Never ones to perendinate, Wayne State University's Word Warriors are kicking off 2020 by releasing their list of long-lost words to bring back in the coming year. Far from a bunch of mullock, these are beautiful words that have sadly fallen out of use over the years, but Word Warriors are confident their luculent definitions and examples will make logophiles rejoice - and, perhaps, cachinnate.
Now beginning its 11th year, Wayne State's Word Warriors series promotes words especially worthy of retrieval from the linguistic cellar. Its extensive list is composed of submissions from both administrators of the website as well as the public; participants worldwide have seen their favorite words brought back from the brink of obsolescence at wordwarriors.wayne.edu. New entries are posted there - as well as on Facebook - weekly.
"Each year, I'm curious to see how many old words - which are often new to me - will be recommended to us by our Word Warriors around the globe," said Chris Williams, assistant director of editorial services in Wayne State's Office of Marketing and Communications, and head of the Word Warriors program. "Once again, they did not disappoint. The English language is so versatile and unique, and we've ended up with a list of 10 great words."
And now, the Word Warriors' 2020 list of eminently useful words that should be brought back to enrich our language:
Cachinnate
To laugh loudly.
The kids were supposed to be in bed, but I could hear them cachinnating down the hall well past midnight.
Coruscate
(Of light) to flash or sparkle.
The water was still that afternoon, the sunlight coruscating off what little waves existed.
Gewgaw
A worthless, showy bauble.
Don't waste your money on such gaudy gewgaws.
Luculent
Clear in thought or expression.
The interviewee was luculent and personable.
Mullock
Rubbish, refuse, dirt.
As he dug through the pile of mullock, Todd cursed himself for once again throwing his keys away.
Perendinate
To procrastinate a long time, especially two days.
He received the order a month ago but perendinated on the work until 48 hours before the deadline.
Redolent
Reminiscent or suggestive of, like a scent.
The distillery was filled with a sweet, almost cloying scent, redolent of the farm silos of my youth.
Seriatim
Taking one subject after another in regular order; point by point.
I will address the issues you raised seriatim.
Somnambulant
Resembling or characteristic of a sleepwalker; sluggish.
The Monday after daylight saving time began, the office parking lot was filled with somnambulant employees doing their best to lurch to work.
Velleity
A wish or inclination not strong enough to lead to action.
Greg imagined getting off the couch and running a marathon, but his desire for exercise remained a velleity.
Published: Tue, Jan 07, 2020
