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Carrion Luggage #1101787 added November 17, 2025 at 8:54am
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Let's Have a Word
All words are made up. Some were made up more recently than others. Here's Mental Floss with words that were, at some point, made up.
11 Real Words That Sound Totally Fake 
Start sprinkling bumfuzzle, snickersnee, and collywobbles into everyday conversation—but maybe let quomodocunquizing rest in obsolescent peace where it belongs.
Now I want to start a band called Quomodocunquizing just to bring that one back. Difficulty: no musical talent. But it would be an appropriate name for a band, considering its definition (which you can find below or at the link).
The English language is well known for having complex rules about grammar and spelling, often loaded with exceptions and special use cases.
Except when it's not.
But the quirks of English don't stop at confusing grammar—our language also happens to be a treasure trove of words so delightfully absurd, so wonderfully preposterous, that they sound like they were plucked straight from the pages of a Dr. Seuss book or improvised during a comedy sketch.
Those are still words.
The words below are legitimate, dictionary-certified terms that have survived for centuries, passed down through generations of English speakers who apparently had a sense of humor about their vocabulary.
"Dictionary-certified" isn't the flex they think it is. All it means is enough people have used the word that it's included in the list.
A few are so obscure that even seasoned word nerds might not recognize them.
I will admit that some of them were obscure to me. Also that, after I post this, they'll fade back into my version of obscurity.
This list celebrates real words that might evoke a double-take—and will definitely make you want to slip them into your next conversation.
Or not. Language exists for communication. Throwing in words that hardly anyone knows the definition of is, at best, an exercise in ensuring that the context is sufficient to show their meaning; and at worst, a way to show off your erudicy.
Skipping a few here.
Bumfuzzle
Bumfuzzle is a verb meaning “to confuse, perplex or fluster.” It may be a variation on dumfound.
And here I thought this one was pretty well-known.
Snickersnee
Not to be confused, I suppose, for the sound the Vorpal Sword makes as it beheads the Jabberwock.
Wabbit
The etymology of this adjective, which comes from Scottish, is uncertain, but it means “weary or exhausted”...
Which Scottish, I wonder? Quick research doesn't give me an answer. (And yes, the article acknowledges the more modern definition of wabbit.)
Quomodocunquizing
Quomodocunquizing, a verb from the 1600s that combines the classical Latin word quōmodocunque with the suffix –izing, means “to make money by any means,” even if they’re questionable.
And even classical Latin took it from somewhere.
Kakorrhaphiophobia
This noun describes a fear of failure or defeat.
And if words could experience fear, this one would experience itself because I'm pretty sure this is the first I've ever heard of it.
More at the link. And now to do my best to forget most of these. |
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