A British dictionary publisher has given the "London Times" a list of words that have become so obscure they are about to be cut from the newest edition. The paper is calling upon readers to try to demonstrate that some of the words still have enough interest to keep them going and possibly get them reprieved.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/ ... 799560.ece

Here's the list, with definitions. There are some doozies here!

I recall some years back a newsletter using "Muliebrity" for its title, BTW.

Abstergent Cleansing or scouring

Agrestic Rural; rustic; unpolished; uncouth

Apodeictic Unquestionably true by virtue of demonstration

Caducity Perishableness; senility

Caliginosity Dimness; darkness

Compossible Possible in coexistence with something else

Embrangle To confuse or entangle

Exuviate To shed (a skin or similar outer covering)

Fatidical Prophetic

Fubsy Short and stout; squat

Griseous Streaked or mixed with grey; somewhat grey

Malison A curse

Mansuetude Gentleness or mildness

Muliebrity The condition of being a woman

Niddering Cowardly

Nitid Bright; glistening

Olid Foul-smelling

Oppugnant Combative, antagonistic or contrary

Periapt A charm or amulet

Recrement Waste matter; refuse; dross

Roborant Tending to fortify or increase strength

Skirr A whirring or grating sound, as of the wings of birds in flight

Vaticinate To foretell; prophesy

Vilipend To treat or regard with contempt

I can say with the utmost certainty that I never seen any of those words before. Which means I shall not miss them.

Words I might add to my personal vocabulary:

• Apodeictic
• Exuviate
• Griseous
• Niddering
• Periapt

let them die.

Adapt or perish

This has nothing to do with adapting, dude. These words have merely fallen into disuse. They would revive simply by returning to use. Lubberwort, for example, is a word I personally am trying to bring back to the lexicon.

There's no need to try and save words. If we are not using them, let them go. They serve us, we don't serve them.

Personally, I'm hoping for vagina to fall from the dictionary. Stupid sounding word.

I don't see "cromulent" anywhere on that list.

What a crap list.

There's no need for you to breathe oxygen, and yet you do.

Words do not fall out of use out of some sort of Darwinian natural selection, where only the "best" words survive.

You don't want words on that list; that's the ticket on the way out of the dictionary. Cromulent is safe for now.

I only knew "periapt" from the list.

I have been thinking about Rob's unnecessarily harsh reaction to saving words and it got me to thinking: should Rob just adapt to Brand New Day Spider-Man?

Best as in words we need, yes.

That list is a list of crap words

and why do you want me to die?

thought we were friends.

But, as we already had "lubberwort" we didn't need "junk food". But yet, "junk food" was invented anyway.


There is no statement or even implication that I want you to die, Steiny. I merely showed that need as a litmus test is useless, as there is no need for you to breathe, and yet you do.

lubberwort. Heh.

I like lubberwort.

Some of these words are still quite useful. I have griseous hair, for example. I've often seen exuviated cicada shells. And skirr makes a beautiful word to describe the sounds of some birds' wings.

Besides, if we let the dictionaries stop using these words, how will future generations possibly be able to read the average Victorian novel?

well, now that you mention it, I'm sorry, but they are being kicked out of society too.

Why get rid of any words?

I like words that don't sound anything like their meaning. Like pulchritude.

To keep the dictionary from getting too long. The publishers figure that since so many new words and phrases are coming in, some will have to go out to make room. Online dictionaries don't have that problem, but there is still such a thing as a print dictionary.

It does have kind of a brutal sound to it, doesn't it?

If one were to tell a lady that she was full of pulchritude, one could expect to be slapped, despite it being a great compliment.