Ten Words To Increase Your Lexicon

A Word-A-Day Calendar is for chumps and the girls from Clueless.

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I’ve written about how much I love words before. Not only are they a massively important part of human culture, but they are inextricably tied to my profession, and hell, this newsletter. I deal with words every day and I still enjoy them. I couldn’t get rid of my love for words if I tried. Big and small, English or not, I just get a kick out of them. So, as I’ve done before, I’ve collected a few of my favorites here for your reading pleasure. Some of these you may know, some you may not. I promise I didn’t just Google “SAT words” to come up with this list. No, I Googled “good words,” instead. I hope you enjoy them. I certainly do.

Coruscate

Starting off strong here with a word that sounds like a Star Wars planet. George Lucas is steaming mad that he didn’t think of this. Coruscate pops up in science fiction books occasionally, usually when the author is trying to describe faster-than-light travel or some other impossible action. It just means sparkle or shine but in a very bright way. So, when light coruscates? That’s the good stuff. I always imagine a bunch of diamonds glittering in deep darkness of space. Very poetic.

Susurration

If there ever was a snake word then susurration is it. Just look at all those twists and turns. Susurration, meaning whisper or rustle, has always seemed like an evil word to me. Like you wouldn’t hear whispers in the walls of a haunted house, you’d hear susurrations. I think it’s all the “s’s.” They tend to give off bad vibes. All those evil connotations give susurration a bad rap. I want to change that. Lots of things can susurrate: fall leaves, the grass next to a babbling brook, a cat getting its tummy scratched. None of those things are evil. So, give susurration a chance. Don’t judge a word just by the way it looks and sounds.

Eidetic

While most commonly used as an adjective attached to “memory,” eidetic is a word on its own and deserves recognition as such. It means uncommonly clear and vibrant. The mouthfeel of eidetic especially is wonderful. Say it a few times. It’s a nice little workout for the tip of your tongue. A wonderfully Morse code word, full of verbal dots and dashes. Not a great Scrabble word, but who really cares about that? It sounds cool and that’s what matters.

Kith

Kith is one of the many words that English stole from German. It means close friends, though it used to mean the country where you lived. To sound like a guy reading the Wikipedia page for “words” for a second, tt’s amazing how the meaning of words changes over time. That’s nuts. Like eidetic, kith is just fun to say. It makes you feel like you’re either Mike Tyson saying “kiss” or as if you’re reading an ancient scroll that is about to set loose some sort of unnamable eldritch horror. Either way, it’s a good time. Kith really does it all.

Vicissitude

If this word can describe your life, I am sorry. No one wants to experience the vicissitudes of life. It’s just not a good time. The word however is a banger. The soft “c” and “s” followed by the hard “t’ is a truly underrated combo of phonemes. You’ve really got to give it up for that. Unlike say, susurration, vicissitude’s meaning matches the way it sounds coming out your mouth. This word is all bad vibes, but bad vibes done impeccably. Like Heath Ledger as the Joker. Hard to beat.

Mnemonic

The “Mn” combo is truly legendary. Just out of nowhere. A silent m. Who would have thought? It comes from Greek via Latin, so those crazy bastards really had nothing better to do than just come up with wild combos of letters. It sounds a little bit like “demonic” which if we’re being honest, makes sense. It is demonic that memorizing a silly little saying like “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge” will help you remember the notes on a treble clef or whatever. Truly just does not make sense that our minds work like that. Just how mnemonic does not look like a real word. Fully demonic and I am here for it.

Habitué

For a French loan word habitué is remarkably free of most of the bullshit that French words often have. There aren’t thirteen silent letters, nor are there any extraneous “x’s” or like triple entendre built into the construction of the word. It’s just a nice fancy word for saying you’re a regular. If you have a usual at a bar, just say you’re a habitué instead. Makes you sound like a cool guy instead of a sad alcoholic. Also gives you a chance to really put a nice guttural spin on your pronunciation too. Lean into it. Have a blast with this one.

Plenary

Big time academic word here. Sorry, but I had to include one of those. Plenary refers to a big meeting attended by everyone at a conference or assembly or something. Who doesn’t love a plenary session? This word also has great techno-thriller/sci-fi vibes. Just imagine the possibilities of a centenary interplanetary plenary! Who wouldn’t want to read about that? It brings to mind behind-the-scenes backstabbing, procedural maneuvers, double agents, all the stuff that good spy novels are made of. We need more plenaries!

Clarion

Angel’s voices, someone calling you to action, ringing crystal, the sound a Yeti water bottle makes when it hits your knee. You can use clarion to describe all of these things. A wonderfully precise yet flexible word. Not something that you see very often in the English language. A hard “c” word for the ages. If someone was able to bottle clarion I would buy it by the gallon. No matter how much it costs. I’d go broke to be able to imbibe clarion.  

Abnegate

Oh man. Just like with vicissitude, I would not want to be on the wrong side of abnegate. You do NOT want to mess with someone who abnegates. I promise you. This is just a tough word. A lot of longer words are fancy, they flow, they slither, they’re flighty. Not abnegate. It just sits there, a brick wall. An immovable object. Abnegate. Saying it makes you feel like you’re standing on the top of a mountain shouting down to your followers. A verbal Moses.

Okay, there you have it. Some great words. Use them responsibly.

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