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5 CommentsA supplement from the Independent recently titled, quite simply, "Words", had this wonderful paragraph, under the heading "Wonderful Words":
Often words like myristicivorous, meaning feeding on nutmegs, become people's favourite words simply because we don't expect such a word to exist. Other delightful oddities include callipygous, having beautiful buttocks, genethliac, relating to a birthday, leiotrichy, straight-hairedness, mallemaroking, the carousing of seamen in icebound ships, paneity, the state of being bread and pogonotomy, a wonderful word for shaving.
I don't know about you, but callipygous just became my favourite word.
LorriM
Written Jul. 19, 2007 / Report /
LOL, Rich, on callipygous. Great post!
I like unusual words, and their meanings. Some can sound humorous, as if they are made up.
mabble - wrap up
DavidBB
Written Jul. 20, 2007 / Report /
Witzelsucht - A feeble attempt at humour.
Philosophunculist - One who pretends to know more than they do to impress others.
Wilfred Funk's list of the most beautiful words in English: ASPHODEL, FAWN, DAWN, CHALICE, ANEMONE, TRANQUIL, HUSH, GOLDEN, HALCYON, CAMELLIA, BOBOLINK, THRUSH, CHIMES, MURMURING, LULLABY, LUMINOUS, DAMASK, CERULEAN, MELODY, MARIGOLD, JONQUIL, ORIOLE, TENDRIL, MYRRH, MIGNONETTE, GOSSAMER, ALYSSEUM, MIST, OLEANDER, AMARYLLIS, ROSEMARY.
Here's an interesting list.
Kamigoroshi
Written Jul. 20, 2007 / Report /
I don't know about you guys but for me, serendipity is a wonderful word in my book
JamesArcher
Written Jul. 20, 2007 / Report /
Callipygous? Shouldn't that be Callipygian?
Rich
Written Jul. 20, 2007 / Report /
Well, it comes from Greek kallipýgos, so callipygous would make more sense (to me, at least). Callipygian is, however, the first entry listed in my dictionary, with callipygous as an "also".
Both are correct, I guess, they're just synonyms of each other.
Incidentally, the antonym of callipygian would be cacopygian, "having ugly buttocks".