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Communal Dictionary Project
"I like the word 'indolence.'  It makes my laziness seem classy"  
- Bern Williams
We both like language, and we both appreciate new, interesting and
unusual words.  We are beginning a small collection of uncommon and
favorite words here, and we are inviting you to participate!  Just go to
the "Leave us a Note" page, and leave us  your word and a definition,
or click on the picture of the book to send us an email.  We'll add it to
the list!
Welcome to the Communal Dictionary Project!
Click here
to submit
Word
Submitted
By
On
Date
Definition
Ascian n
Mags Rheude
4/23/07
An inhabitant of an equatorial, or torrid, zone.  
Something which does not cast a shadow.
Also a fictional language, invented by author Gene
Wolfe for his series,
The Book of the New Sun.
Aphelion n
Mags Rheude
4/23/07
The point in the orbit of a celestial body when it is
furthest from the sun.
Freak v
Mags Rheude
4/23/07
To fleck, or streak with color.
Fustigate v
Vanessa
Greenlee
4/23/07
To hit with a club; to cudgel.
Groak v
JW Greenlee
4/22/07
To look, or stare at, longingly.  To watch others eat
in the hopes of being invited to join in.
Haecciety n
JW Greenlee
4/22/07
Haecceity (transliterated from the Latin haecceitas)
is a term from medieval philosophy first coined by
Duns Scotus which denotes the discrete qualities,
properties or characteristics of a thing which make
it a particular thing. Haecceity is a person's,
object's, or moments "thisness".  The aspect of
exisence on which individuality depends.
Impluvium n
Anabel
Greenlee
6/08/07
Impluvium- the basin in the center of the roofless
atrium of an ancient Roman home for the collection
of rainwater. All truly green homes should have
one!
Kalpa n
JW Greenlee
4/22/07
A measure of time. In Hinduism, it is equal to 4,320
million years, a "day of Brahma"; a "month of
Brahma" is supposed to contain thirty such Kalpas,
or 129.6 billion years. According to the
Mahabharata, 12 months of Brahma constitute his
year, and 100 such years the life cycle of the
universe.
In Buddhism, there are four different lengths of
kalpas. A regular kalpa is approximately 16 million
years long, and a small kalpa is 1000 regular
kalpas, or 16 billion years. Further, a medium kalpa
is 320 billion years, the equivalent of 20 small
kalpas. A great kalpa is 4 medium kalpas, or 1.28
trillion years.
Litotes n
Mags Rheude
4/23/07
A rhetorical device, often an understatement, in
which the affirmative is given as the negative of the
contrary.  The speaker either strengthens or
weakens the emphasis of a claim by denying its
opposite.  As in:  "The food was not bad."
Also can include double negatives, as in:  "I am not
NOT licking toads."
Perihelion n
JW Greenlee
4/22/07
The point in the orbit of a celestial body when it is
closest to the sun.
Quab v
JW Greenlee
4/22/07
To throb, to quiver.
Sneetchy adj
Mags and
Brandon
Rheude
4/26/07
HIghbrow, conceited or entitled.  From the Dr.
Seuss book,
The Star-bellied Sneetches.
Supernaculum adj
JW Greenlee
4/22/07
The very best wine. The word is Low Latin for
“upon the nail,” meaning that the wine is so good
the drinker leaves only enough in his glass to make
a bead on his nail. The French say of first-class
wine, “It is fit to make a ruby on the nail” (faire rubis
sur l'ongle).
Weltschmerz n
Joyce
Greenlee
5/29/07
From the German meaning world-pain or
world-weariness/  A term coined by the German
author Jean Paul and denotes the kind of feeling
experienced by someone who understands that the
physical reality can never satisfy the demands of
the mind. This kind of pessimistic world view was
widespread among several romantic authors such
as Lord Byron, Giacomo Leopardi, François-René
de Chateaubriand, Alfred de Musset, Nikolaus
Lenau and Heinrich Heine.