If You’re an Ace Wordsmith, See How Many of These Ten Words You Know

I thought I had a good vocabulary until these words stumped me

I have always had a fascination with words. But no matter how many I think I know, I discover more that I don’t. These linguistic nuggets both entertain and torment me. The entertainment lies in learning something new. The torment is, “How can there be so many words I still don’t know?” For your inquisitive pleasure, here are ten to challenge your brain.

1. Oeuvre: Only because I took several years of French in school, I knew this word: work. But I did not realize it had been borrowed and accepted in English. Definition:: a substantial body of work constituting the lifework of a writer, an artist, or a composer.
2. Emendation: I liked the way the word sounded but had no idea what it meant. Definition: an alteration designed to correct or improve. Think about it as a pretentious way of saying an amendment or change.
3. Pulchritude: I had no clue here, but I loved the way it rolled off of my tongue. It’s too long to be helpful in Scrabble, and I can’t imagine using it as part of my regular vocabulary. Definition: physical appeal or desirability. I think it might be clearer to say someone was “oozing sexiness.”
4. Pecksniff: It sounded like something from nineteenth-century English literature. When I looked it up, indeed, the source was an 1843 Charles Dickens novel. Definition: unctuously hypocritical. Yes, I know the definition requires you to understand what unctuous means. Please don’t blame me. It’s from Merriam-Webster.
5. Infix: At first glance, this sounds like something I should know. Definition: to impress firmly in the consciousness or disposition. It would be easier to understand if the writer used a synonym like to imprint or ingrain. “The coach infixed a winning attitude by his team” sounds arrogant and pretentious.
6. Pink: No, not the noun. Everyone knows that. I mean the verb. Definition: to perforate in an ornamental pattern or to cut a saw-toothed edge-on, or to wound by irony, criticism, or ridicule. I don’t know, but it seems ridiculous to say I might “pink” you instead of ridicule.
7. Kvell: My mind immediately went to the Yiddish word, Kvetch, which means to complain. Not the same. Definition: to be extraordinarily proud. It turns out the origins of the word were Yiddish, so my guess was only half wrong.
8. Micawber: You can give yourself a bonus point if you know this one. It sounds like a palaver, but that’s one I know. Definition: one who is poor but lives in optimistic expectation of better fortune. I thought that was Pollyanna. That one is close, but not the same.
9. Trilby: This one is short and suitable for Scrabble. But again I was clueless. Definition: a soft felt hat with an indented crown. Who knew?
10. Limerence: Not to be confused with a limerick, it describes a stalker. Definition: the state of being infatuated or obsessed with another person, typically experienced involuntarily and characterized by a strong desire to reciprocate one’s feelings but not primarily for a sexual relationship.

How did you do? Please drop me a comment and let me know.

David Mokotoff is a retired MD. Passionate about writing, reading, culture, politics, fishing, and food.