Complex Numbers

Nerdy Words

Just a grab bag of vocabulary today.

Do you know what a quincunx is? Here are 15 of the most unusual words in the English dictionary  

I did, in fact, know what a quincunx is, but since most people don't and it sounds like the quest objective in a sorcerous pornography holodeck game program, I never use the word.

It's kind of like why no one ever uses the word "weenus" to describe the loose skin on your elbow. Which is what it is.

Here at stylist.co.uk, we like to consider ourselves wordsmiths.

Just because you're sitting in a garage doesn't mean you can call yourself a car.

But even so, we were stumped when it came to a list of some of the most unusual words in the English dictionary.

Really? Because some of these are fairly common, at least in the US.

As usual, you'll have to go to the link to see all the words. I'll just highlight a few.

Flabbergast

Verb: Surprise someone greatly.

I've only ever seen this used in the passive sense: "I was flabbergasted." Another word that sounds vaguely criminal, but isn't.

Floccinaucinihilipilification

Noun: The action or habit of estimating something as worthless.

This one, along with antidisestablishmentarianism, I learned early on and memorized the spelling and pronunciation. Just because I'm a nerd.

Omnishambles

Noun: A situation that has been comprehensively mismanaged, characterized by a string of blunders and miscalculations.

I don't think I've ever seen this one, but it strikes me as being very pleasantly British. Though it could be applied to either of our governments.

Penumbra

Noun: The partially shaded outer region of the shadow cast by an opaque object.

Oh, for shit's sake. How is this one in any way obscure or unusual? Sure, it's not an everyday word like "drink" or "intricate," but I think I first encountered it in a children's astronomy book in relation to lunar eclipses.

Anyway, no, I don't expect highbrow literature from Stylist. It's not, after all, Cracked. But I'm a sucker for an interesting word list, or at least a list of interesting words, so here you go.