Everyone knows that English is a funny language! It is a strange language with many unusual words, which many of us don’t even know exist. Find some such words in the list provided in this Penlighten article, and learn when to use them.
When we listen to speeches given by countrymen and public speakers, either live or on television, there are many words which we don’t follow instantly. These words make perfect sense, but are uncommon since they are never used in daily English. There are more than million such unusual words, which are still unknown to many of us, but are there in the English dictionary of words. This language is very vast, and many great men who are considered the Gods of literature also have missed out on these uncommon words. There are more than 100 strange words, which come under each alphabet from A to Z.
Obscure Words List
| Words | Definition |
| abacinate | to blind by putting red-hot copper basin near the eyes |
| abaft | toward or at the stern of a ship |
| abbozzo | preliminary sketch |
| absquatulate | to decamp, to leave quickly, to flee |
| azure | deep purplish blue, the heraldic color blue |
| balatron | joker, clown |
| baisemain | kiss on the hand |
| biggin | a child’s tight-fitting cap |
| bismer | shame, disgrace, scorn |
| cabas | woman’s work basket or handbag |
| cacography | bad handwriting or spelling |
| callow | unfledged, inexperienced |
| daedalist | aviator, pilot |
| dendrolatry | worship of trees |
| deorsumversion | turning downwards |
| edentate | toothless; without teeth |
| type of dark ink | |
| epeolatry | worship of words |
| factive | indicating causation |
| feuilleton | critical article at the bottom of a newspaper page |
| fontinal | growing near springs |
| gamophobia | fear of marriage |
| gaud | trick or practical joke |
| graphophobia | fear of writing |
| halitus | vapor, breath |
| hirrient | roughly trilled |
| holm | island in a river |
| ichthyophagous | fish-eating |
| idiolect | distinctive individual form of speech |
| ineunt | entering |
| jabberwock | nonsense, gibberish |
| jettatura | the evil eye |
| jutty | projecting part of a wall |
| kakidrosis | body odor |
| keffel | a horse, a nag |
| kine | cows |
| labtebricole | living in holes |
| lacuna | a blank space or missing part |
| latipennate | having broad wings |
| mabsoot | happy |
| manurance | cultivation |
| melomania | craze for music |
| nanocephalous | having an extremely small head |
| naupathia | sea sickness |
| nidificate | to construct a nest |
| objurgate | to chide, to scold, to rebuke |
| obsequies | funeral |
| oligarchy | government by the few |
| pabouch | a slipper |
| palamat | having webbed feet |
| parentelic | related by blood |
| quab | something unfinished or immature |
| quarender | dark red apple |
| quindecasyllabic | having fifteen syllables |
| raffish | disreputable, vulgar |
| recoct | to cook again, to concoct, to improvise |
| reguerdon | to reward |
| sabbulonariu | gravel pit |
| sanguisugen | blood-sucking |
| sciomanc | divination using ghosts |
| tacenda | things not to be mentioned |
| tectiform | shaped like a roof |
| teratism | monster, malformed person or animal |
| ulosis | formation of a scar |
| ulotrichous | having woolly hair |
| unleal | unfaithful |
| vagitus | baby’s cry or wail |
| ventripotent | with great capacity or appetite for food |
| verbatim | word for word |
| waftage | transportation through water or air |
| whiskerando | a whiskered person |
| woundy | excessively, extremely |
| xanthippe | ill-tempered woman |
| xerothermic | dry and hot |
| xenodocheionology | love of hotels |
| yaff | to bark like a snarling dog |
| yede | to go |
| yuke | to itch |
| zabaglione | frothy custard |
| zeugmatography | imaging using nuclear magnetic resonance to study soft tissue |
| zoetic | living, vital |
There are also some words which are used in daily life, but are quite unusual in their meanings. They are not related to what they mean at all, but when said to someone, are understood very clearly. Take a look at a few such strange words and their meanings.
- To frame someone – Not literally, but to plot against someone.
- Matches were fixed – Money was paid to win and lose.
- A couch potato – A lazy person.
- Get cabin fever – Gets sick of closed places.
- Jumbo – Related to large things.
- Dealing off the bottom – Means cheating in business.
- Hold your cards close to your vest – Be careful, and do not trust anyone.
- Land of Opportunity – A place or a country, where one can make money.
Certain words are often ignored because of the complexity of their pronunciation and meanings. But even then, it’s good to keep track of them, isn’t it?
