I love words! I’ve always been fascinated by language and how we use it. When I was a young girl I loved to read the dictionary and I tried to learn a new word each week. I followed the advice of my favorite teacher- “Use the new word three times a day for a week.” I’m sure I drove people crazy!
For several years I bought those “word a day” calendars. I tried to learn obscure words or use words in unusual ways. I memorized words borrowed from other languages. I studied words that sounded much more eloquent or educated than my normal expressions.
Now I guess I’ve grown lazy. I use the same words over and over. I rely on my Thesaurus or a right click on my mouse to give me substitutes if my word use gets too stale and repetitious. I don’t have the time or energy to devote to word study. But I secretly miss it. Tonight I had to look up the use and meaning of “forebear” for something else I’m typing. I’m ashamed to say there was dust on my dictionary!
Driven by guilt I flipped through a few pages for old time’s sake. Here are some words I want to share with you:
abnegate: deny or renounce
bifurcate: to cause to divide into two branches or parts
catarrh: inflammation of a mucous membrane
dubiety: a matter of doubt
evert: overthrow, upset
Wasn’t that fun? Maybe I should buy another “word-a-day” calendar!
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