi NOM uh non/

1) a secondary phenomenon that results from and accompanies another

2) Pathol.  an additional condition or symptom in the course of a disease, not necessarily connected with the disease

epiphor

[Gk. epiphora, a bringing to or upon]

a metaphor that expresses the existence of something

(opposed to diaphor, a metaphor that expresses the possibility of something)

epiphyte

[fr. Gk epi, upon + phyton, plant)  /EP uh fite/  

a plant which grows on another plant; usually restricted to those which derive only support (and not nutrition) from the plants on which they grow: air plant

episematic

[fr. Gk epi- + sematic, of mimetic colors]

Biol.  (esp. of coloration) serving to assist members of the same species in recognizing each other

epistemic

[fr. Gk epistem(é), knowledge]  /ep uh STEE mik/

of or pertaining to knowledge or the conditions for acquiring it

epistemology

the study of the nature and grounds of knowledge, esp. its limits

epistrophe

repetition of a word or expression at the end of successive phrases, clauses, sentences or verses especially for rhetorical or poetic effect

e.g., government of the people, by the people, for the people

epitasis

the part of the play developing the main action and leading to the catastrophe

epizootic

/ep i zo OT ik/  [n] an outbreak of disease affecting many animals of one kind at the same time; also: the disease itself

eponymous

of, relating to, or being the person for whom something is believed to be named

epopt

one instructed in a secret system

ept

[back-formation fr. inept < L. ineptus < L. in- + aptus]  (so the positive of inept is actually apt)

used as a deliberate antonym of inept: adroit, appropriate, effective

eptitude

the quality of being ept

epulose

[fr. L. epulum, a feast]  /EP u lose/

obs. rare  feasting to excess; hence epulosity, a feasting to excess

equanimity

evenness of mind esp. under stress; right disposition, balance

equanimous

[fr. L. æquanimis, having an even mind]  /EE kwa nuh mus/

possessing or displaying equanimity: even-tempered

equifinality

the property of allowing or having the same effect or result from different events

equinoctial

relating to the equinox

equipoise

[fr. equal poise]  1) a state of equilibrium  2) a counterbalance

equitation

the act or art of riding on horseback

equivoque

an equivocal word, specif: pun, wordplay

erastophilia

the obsession to meddle in and gossip about the sexual lives of others

eremite

a hermit, esp: a religious recluse

eremophobia

the fear of being left alone

ereptation

[fr. L. ereptare, to creep forth]

obs.  'A creeping forth'  {Bailey, 1736}

ereption

[fr. L. ereptio < eripere, to snatch away]   /e REP tion/

obs.  'A taking away.'  {Cockeram, 1623}

erethism

[fr. Gk erethizein, to irritate]

abnormal irritability or sensitivity to stimulation (of an organ or body part)

ergodic

[erg + Gk hodos, way + -ic]

1) of or relating to a process in which every sequence or sizable sample is the same statistically and therefore equally representative of the whole

2) involving or relating to the probability that any state will recur; hence ergodicity

ergophobia

the fear of work

ergotism

[fr. L. ergo > ergot, to argue, wrangle]

a) arguing, quibbling, wrangling  b) logical conclusion

ergotize

to quibble, wrangle

eric

[Irish Gaelic eiric]  /ER ik/

a payment imposed for homicide in medieval Irish law upon the slayer and his kin consisting of a fixed price for the life of the slain and the honor price of the slayer: blood fine  (cf. wergild)

eristic

pertaining to dispute, argument or controversy; argumentative, controversial

erlking

a spirit that does mischief or evil, esp. to children

erme

obs.  to grieve; to feel sad

eroteme

/ER uh teem/  rare  a question mark

erotomane

[back-formation from NL erotomania]  someone having excessive sexual desire

erotomania

an unusually strong sexual desire

errant

1) traveling

2) straying outside the proper path; moving about aimlessly; deviating from a standard; fallible

erstwhile

former, previous; formerly, in the past

eructation

an act or instance of belching

erumpent

bursting forth

escamotage

[fr. F. escamoter to juggle, conjure, make vanish]

/es kah mo tazh/  juggling, sleight of hand, trickery

eschatology

a branch of theology concerned with the end of the world

eschaton

the last thing (the end of the world)

immanentizing the eschaton - R.A. Wilson

esclandre

[F.]  /esk la(n)dr(eh)/

an incident that arouses unpleasant talk or gives rise to scandal: scene

esculent

[adj] edible, or [n] something which is edible

esemplastic

having the power to shape disparate things into a unified whole

esne

obs. except Hist.  OE designation of a class of domestic slaves: serf

esperable

[Sp.] nonce-word in C. S. Pierce?  expected, hoped for

esperance

[fr. L. sperare, to hope]  obs.  hope, expectation

espièglerie

[F. fr. espiègle]  /es pyeg luh REE/  the quality or state of being roguish or frolicsome

espiocrat

[fr. espionage aristocrats, a John Le Carré coinage]

the governors of the intelligence service (MI6); transf.

esprit de l'escalier

also, esprit d'escalier [F, lit. spirit of the staircase]

a retort or remark that occurs to a person after the opportunity to make it has passed  cf. treppenwitz

esquivalience

[perhaps from F. esquiver, dodge, slink away]

"the willful avoidance of one's official responsibilities"  {this is a factitious entry in the New Oxford American Dict., inserted for the purpose of foiling copyright violations}

estaminet

a small cafe; bistro

estoppel

a bar to alleging or denying a fact because of one's own previous contrary actions or words

esurient

hungry, greedy

etaerio

Bot.  an aggregate cluster of fruit derived from a single flower; e.g., raspberry, blackberry

ethos

the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature or guiding beliefs of a people or group

etiolate

to bleach and alter the natural development of by excluding sunlight; to make pale and sickly

etrennes

[F.] New Year's gifts

ettle

[fr. ON ætla, to think, purpose]  /ET'l/

Scot. 1) aim, intent, purpose  2) chance, opportunity

eudaemonia

[fr. Gk eu-, good + daimon, spirit]  (also eudemonia) a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous; a feeling of well-being and happiness

eudaemonism

the theory that the highest ethical goal is happiness and personal well-being

eudemonic(s)

also eudaemonic(s); see eudaemonism

1) [adj] conducive to or producing happiness and well-being

2) [n] pl. the art of applying life to the maximization of well-being

euhemerism

interpretation of myths as traditional accounts of historical persons and events

eumoirous

[fr. Gk eumoiros, well-endowed by fortune]  /yoo MOI rus/?

rare  happy or lucky as the result of being good

euneirophrenia

[fr. Gk oneiros, dream + eu-, good + -phrenia]  /eu NI ro FRE ni uh/

rare  peace of mind after a pleasant dream

euonym

[from Gk eu, good + onym, name]  a name well-suited to the person, place or thing named

eupathy

[Gk eupatheia, comfort; innocent emotions]  /EU pa thy/

Stoic Philos.  good affections; right feeling

eupeptic

1) cheerful, optimistic

2) of, relating to or having good digestion

euphrasia

 [L.]  /you FRAY zjee uh/  1) an eyebright  2) in etymological sense: cheerfulness

euphuism

artificial elegance of language

euphuistic

[after Euphues, in Euphues, the Anatomy of Wit, by John Lyly; from Gk euphues, shapely]  /YU fyu IS tic/

of the nature of or characterized by euphuism (high-flown diction); hence, euphuistically

eutrapelia

/yoo trap el EE ah/  Aristotle's word for pleasantness in conversation: wit, repartee; liveliness; urbanity

eutrapely

[fr. Gk eutrapelia]  see previous

evaginate

to turn inside out

evancalous

pleasant to embrace

eventerate

[fr. L. e-, out + venter, belly; cf. F. eventrer]

obs. rare  to open the bowels of; to disembowel

evirate

[fr. L. evirare, to deprive of virility]  to emasculate; to render unmanly

exanimation

lifelessness

excantation

obs.  disenchantment by a countercharm; an act of freeing by enchantment (as opposed to incantation)

excarnate

obs.  to deprive or strip of flesh

ex cathedra

[L., from the chair (esp. the seat of a bishop)]

by virtue of, or in the exercise of one's office; with authority  

an ex cathedra pronouncement

excerebrose

brainless

exclaustration

a release from religious vows to return to the secular world

excoriate

abrade; to heap abuse

excruciate

1) to inflict intense pain on: torture

2) to subject to intense mental distress

excubant

[fr. L. excubare, to lie on guard)]  /EX cu bant/

rare (pedantic)  keeping watch

exeat (also exeant)

[L., let him go out]

Brit.  a permit for temporary absence (as from a college or monastery)

exegesis

exposition, esp .an explanation or critical interpretation of a text

exeleutherostomize

[fr. Gk ex-, out + eleutherostom-os, free-spoken]  (also exeleutherostomise)

nonce-word  to speak out freely

exemplum

[L., model, example]  /eg ZEM plum/

1) example, model   an exemplum of heroism

2) a story illustrating a moral point or sustaining an argument

exenterate

[fr. L. exenterare]   obs. in literal sense

to take out the entrails of; to eviscerate, disembowel

exergue

a space on a coin, token or medal usually on the reverse below the date

exflunct

[back-formation from exfluncticate]

to demolish, to overcome or beat thoroughly; to exhaust, completely use up

exfluncticate

[mock Latinism from U.S. pioneer days]

(now used historically) also, exflunctify  

to overcome or beat thoroughly; to completely use up

exigible

[F.] that may be exacted, non-optional; repairable [rare]

exiguous

scanty in amount: meager

eximious

inkhorn term  choice, excellent

exinanition

/eg zina NISH en/  1) archaic  an emptying or enfeebling: exhaustion

2) humiliation, abasement

exnihilation

[f. L .ex nihilo, out of nothing]  something created out of nothing

exobiology

[fr. Gk exo, outside + biology]]

the branch of biology that deals with the search for extraterrestrial life and the effects of extraterrestrial surroundings on living organisms; hence exobiologist

exodist

[fr. exodus + -ist]  /EK suh dust/

rare  one who departs from one place to settle in another; an emigrant

exogamous

relating to or characterized by marriage outside a specific group, especially as required by custom or law

exonumia

[NL]  /EK-su-nOO-me-uh/  objects that resemble money but are not designed to circulate as money; e.g., medals, tokens, badges, scrip, etc.

exoptable

[fr. L. exoptare  to wish earnestly, desire greatly]  obs.  highly desirable

exordium

[L.]  /eg ZOR dee um/  a beginning or introduction especially to a discourse or composition

exornation

[fr. L. exornare < ornare, to adorn]  obs., chiefly Rhet.  an adornment; decoration, embellishment

exosculate

[fr, L. exosculari]  obs.  to kiss heartily

exoteric

[fr. Gk exoterikos, external]  compare esoteric

1a) suitable to be imparted to the public  b) belonging to the outer circle

2) relating to the outside: external

expede

inkhorn term  to expedite, to hasten

expediate

[fr. L. expedire, to make ready, prepare]

[adj]  obs.  expeditious

[v]  error for expedite (in Cockeram)

expergefaction

[fr. L. expergefacere < expergere, to awake]  /ek SPURJ uh FAK shun/

archaic  the act of rousing; the condition of being aroused

expergefactor

someone or something that awakens: an awakener; e.g., an alarm clock

expiscate

[fr. L. expiscari, to fish out]

chiefly Scot.  to learn through laborious investigation; to search out; literally, to fish out

expiscation

[see previous]  a fishing out; an investigation of or into

expiscatory

chiefly Scot.  tending to expiscate or fish out: searching

explaterate

to talk continuously without stop; to run off at the mouth

exponible

capable of being explained

exprobration

1a) obs.  an act of reproach  b) Rhet.  the reproaching of a person with ingratitude, and unmindfulness of some benefit conferred upon him

2) a reproachful or upbraiding utterance; reproachful language

exsanguination

the process of draining or losing blood

exsiccosis

[fr. Latin exsiccare]  /ek suh KO sus/

insufficient intake of fluids or the state of bodily dehydration produced thereby

exsufflate

[L. exsufflare, to blow at or upon]  /ex SUF flate/

obs. exc. Historical  to blow away; to exorcise or renounce by blowing  (compare insufflate)

also, rare  exsufflicate, puffed up(?)

exsufflation

blowing out; forced breathing

extirp

[fr. F. extirper, ad. L. ex(s)tirpare]

obs. or arch.  extirpate (to root out, exterminate)

extirpate

[fr. L. exstirpo, to uproot]  /EK stur pate/

1a) to destroy completely: wipe out b) to root out

2) to cut out by surgery

extirpation

the act of extirpating

extispicy

/ek STIS picy/

Roman Antiq.  inspection of the entrails of sacrificial victims for the purpose of divination; haruspicy

extraforaneous

outdoors

extramundane

[fr. late L. extramundan-us]

situated in or relating to a region beyond the material world; fig. out of this world

extravagate

[fr. Med. L. extravagari, to wander]

archaic  1) to wander widely  2) to exceed proper limits

extravasation

[fr. extra, outside + vas, vessel + -ation]  /ex TRAV uh SAY shun/

1) Pathology  forcing of the flow (of blood or lymph) from a vessel out into surrounding tissue

2) Geology  effusion of molten rock from a subterranean reservoir

extremophile

an organism that lives under extreme environmental conditions (as in a hot spring)

extroitive

[fr. L. extro, outward + ire, to go + -ive]  rare  directed to external objects

extropian

an advocate or adherent of the theory of extropy; a person who believes that cultural and technological development tends to oppose, and will overcome, entropy

extropy

the extent of a system’s intelligence, information, order, vitality, and capacity for improvement

extund

[fr. L. extundere, to beat out]  obs.  to beat or force out  {Bailey, 1727}

exuviate

[fr. L. exuere, to take off]  to shed (a skin or similar outer covering): molt; also fig

eye-service

archaic  work done only when an employer is watching

F

fabulist

[F. fabuliste, fr. L. fabula, fable]  /FAB yuh list/

1) a creator or writer of fables  2) a teller of tales; a liar

facinorous

wicked

facticity

[fr. F. facticité, fr.G. faktizität, fr. faktum fact (fr. Latin factum) + -izität (fr. Latin -icitat-, -icitas -icity)]

the quality or state of being a fact: factuality   historical facticity

factious

inclined to form factions: seditious

factitious

contrived; artificial

factotum

a general servant

faculent

[fr. L. fax, torch]

obs. rare  giving forth light like a torch; bright, clear (compare luculent)

(not to be confused with feculent!)

facund

eloquent

facundity

[fr. L. facundus]  eloquence; effective communication in speech

fadiddy

nonce-word,  used euphemistically

...the air was as cold as a witch's fadiddy. - Janet Evanovich

faff

Brit.  to spend your time doing a lot of unimportant things instead of the thing you should be doing

I wish you'd stop faffing about and do something useful!  {Cambridge International Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs}

fainaigue

[origin uncertain]  /fuh NEYG/

1) Brit. dialect  to shirk; evade work or responsibility

2) to renege at cards; cheat or resort to devious means (cf. finagle)

fainéant

given to do nothing, idle, lazy

faineantise

[F.] do-nothing-ness; indisposition to do anything; indifference, inactivity

fakeloo

[arbitrary formation?]  dated U.S. slang (but now used by gamers)  a made-up story; a con

fakement

[from fake + -ment, but origin unknown]

slang  something faked : a contrivance or device used to deceive

falciform

[f. L. falc-em sickle + -(i)form] curved, hooked, shaped like a sickle (falcate)

faleste

[F., thrown into the sea]  cf. infalistatus

obs.  a form of capital punishment inflicted upon a malefactor by laying him bound upon the beach sands until high tide carries him away

"Iinfalistatus. L. Lat. In old English Law. Exposed upon the sands, or sea shore. A species of punishment mentioned in Hengham... See Faleste." - A. M. Burrill, A Law Dictionary and Glossary

famigerate

[fr. L. fama, fame + gerere, to carry]

obs.  to divulge or disseminate; found now only in olde dictionaries {Cockeram, Bailey}

hence: famigeration, famigerous

fanfaronade

empty boasting, bluster

fantod

1) a state of irritability and tension

2) an emotional outburst: fit

fap

intoxicated, fuddled

farb

jargon  a reenactor of (esp. U.S. Civil War) battles who is not authentic

farblondjet

(Yiddish)  /far BLAWN jit/ (also farblondzhet)  lost (but really); mixed up

farcinate

to cram, fill, stuff: a) (a place) with something b) (the stomach) with food

farctate

Botany  stuffed, full or crammed

fard

to paint (esp the face) with cosmetics; gloss over

fardel

(also fardle) bundle; burden

farfetch

[back-formation from far-fetched]

[vt] to derive (a word) in a farfetched manner

[vi] to make farfetched derivations

hence, farfetchedness: the state or fact of being farfetched

far-fetched

1) brought from a remote time or place

2) not easily or naturally deduced or introduced: improbable

farinaceous

[fr. L. farinaceus < farina]

1) having a mealy or powdery texture

2) containing or rich in starch

farolitos

[Sp., little lanterns]  candles set in brown paper bags filled with sand

farouche

marked by shyness or a lack of polish; wild

farraginous

comprising a hodgepodge (of materials)

farrago

a confused collection, mixture: hodgepodge

fartlek

a training technique, used esp. among runners, consisting of bursts of intense effort alternating with less strenuous activity

fascicle

/FA si kul/ 1) a small or slender bundle (as of pine needles or nerve fibers)

2) one of the divisions of a book published in parts

fascine

Mil.  a long cylindrical faggot of brush or other small wood, firmly bound together at short intervals, used in filling up ditches, the construction of batteries, etc. usually pl.

fash

Scot.  to vex, to annoy, to trouble

fashimite

someone who is a slave to fashion

fastuous

haughty, arrogant; ostentatious, showy

fatidic

[fr. L. fatidicus < fatum, fate + dicere, to say]  of or relating to prophecy

fatiferous

[fr. L. fatum, fate + -fer, producing]  /fa TIF er ous/

obs. rare  fate-bringing; deadly, destructive {found in Blount and in Johnson; whence in modern dictionaries}

fatigable

[fr. L. fatigare, to fatigue]  /FAT uh guh bul/  subject to fatigue; easily tired: defatigable

(where defatigable was truly lost, and then back-formed from indefatigable; whence de- is used to intensify and in- to negate)

fatwa

an Islamic religious decree issued by the ulama

faugh

used to express contempt, disgust or abhorrence

faunch

to display angry excitement: rant and rave

faust

[fr. L. faustus]  rare  happy, lucky

fauxonry

[fr. OF faussoner, to deceive]   obs.  fraud, in the legal sense; falsification of deeds or measures, coining false money, etc.

favela

[Brazilian Pg. favela, perh. fr. Favela, hill outside Rio de Janeiro]

a settlement of jerry-built shacks lying on the outskirts of a Brazilian city

favonian

[fr. L. favonius, west wind] of or belonging to the west wind (or zephyr): mild, bland

feazings

a ragged or ravelled rope end

febrile

feverish

februate

obs.  to purify

februation

[fr. L. februare, to purify (also L. Februarius, the Roman festival of purification, held on the 15th of this month)]

now rare  a ceremonial purification or cleansing; a sacrifice

feck

/fek/  feck has several vernacular meanings and variations..

[n] Scots  1) efficacy; force; value (whence, feckless)

2) (large) amount/quantity  3) greater or larger part (used with definite article)

[v] Irish Eng.  1) to steal  2) to throw  3) to leave hastily

[intj]  chiefly Irish  an expletive, without sexual connotation; as in: damn, blast

feckful

Scot. 1) efficient, effective  2) vigorous; powerful

feckless

[fr. Sc. feck, effect + -less]

1) weak, ineffective  2) worthless, irresponsible

fecklessness

worthlessness due to being weak and ineffectual

feckly

[feck + -ly]  /fek ly/  chiefly Scot.

1) for the most part  2) almost, nearly

feculent

1) filthy, scummy, muddy or foul

2) of the nature of containing waste matter

fedifraction

[fr. L. foedus, compact + fraction-em, a breaking]  /feh di FRAK shun/?  (see also fedifragous)

obs. rare  a breach of faith or covenant

fedifragous

[fr. L. foedus + frangere, to break]  /feh di FRAG ous/?  

obs.  faithless, perfidious

feeze

a state of alarm or excitement; rush

fefnicute

[origin unknown]  Lancashire dialect  a hypocrite; a parasite, a hanger-on; a sneak

felicific calculus

a method of determining rightness of an action by balancing probable pleasures and pains that it would produce

felo-de-se

one who deliberately kills himself; an act of deliberate self-destruction, suicide

femtosecond

one quadrillionth part of a second

feracious

producing abundantly: prolific, fruitful

feria

a weekday of the church calendar on which no feast is celebrated

ferial

[L. feria, ordinary day]  /FE ri al/

of or relating to a weekday on which no feast is observed

feriation

[fr. L. feriari < feria, holiday]  obs.  holiday keeping; cessation of work

a welcome midwinter feriation - D. Grambs

ferroequinologist

[ferroequino- "iron horse" + -logy + -ist]  /FEH rO eek weh NAHL eh jest/

one whose hobby is railroads or model railroads: a railroad enthusiast, railfan

ferruginous

[fr. L. ferrugo, iron rust]  /feh-RU-ji-nous/

1) originally, of the nature of iron rust; now commonly, of the nature of iron

2) rust-colored; reddish-brown

ferrule

a band placed around the end of a stick (as a pool cue) for reinforcement

ferule

an instrument used to punish children; specif: a flat piece of wood (as a ruler)  also ferula

fescennine

[n] a style of poetry using coarse language

[adj] vulgar; obscene

fescue

a small pointer

festinate

[adj] hasty  [v] to hasten

Festschrift

a volume of writings by different authors presented as a tribute or memorial esp. to a scholar

feu de joie

[F., fire of joy]  the firing of guns as a symbol of joy; also transf. and fig.; obs.  a bonfire

feuilleton

[fr. F. feuillet, sheet of paper < foille, leaf]  /fuh yuh TO(n)/

1) the entertainment section of a European newspaper

2) something printed in a feuilleton

3) a novel printed in installments; a work of fiction catering to popular taste

4) a short literary composition

feuilletonist

[F. feuilletoniste]  /fuh yuh TO nust/

a writer of regularly appearing critical or familiar essays or of a column

fewmets (or fumets)

deer droppings

fewterer

[fr. F. veltre, greyhound] obs. a keeper of dogs, esp. greyhounds

ficelle

[F., string, twine] a trick, artifice, (stage) device

fico

[It., obscene gesture]  a contemptibly worthless trifle, fig

fidging

[fr. Sc. fidge, to move about restlessly]

Scot.  restless, fidgety; in phr. fidgin' fain, eager and twitching with excitement

fidimplicitary

[f. Eccl. L. fid-es implicita, implicit faith + -ary]  /fi dim PLI si ter ee/

nonce-word  that puts implicit faith in another's views

fido

[from freaks + irregulars + defects + oddities]  /FI do/  a coin having a minting error

figgum

obs.  a juggler's trick(s); conjuring; the fire-spitting trick of a carnival performer

filemot

[corruption of F. feuillemorte]  /FIL eh mot/  (also philamot and feuillemort)  of the color of a dead or faded leaf  

filipendulous

[fr. NL]   hanging or having the appearance of hanging by a thread   {in Webster's 1864 Dict.}

fillip

1a) a blow or gesture made by the sudden forcible straightening of a finger curled up against the thumb (cf. fyerk)

b) a short sharp blow: buffet

2) something tending to arouse or excite as a) a stimulus b) a trivial addition: embellishment c) a significant and often unexpected development: wrinkle

filty

Brit. Mining dial.  a Somersetshire term for combustible gases; also called fire-damp

fimblefamble

[perhaps from reduplication of fimble hemp]  an excuse, particularly a phoney one; a lying answer

fin de siecle

[F. end of century, (19th)]  relating esp. to its climate of sophistication, world-weariness and fashionable despair

finific

rare  a limiting element or quality

finiteless

/FI nite less/  Infinite. [Obs.] --Sir T. Browne. {Webster's 1913}  spurious? without bounds, unlimited

finity

[finite + –y, after infinity]  the state of being finite: finitude

finjan

the handleless coffee cup which fits within a zarf

finnimbrun

[of arbitrary formation]  obs. rare  a trifle, a gimcrack

firkin

a small cask measuring 9 gallons (1/4 barrel)

firkytoodle

archaic  to pet, caress; cf. canoodle  {from the Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, by Eric Partridge}

firnification

[fr. G. firn + -i + -fication ]  /FIR nu fi KAY shun/  the process whereby snow is changed to firn, or névé

firstfoot

Brit. 1) the first person entering a house on New Year's day, such a person being popularly believed to bring good luck to the household if brunet and bad luck if blond

2) the first person met on the way to a special event (as a christening or wedding)

fissilingual

having a forked or cleft tongue

fissiparous

[fissi- (being split) + L. parere, to bring forth]  divisive; factious

fizgig

a flighty, frivolous female

flabbergastation

[fr. flabbergast, to confound]  the state of being flabbergasted

flabellation

[fr. L. flabellum, a fan]  Med.  the act of fanning or cooling something, as of a fractured limb

flagitious

villainous

flamfew

[corruption of F. fanfelue(?)]  also flamefew, Sc. flamfoo

obs. rare 1) a gewgaw, trifle, trinket

2) Naut.  moonlight reflected on water  (cf. moonglade)

flane

to saunter, to laze

flaneur

[F. flâneur, idler]  an idle man-about-town; a lounger, gossiper

flaneuring

/FLAH nuhr ing/  idling; sauntering; wandering aimlessly

flapadosha

[origin unknown]  an eccentric, showy, superficial person

flappable

[back-formation from unflappable (1968)]

lacking self-assurance and self-control: easily upset  (a lost positive of the jocular kind)

flaskisable

obs.  pliable, inconstant, changeable

flatulopetic

[fr. L. flatus, blowing + Gk. -poietic, creation]  /flach uh lo PET ik/

rare 1) (Med.) pertaining to gas production in the bowels  2) pretentious, pompous, inflated

fleer

to laugh in a derisive manner: sneer

flexanimous

mentally flexible

flibbertigibbet

a silly, flighty person; hence, flibbertigibbety

flinders

bits; fragments; splinters

flirt-gill

a woman of light or loose behavior; cf. skainsmate

flivver

a small, cheap, usually old automobile

floccify

obs.  to set nought by {Cockerham}; to consider worthless

floccillation

a delirious picking at bedclothes

floccinaucinihilipilification

the categorizing of something as worthless

flocculent

[fr. L. flocculus + Eng. -ent]  /FLOCK yu lunt/

1) of the character of wool: woolly, flocky  flocculent cloud masses

2) made up of loosely aggregated particles or soft flakes  a flocculent white precipitate

floricide

[fr. L. flor(i), flower + -cide, killer]

nonce-word  one who destroys flowers

florilegium

a collection of writings

fluffer

slang  an off-stage person who keeps male porn stars "presentable"

flug

U.S dial  dust or lint that collects in pockets, under beds, and in similar places; also fig.  (also sp. phlug)

flummadiddle

[perhaps alteration of flummery]  also flumadiddle, flumdiddle

U.S. slang  1) something foolish or worthless : nonsense, trash  2) bauble, frill

flummer

[back-formation from flummery]

archaic  to get around (a person) especially by coaxing or flattery: beguile, humbug

flummery

[fr. Welsh llymru]  something poor, trashy, or not worth having; empty compliment or foolish deceptive language

flustrate

variant  fluster

flyting

a dispute or exchange of personal abuse in verse form

fly-tipping

[fly + tipping]  UK  the illegal dumping of garbage in an unauthorized place

fnarr

[imitative of stifled laughter]

intj.   representing lecherous or half-suppressed laughter; freq. used to indicate sexual innuendo  cf. nudge, nudge.. wink, wink

fnese

obs.  to breathe heavily; to snort; to sneeze

(sneeze is apparently an alteration of fnese due to misreading or misprinting it with the old-style ƒ after the initial combination fn- had become unfamiliar)

fnord

[neologism from the Principia Discordia popularized in the Illuminatus! trilogy]

1) a word held to be invisible to the conscious mind, but subliminally causing a sense of angst when encountered

2) a word defined as having no definition (but see fnard, as from P. K. Dick)

3) anything jarringly out of context (intentional or not)

fodgel

Scot.  plump and solidly built; buxom

fodient

[fr. L. fodere, to dig]  [n] a burrowing animal  [adj] pertaining to digging  

foetor

/FEE tor/  an offensive odor: stench (also fetor)

fogram

[origin unknown]  also fogrum  /FOE gruhm/

[n] an antiquated or old-fashioned person: fogy  [adj] obs. antiquated, old-fashioned

foison

Scot.  physical energy or strength

foma

harmless untruths; useful and harmless b.s. -- coined by Kurt Vonnegut

foofaraw

[origin uncertain; possibly fr. Sp. fanfarron, boaster]   /FOO fuh raw/

1) a great fuss over a trifling matter

2) an excessive amount of decoration or ornamentation

foo fighter

[fr. foo, nonsense word + fighter]

orig. U.S. Mil.  used in WWII to describe various mysterious aerial phenomena seen in the skies over Europe and the Pacific theatre

foolscap

[fr. a former watermark representing a fool's cap]

1) chiefly Brit.  a sheet of writing or printing paper measuring approximately 13 by 16 inches  2) a fool's cap

footle

to speak or act foolishly

footling

1) lacking judgment or ability, inept

2) lacking use or value, trivial

footpad

[fr. foot + obs. pad, highwayman]  historical  a highwayman who robs on foot

footy

insignificant; shabby

foozle

to manage or play awkwardly: bungle

forensic

[fr. L. forensis]  /feh REN sik/

A) pertaining to, connected with, or used in courts of law

B) ellipt. use, colloq.  a forensic science department or laboratory

forfex

[L.] a pair of scissors

forficate

[fr. L. forfex]  /FOR fi kit/  shaped like scissors; deeply forked

forficulate

nonce-word  to have a creeping sensation, as if a forficula {earwig} was crawling over one's skin

forfoughten

[fr. archaic form of fought]  /for FAUT un/   (also forfoughen)

Scot.  worn out (from fighting); exhausted

forjeskit

/for JES kit/  Scot.  jaded; worn out

formicate

[fr. L. formicare < formica, an ant]  to crawl like ants; transf.  to swarm with moving beings

formication

[see previous]  an abnormal feeling like the sensation of ants crawling on the skin

formicide

[fr. L. formica, ant + Eng. -cide]  /FOR muh side/  a substance used for killing ants

fornication

[fr. L fornix, an arch or vault]  a vaulting or arching: vaulted construction (as of a cloister)

fossarian

[fr. L. fossa, a ditch, trench]  one of the clergy of the 4th century who dug graves

(or, as Mrs. Byrne has it, a clergyman moonlighting as a gravedigger)

fosse

[fr. L. fossa]   (also foss) ditch; moat

fossick

Austral.  to rummage, to ferret out

fou

Scot.  drunk

foudroyant

sudden and overwhelming in effect; dazzling

fourberie

[F. < fourbe, a cheat, imposter]  /FUR buh ree/

obs.  trickery, deception

fraud: artifice, bamboozlement, bamboozling, blackmail, cheat, chicane, chicanery, con, craft, deceit, double-dealing, dupery, duping, duplicity, extortion, fake, fast one, fast shuffle, flimflam, fourberie, fraudulence, graft, guile, hanky-panky, hoax, hocus-pocus, hoodwinking, hustle, imposture, line, misrepresentation, racket, scam, sell, shakedown, sham, sharp practice, skunk, smoke, song, spuriousness, sting, string, swindle, swindling, treachery, trickery, vanilla - Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus (2006)  [vanilla?]

foziness

the quality of being fozy

fozy

[fr. Dutch voos, spongy + -y]  /FO zi/  chiefly Scot.

1) (of a vegetable)  spongy and light-textured; overripe

2) (of a person)  a) fat and bloated: obese;  b) dull-witted and insipid: fatheaded

frab

[onomatopoeic(?)]  Brit. dial.   to harass, worry; to scold, nag

frabjous

[coined by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-Glass]  fabulous and joyful, splendid, magnificent

fractious

[fraction (discord) + -ous]  1) troublesome , unruly 2) irritable; quarrelsome

frampold

[of obscure origin]  (also frampled)

obs.  sour-tempered, cross, disagreeable, peevish  [from the hogwash files]

frangible

[fr. L. frangere, to break]  breakable; easily broken

franion

[of obscure origin]  obs.  a gay reckless fellow, a gallant, paramour

frankenword

[blend of Frankenstein + word]  a portmanteau word; formed by combining two words — the term used in linguistics is blend

frap

to draw tight (as with ropes or cables)   frap a sail

frass

[G.  Frass < fressen, to eat]  debris or excrement produced by insects

fratultery

[fr. L. frater, brother; after adultery]

nonce-word  an affair between a man and his brother's girlfriend or fiancé

fremd

[fr. OE fremde]  /fremd/  now chiefly Scot.

1) foreign, unfamiliar, strange  2) not belonging to one's own family: unrelated

fremescent

[fr. L. fremere, to roar]  /fre MES ent/

archaic, rare  murmuring, growing noisy and indignant

frenemy

[blend of friend and enemy]  someone with whom one is friendly, despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry; someone who combines the characteristics of a friend and an enemy

fress

[fr. Yiddish fresn (to devour), or G. fressen (to eat as an animal)]  to eat a lot and often

freudenschade

[as opposed to schadenfreude]  dissatisfaction, unhappiness, or pain as the result of someone else's good fortune

friable

easily crumbled or pulverized

fribble

trifle, dodder; to trifle or fool away

friggle

[freq. of frig]  Brit. dialect   to fuss over trifles: putter; hence: friggled

friggling

[see previous]  trifling about

frigorific

chilling

fripperous

gaudy; ostentatious

frippery

[F. friperie]  finery, esp. something showy, tawdry or nonessential; affected elegance: ostentation

frippish

[fr. fripp-ery + -ish < OF frepe, ferpe, feupe; rag, old garment < ML faluppa, piece of straw]

obs. rare  tawdry, gaudy

friscalating

[adj] (of dusklight) shimmering on the horizon at sunset  (coined by Wes Anderson)

frisson

shudder, thrill

fritinancy

[fr. L. fritinnire, to twitter]  /FRIT i nan see/  (also fritiniency)

obs.  twittering or chirping, as of cicadas or other insects

frivol

to act frivolously, to trifle

frob

see next

frobnicate

[perhaps fr. frobnitz, a thingname]  abbrev. as frob

slang  to manipulate or adjust; to tweak the controls

frogmarch

to carry (a prisoner) face downwards; now usually, to march a person against his will by any method after seizing him from behind

frondescence

[fr L. frondescere, to become leafy]  the condition or period of unfolding of leaves: leafing  (cf. frondescent)

frondescent

[fr. L. frondere, to put forth leaves]  springing into leaf; expanding into fronds

frondeur

[F., lit. slinger, from Fronde (from the revolt in which the rebels were compared to schoolboys using slings only when the teacher was not looking)]  /fro(n) dur/

1) a member of the Fronde (the name given to the party which rose in rebellion against Mazarin and the Court during the minority of Louis XIV)

2) transf.  a malcontent, rebel

frore

[pa. pple. of freeze]  now only poet.  intensely cold, frosty; frozen

frostification

jocular  the process of becoming frosty

frottage

1) the technique of taking a rubbing from an uneven surface, by rubbing graphite over paper laid on top of the rough texture

2) the practice of obtaining sexual gratification by rubbing against someone, both parties usually being clothed

frotteur

the active participant in frottage(2)

frou-frou

1) a rustling esp. of a woman's skirts

2) showy or frilly ornamentation

froward

1) habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition; perverse

2) archaic  adverse

frowsty

Brit. 1) musty  2) having a slovenly or uncared-for appearance: frowsy

frowy

(also froughy)  chiefly New Eng.

1) esp. of wood  spongy, brittle  2) stale, rancid; spoiled

frugivorous

[from L. frux, fruit + -vorous]  /fru JIV o rous/

feeding on fruit, as birds or other animals; fruit-eating  (cf. insectivorous)

frummagemmed

obs. cant   choked, strangled, suffocated, or hanged

{Grose's 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue}

fubbery

[fr. fob, to cheat + -ery]  obs. rare  cheating, deception

fubsy

[fr. obs. Eng. fubs, chubby person]  being chubby and somewhat squat

fucacious

see fucatious

fucate

[fr. L. fucare, to paint, rouge]  obs.   painted; hence, falsified, disguised, counterfeit

fucatious

[fr. L. fucatus: painted, falsified, counterfeit]  obs. rare  counterfeit; deceitful  (also fucacious, fucatory)

fucatory

see previous

fucivore

[see next]  one who eats seaweed

fucivorous

[fr. L. fucus. rock-lichen + -vorus, devouring]  /few SIV ur us/

eating or subsisting on seaweed

fud

[origin uncertain]  Scot. and Brit. dial.

1) the backside or rump  2) the tail of a hare or rabbit

fuddle

to confuse, muddle

fug

the heavy air of a closed room; a stuffy or malodorous emanation

fugacious

lasting a short time: evanescent

fugacity

[from fugacious, after such pairs as Engl. capacious : capacity]

lack of enduring qualities: transience

fugation

[f. L. fugare, to put to flight]  obs.  a chase; a royal hunt; trans. repulsion

fugle

[back-formation from fugleman]  1) to act as a model or guide  2) to make signals

fugleman

a leader (esp political); the lead soldier for a company

fulcible

[fr. L. fulcire, to support]  obs.  capable of being propped up

fulciment

a prop; specif. a fulcrum

fulgent

dazzlingly bright: radiant

fulgurant

[fr. L. fulgur, lightning]  flashing like lightning; brilliant

fulgurating

/FUHL gyuh rey ting/

flashing or sudden, like lightning: a fulgurating pain

fulham

a loaded dice

fuliginous

1) sooty; obscure, murky

2) having a dark or dusky color

fullage

refuse, street-sweepings, filth

fulminating

[see next]

1) hurling denunciations or menaces

2) explosive

3) coming on suddenly with great severity

fulmination

[fr. L. fulminare, strike with lightning]

1) the bursting forth of thunder and lightning

2) the act of fulminating or exploding

3) a thunderous verbal attack

fulminous

[fr. L. fulmen, a thunderbolt]  of or pertaining to thunder and lightning; also fig.

fulsome

[fr. full + -some]  1) copious; generous in amount

2) aesthetically, morally or generally offensive

3) exceeding the bounds of good taste: overdone

4) excessively complimentary or flattering: effusive

fumarole

a hole in a volcanic region from which hot gases and vapors issue

fumid

[fr. L. fumus, smoke]  (rhymes with humid)  smokey, vaporous

fumidity

smokiness

fumifugist

[L. fumus, smoke + fugare, to put to flight, fugere to flee]   /fu MIF u gist/?

'One who or that which drives away smoke or fumes.'  {Webster, 1864}

funambulist

a tightrope walker; one who is (mentally) agile

funest

lamentable; doleful; dire

funge

[fr. L fungus]  obs.

1) a mushroom or fungus  2) a soft-headed person

fungible

1) being of such a nature that one part or quantity may be replaced by another equal part or quantity in the satisfaction of an obligation  oil, wheat, and lumber are fungible commodities

2) interchangeable

funicular

a cable railway ascending a mountain

funipendulous

[fr. L. funis, rope + pendulus, hanging]  /fyu nuh PEN dyu lus/  hanging from a rope

furacious

given to thieving; thievish

furbelow

a ruffle on a garment; small piece of ornamentation

furciferous

[fr. L. furcifer, yoke bearer, scoundrel]  /fur CIF er ous/  

rare  rascally

furfuration

a flaking off, such as dandruff

furibund

frenzied

furphy

a false report or rumor; an absurd story

furrahin

Scot.  the right-hand hindmost horse that walks in the furrow in plowing  (but what about the back left-hand horse in a plow team? cf. hand-ahin)

fuscous

of any or several colors averaging a brownish gray

fusee

[fr. French fusée: spindle, rocket, flare, fuse (lit. spindleful of yarn), from L. fusus, spindle]  /FYU zee/  (also fuzee)

1) a friction match with a large head capable of burning in a wind

2) a colored flare used as a warning signal for trucks and railroad trains

3) a cone-shaped pulley with a spiral groove, used in a cord- or chain-winding clock to maintain even travel in the timekeeping mechanism

4) a combustible fuse for detonating explosives

fustian

[OF fustaigne]  pretentious and banal (writing or speech)

fustianist

[fr. fustian]  rare  a pretentious writer  (nonce-word from Milton?)

fustigate

to criticize severely

fustilarian

nonce-word  a low fellow; a stinkard; a scoundrel

Away you scullion! you rampallian! you fustilarian! -- Shakespeare

fustilugs

a ponderous clumsy person, esp. a fat and slovenly woman

futhark

the runic alphabet

futilitarian

one who believes that human striving is futile

futtock

one of the curved timbers scarfed together to form the lower part of a compound rib of a ship

futz

[perhaps fr. Yiddish arumfartsn zikh, lit. to fart around; or maybe just a euphemism]

1) with around  to fool around, waste time  2) with with  to mess with; to tinker or trifle with

fuzzle

obs.  to intoxicate, make drunk, confuse, muddle (a conflation of fuzz and fuddle)

fyerk

to flick away using one's finger and thumb

fysigunkus

someone who is totally devoid of curiosity

go forth

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