20 obsolete English words that should make a comeback

By Heather Carreiro On November 8, 2010 · 202 Comments

11. Brannigan

Noun – “A drinking bout; a spree or ‘binge’” – Brannigan was originally a North American slang word, but it is now rarely used. “Shall we go for a brannigan on Friday?” can be a more sophisticated way to discuss such activities.

12. Perissology

Noun – “Use of more words than are necessary; redundancy or superfluity of expression” – A useful word for editors: “Thanks for your 4,000-word submission. Unfortunately there is too much perissology in this piece for us to publish it.”

13. Quagswagging

Noun – “The action of shaking to and fro” – This can also be used in verb form, to quagswag, and is pronounced like “kwag swag.” It could definitely work as the name for a new type of dance, or possibly serve as an alternate way to describe a seizure.

14. Hoddypeak

Noun – “A fool, simpleton, noodle, blockhead” – This one doesn’t need any explanation as to how you could use it; you may already have someone in mind who fits the description.

15. Bibesy

Noun – “A too earnest desire after drink.” – “Bibesy” may have been completely made up in the 18th century and it’s unclear whether it ever made it into common use, but it could easily be used today: “Wedding guests waited anxiously for the bar to open; bibesy should be expected after such a long, dull service.”

16. Scriptitation

Noun – A 17th-century word meaning “continual writing” – Matadorians taking part in this year’s National Novel Writing Month are getting good practice at scriptitation!

17. Widdendream

Noun – “A state of mental disturbance or confusion” – I can start using this obsolete Scottish word right away: “While working on writing my thesis, I find I am constantly in widdendream.”

18. Yemeles

Adj. – An Old English and Middle English word meaning “careless, heedless, negligent” – Pronounced as “yeem-lis,” this is another word that could prove useful for teachers around the world: “Handing in messy and incomplete work just shows me you are being yemeles, and I won’t hesitate to give you a zero for the assignment.”

19. Twitter-light

Noun – “Twilight” – Used in the early 17th century, “twitter-light” sounds like a romantic way to refer to the hours as the sun goes down.

20. Illecebrous

Adj. – “Alluring, enticing, attractive” – Alright, so at first this word kind of sounds a way to describe something diseased, but if you put the stress on the second syllable for emphasis, it does sound like a compliment: “That girl was so illecebrous; I’ve got to figure out how to see her again.”

Community Connection

If you could choose only one of these words to add to your everyday English vocabulary, which one would you pick? Try using it in a sentence.

For more fun with words, check out 20 Awesomely Untranslatable Words from Around the World and 20 More Awesomely Untranslatable Words.

<< Previous Page 1 2

About The Author

Heather Carreiro

Heather is a secondary English teacher, travel writer and editor who has lived in Morocco and Pakistan. She enjoys jamming on the bass, haggling over saris in dusty markets and cross-country jumping on horseback. Currently she's a grad student attempting to wrap her tongue around Middle English, analyze South Asian literature and eat enough to make her Portuguese mother-in-law happy. Learn more on her blog at ExpatHeather.com.

More By This Author

Roomorama: Why peer-to-peer housing rentals are cool (1 comments)
Benny the Irish Polyglot shares language learning tips at TBEX '11 (2 comments)
New dining magazine seeking writers in Lahore

view all → Heather Carreiro

Paul Sullivan

Nice work Heather. I’m an ardent sesquipidalian, but there are lots here I’ve a) never heard of and b) adore. Malagrugrous!
Kathy

“Brabble” and “freck” definitely have my vote
http://www.meghanmhicks.com Meghan

Love, love, love this post! Wordsmithing odd, unexpected words into one’s work is a pleasing endeavor. Another fun hobby is co-opting words for new purposes. Awesome article, thanks!
http://kristin5683.wordpress.com Kristin

I like freck – nice one. Kench is good too, and I definitely just kenched (is that a correct use of the word and that sounds strange…) in the middle of my class – and I’m the teacher!

Heather Carreiro

When the teacher kenches it can be embarrassing for everyone! : )

http://marykittneel.com Mary Kitt-Neel

I like my afternoon soy shake quagswagged, not stirred.
http://www.cuadernoinedito.wordpress.com Julie

Oh Lord, all of these are just fabulous! I’m totally incorporating some of them into my speech.
http://www.hopeandjosh.com HKNunzio

Cool article! Perissology… the science of being too wordy.
http://twitter.com/aapremlall Anandi Premlall

Don’t get all jargogled when I deliciate or kench with words corraded from old times. Besides, I’m not thrilled to be ludibrious and if you think so, we might brabble and you’d be subject to my sanguinolency. So when I looketh malagrugorous upon you, better get your freck on jollux.

Heather Carreiro

Love “Get your freck on jollux!” – could be useful for coaches and weight loss trainers. : )

http://www.sophiesworld.net Sophie

Such great words. I also like sisyphean, which isn’t obsolete I suppose, but not that frequently used (I think). Very good word to have for describing (and express frustration over) all the endlessly repetitive activities we do every day
Benjamin T.

I think that many people could have some issues with using a word like twitter-light, since for many these days the root word twitter is merely something you do on the internet and not much else.
http://whatmygrandparentstaughtme.wordpress.com PatF

Speaking of words. What about the everyday words we are losing? Since the explosion of cell phones and texting you, has become “u”, are has become “r”, be has become “b:” It won’t be long before this generation accepts texting shorthand as the official language of the Country.

Heather Carreiro

Oh Pat – I hope that doesn’t happen! Sadly though I got an email earlier this week from a former student (one hoping to pursue a graduate degree in teaching English) that include “u” and “ur.”
http://@McKaylaBug K.Michelle

As an English major, I worry about that as well. I have to say, though, lately I’ve seen more and more people stop using “text-language,” and go back to more proper terms. I think it was exciting at first to develop a new way to communicate, but I think now more and more people (even those in my 18-25 age group) are becoming annoyed with abbreviated words when texting. I’ll admit, there is *one* word I abbreviate when texting. “Tomorrow” becomes “tmw.” I’m ashamed, but sometimes, when you only have 140 characters, you need those other five!

Nice article!

http://matadortravel.com/travel-community/nickrowlands Nick Rowlands

“Do you fancy a brannigan tonight, or shall we invite a few people over and just deliciate?”
“I vote for some chilled deliciation. You know your bibesy rears its head when you drink too much, and you act like a proper hoddypeak.”
“I know, but she’s just so illecebrous – she has me all of a widdendream.”
“I swear, one of these days I’m gonna quagswagg some sense into you if it kills me!”

Fantastic article, Heather!

Heather Carreiro

Nick, it sounds like you’ve already been using these words! The second example caused me to kench.

http://kaveyeats.com kavey

Fabulous collection of words, must try and work those into my vocabulary!
Gail Davis

Loved your article!!!!! I thought you may kench to learn my word pronunciation software has less than one third of your wonderful words, and my word speller insists my spelling is flawed! I apologize for the excessive use of exclamation marks , but felt they were warranted in this situation.

Heather Carreiro

Yes, I had all sorts of red underlining in the word processor when I was working on this article!

Jeff

Sometimes you can just tell from the way a person writes that they’ve never had a real job. These words are interesting, but most of them are merely synonyms for existing words and don’t add any nuances of meaning.

French author Gustave Flaubert believed that in every situation there exists “le mot juste” – only one word that perfectly describes the meaning to be conveyed. In today’s world, too may people use vocabulary to make themselves appear witty or interesting rather than to communicate clearly and effectively.

Deborah

but Jeff, Flaubert was a Frenchman, and, like many of his fellow citizens, a prescriptive purist about language.

If there is one right word for every situation, doesn’t that mean that we should learn more words, so that we have a better chance of finding the truly perfect one in each instance?

Especially anyone who has English as her or his native tongue; we can deliciate in the vast range of subtly different words that make up the wonderful hybrid hodgepodge of Brythonic, Germanic, Scandinavian and Romance influences that is the English language.

Language can be beautiful as well as functional – can even be both simultaneously. A limited vocabulary doesn’t necessarily promote clarity, and an extensive one needn’t hinder it.

Me

You missed absquatulate!

http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-abs1.htm
http://audaciousfreedom.com Kerry-ann

I just loved this article – not an English language fanatic because it often jargogles my brain. And next time my husband irritates me by frecking through the shops when I want to stop and look I am going to give him a malagrugrous look!

Heather Carreiro

For my husband and I it’s the opposite: I try to freck it through the grocery store while he likes to look in every aisle and read all the labels…

Abby

for my husband and me! (an idea for your next article)

thank you for this article, my brain has stretched

Pingback: English nerds will love this « K Moore Photography
Pingback: 20 Obsolete English Words… | Feeding Time at The Zoo
http://matadortravel.com/traveler/evasandoval EvaSandoval

I enjoyed this article a lot; in my Sophomore year of High school, a big unit in my World History class was Middle English words. Fascinating! I’m forever besotted by “adam’s ale” (beer), “earth apple” (potato), and “dunderpate” (idiot). Words, words, words – I deliciate in words!

Heather Carreiro

Yay for Middle English! I took an entire semester of Chaucer last spring and LOVED it.
http://yurase_ima_wo.livejournal.com Charlotte

if you like “earth apple” (potato), you might like the Dutch word for potato, I suppose. We still use exactly that, earth apple. Except, of course, in Dutch (aardappel).

Middle English sounds very interesting, but unfortunately, as a non-native English speaker, I have difficulties with vocabulary (and everything else that comes with learning new languages) enough as it is.
Larry Day

The Dutch word for potato is aardappel (earth apple). It has occurred to me that it would be easier to read Middle English if one were bi-lingual in English and Dutch.

http://www.speaknowpeaceworks.wordpress.com Cheryl

I deliciated in reading this blog post. It also prompted me to kench several times. I’d love to use lots of these words in my everyday speech, but I’m sure I’d make myself ludibrious by jargogling them all.
scrochet

Well said, more words for my palate to drive my family crazy.
joan

Looks like a few of us are into scriptitation! We should avoid perissology or the editors will see the $$ signs in our eyes and refuse to read any other syllable we ever submit to them. -J

Heather Carreiro

Per-word payment encourages perissology for writers and discourages it for editors!

http://aclairedawn.blogspot.com Claire Dawn

In Barbados, we call people who like rum a little too much “bibbers.” Wonder if it came from “bibesy.”

Heather Carreiro

Wow that’s so interesting! I wonder how you could find out the etymology – seems like there’s a good chance that the two words are related due to the similar meaning.

Angie

Can’t help but wonder if bibesy is derived from “imbibe”. As soon as I saw the word and definition imbibe came to mind.

Maggie

It’ll probably have come from “Bibet,” the Latin root of Imbibe, which means “to drink” anything (rather than just alcohol).

jizzo

Bask in my illecebrous glow, as I roam freck, like a ninja in the twitter-light. In this widdendream after a good brannigan, I have been searching for that yemeles hoddypeak George Bush, whilst I might give him a quagswagging. With the weap…ons I’ve been able to corrade, I kench and deliciate with thoughts of revenge. The fate of that ludibrious jollux who perpetuates sanguinolency is malagrugrous. Do not be jargogled, I brabble not. Let this scriptatation be the record. I do apologize if this has become a perissology…now, for some bibesy.

Heather Carreiro

This made me laugh out loud (well okay the part about the “yemeles hoddypeak” was what got me). That’s talent to be able to use all these words in a single paragraph and make it sound poetic. Surely you deliciate in words. : )

http://www.travelmedianinja.com joshywashington

I have already used the word Jargogle 3 times since I read this post…and the funny thing is the almighty spellcheck doesn’t recognize jargogle so it must be dead!!

I think freck sounds like an expletive…”this frecking internet connection is frecking weak!”

Heather Carreiro

Jargogle is one of my favorites too! I’ve been using it all week.

Jonscott

I deliciated in these words even as I fought to overcome the tendency of my brain to jargogle as I read them. … some even led me to kench. I must admit; at first glance the list does seem like a corraded gathering of nonsense sounds. And one would have to suppress a fear of becoming the ludibrious focus of some uninformed dimwit were these words to be used in certain environs.

Still, if the insult were directed at the right sanguinolent individual (particularly someone recently returned frm a brannigan) the outcome, for the unfortunate source of such a jibe, might well be rather malagrugrous. Of course, not being one personally to brabble, my tendency, were I to be in that situation, would be to freck to place of safety rather than remain quagswagging in fear of fisticuffs. Any hoddypeak would know better than to remain!

Of course, the circumstance could lead to one experiencing a widdendream resulting in bibesy and, should one over indulge, amoment of yemles – possibly finding some gentleman’s lady illecebrous to the point of behaving inappropriately.

Alas this scriptitation, and the fact that it is way beyond twitter-light, appears to have led to a bout of perissology, for which I beg your indulgence.
Indy

Chosing Malagrugrous as in the Seattle weather’s malagrugrous today.
http://rryalsrussell.com Rebecca Ryals Russell

What’s so great about these words is people will think you made them up but you know they’re for real. Can’t wait to use them in conversation.
Pingback: Saving the Words « ktravula – a travelogue!
Mary Kay Bearden

I loved this article! Like “me” above, I use the word absquatulate often. (as in, my best friend’s husband absquatulated while she was on vacation.) and that’s no bushwa.
Another wonderful source for unusual words is Mrs. Byrne’s Dictionary of Unusual and Preposterous words.

Heather Carreiro

Ooh thanks – hadn’t heard of that book yet. : )

Caspar

Yeah. Fun! I’m in.
Pingback: QA Hates You » Blog Archive » New Words for Your Status Meeting
http://MonkeyBrewster.com Cornelius Aesop

Wow I love this list I want to use almost every word right away.

Heather Carreiro

Do it! One reader already challenged another to use all 20 in a poem, and it was done successfully – I was quite impressed.

SD Dalton

Thank you. Alas, I was not able to get it into one paragraph as your other reader did!

Pingback: Matador Reader Challenged to Use 20 Obsolete English Words in a Single Poem
http://budgettravelerssandbox.com Nancie

There are so many great words here. I have to go with “deliciate”

They often deliciate with a good bottle of wine at their favorite sidewalk cafe.

Heather Carreiro

Mmmm. I can’t wait to deliciate in the spiced apple bread I’ve got baking in the oven. : )

http://mentalcrud.wordpress.com mentalcrud

I’m gonna start using all of these all the time.
Pingback: Glenwood Agency » it’s only going to be as easy
Pingback: Dorkbyte reads: the “OMG my pants are on fire!” edition | dorkbyte.com
http://writelife.net/ Bill Wren

Corrade sounds like a variation of corral. Or corral is a variation of corrade. Either way, verb-wise they seem to mean the same thing. Just sayin’ …
Pingback: weapons of massdistraction › Points of Control
Pingback: Clicks for November 17, 2010 | Welcome to Link Chick's Clicks
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/ Mary Mark Ockerbloom

“Sanguinolent” seems like the perfect descriptor for the current over-population of vampire fiction spinoffs in both the young-adult and adult sections of bookstores…
Pingback: Unstressed Syllables › NaNoWriMo Update, Part 3
Pingback: Words that need to come back to English | The Daily Dust | Good News from the UK
Pingback: Thirty Three Things (v. 24) » First Thoughts | A First Things Blog
Pingback: Articles I’ve Read This Week « …the bound dragon…
http://www.4qlearning.com Katya

Find my example with the word _Delicate_ at http://twitter.com/4qlearning
Pingback: Deliciate in the ludibrious… « (Roughly) Daily
Pingback: Twitter-light « Faith Returns Home
http://ariehzimmerman.livejournal.com Arieh Zimmerman

May I please add ‘aposiopesis, (sp?).
The act of going into another room and upon reaching it, forgetting why you came for.

Heather Carreiro

Ooh I like that one. I’ve been doing that a lot recently…

http://storycomments.blogspot.com Jen Bee

I just kenched while reading this; I often inadvertently laugh out loud while reading books and always thoroughly embarrass myself. Thankfully there was no one around this time. Jargoggle has to be my favourite though I will be using them all, and definitely squeezing some into my creative dissertation.
http://2blog2share2learn.edublogs.org/ VRBurton

Thanks for the mental workout.

To deliciate in the commotion caused by jargogling my students by using new words in a corraded sentence leads me to kench.
marian king

I hate to brabble, but I had to kench when I read this article. It seems that Heather’s brain may be a bit jargogled: Her malagrugrous use of the English language has led me to the conclusion that, instead of deliciating in antiquated words, Heather would do well to spend her time less yemelesly by brushing up on her present-day language, specifically grammar and spelling. She claims to be a teacher; one would hope she is not a teacher of ENGLISH!!

Heather Carreiro

I’ve decided to take this comment as a compliment. : ) Current slang does jargogle me – living abroad can do that!

Longbowman

The vire, maaaan, the vire. Totally slayed my job, dude. Totally slayed the longbow.
Pingback: 20 More Awesomely Untranslatable Words From Around the World
Sarah

Very few, if any, of these words are in the dictionary. They aren’t words.

Heather Carreiro

Hey Sarah,

You won’t find these words in a contemporary dictionary because they are obsolete, meaning they’ve gone out of use. You can find them in the Oxford English Dictionary, an amazing resource that also includes words from Early and Middle English. Generally you need to subscribe or have access to a library in order to access the OED. If you read anything in Middle English or even some Early Modern English, you’ll find these words in use.

EGB

A wonderful piece! However, I am fine when words based on bigoted ethnic stereotypes are reduced to historical curiosities. (Looking at you, “brannigan.”)

Heather Carreiro

Hi EGB,

Thanks for your comment, and I apologize if the choice of the word “brannigan” comes across as offensive. Based on the historical examples of its usage and the etymological details listed in the OED, I didn’t interpret the word as based on ethnic stereotypes, but I admit I’m not an expert on late 19th century and early 20th century North American slang. My intent was not to be reductive, and if you would like to add details here in the comments about why that word is offensive/should NOT be put back into use, please feel free to add them. The conversation is always open and critical feedback welcome!

Heather

Andrew

A few years ago, I heard of a word meaning “to look at someone who has just produced some food in the hopes that you will be offered some.” I have completely forgotten what the word is, but find it applicable several times a day! Anyone know what it is?
Pingback: Friday Menagerie: Collection 21
Pingback: Things You May Have Missed Last Week (№6) | Atomic Fez Publishing
Pingback: 20 Words That Should Make a Comeback - FishbowlLA
http://ChristaWrites.com Christa Fletcher

This is such a great article. I thoroughly enjoyed reading each of these definitions. My friends and I circulated your article and created many sentences by playing with the words over IM. I thought I’d share my most recent creation for fun: “Teens love to post about ‘Twilight’ on Twitter during twitter-light.”

Thanks for your hard work and wordsmithery!

Heather Carreiro

Thanks Christa! So glad you enjoyed it. There are many more fun words in those two books by Erin McKeen – the majority listed aren’t obsolete, but they’re all rarely used.

I think you’ve created a new tongue twister with that ‘twitter-light’ sentence!

TJ

Absolutely enjoyed this! I’ve studied English officially for ten years now (I’m 20), but I’ve always thought of it as my second native. I just love how, well, corraded and flexible it is! Jargogling, even
Thanks for the great post!
whomichael

While I deliciate in corrading odd words , I fear they will jargogle people’s brains. I also fear attaining a ludibrious quality in which even dear friends (but especially hoodypeaks) would kench at my speech, or brabble with me about the l…egitimacy of my vocabulary. This could, in turn, move my personality to a malagrugrous state, and possibly cause a sanguinolency to develop within myself. Or I may depress myself into a bibesy state, chasing brannigan after brannigan, transmorphing myself into a jollux. My mind may then unravel into a widdendream, and I could spend my days frecking around and quagswagging about my house. Although I find old words illecebrous, I swear to never become yemeles in creating perissologous scriptitations to avoid these cruel fates in the twitter-light of my life.
Old Man Sedgwick

… If we want to reactivate ‘obsolete English words’, I hereby nominate ‘please’ and ‘thank you’.

Either those, or ‘tri-dapt spraggleflorm’. (The tri-dapt spraggleflorm was basically a brog danker with flumper runks, except that in the tri-dapt spraggleflorm, the hornswoggles were directly connected to the flubs.)
Pingback: This x That: Know This: SpaceX Falcon 9 become first commercial… | weeklypop
Crowbar

To c-c-c-combo break the pseudo-eloquent posts here that exist solely for the application of the above-mentioned terms in an otherwise superfluous and meaningless text, it is funny to point out that for instance “brabble” is used as a colloquial term with the exact meaning in German to this day, albeit in the Germanisation “brabbeln”.
Slugkid

Actually, the world sanguinolent is mildly used in spanish, still. I can tell since I’m argentinian. Sanguinary is a nicer word, and it’s pretty much the same.
endblink

I’m a huge fan of the word “philocalist.”

http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?s=philocalist&gwp=13
http://gilmoure.tumblr.com Gilmoure

Don’ jargogle me bro.

Lisa

please- easy on the ludibrious sanguinolency- it’s scares me.

Pingback: Free for all Friday, vol. 2 no. 18 | Sarah Et Cetera
Pingback: Grouchypants.net - Obsolete Words of the Day
Pingback: 20 obsolete English words that should make a comeback | eChurch Christian Blog
Colin Nicol

As a keen Scrabbler I checked to see which of these words were still allowable. No 3. CORRADE, 4. KENCH, 6. SANGUINOLENCY, 9. BRABBLE, 11. BRANNIGAN, 12. PERISSOLOGY and obviously both parts of No. 19. TWITTER & LIGHT, but no hyphens, so not the whole thing are all valid plays in today’s game.
http://febrilemuse-infectious-disease.blogspot.com CM Doran

What fun! Bring them back….I’m going to use one…..the next post will be on La Boheme….which one to chose. Thanks for writing a great piece.
peter

my dad calls me jollux but im not fat
William Wilgus

I imagine they became obsolete because they’re awkward. For example, ‘verbose’ or ‘verbosity’ is much less awkward than ‘perissology’.

Alice

My thoughts exactly.

http://yellowfat.wordpress.com Dixon

Dear Heather,
Wonderful article (which I deliciated in, fully), and a bass player to boot!
(Us’ns gotta stick together, if for nothing else but to keep the guitards at bay!)
You’ve shown an eleemosynary streak a mile wide by bringing these agèd orphans back into literary light and life…thank you, and good on ya!

Heather Carreiro

Thanks Dixon! What kind of bass do you play?

Max Entropy

James Taranto was on a campaign to bring back “Kerfuffle”.
If you can slip it into a sentence, it brings out a round of “what was that?”

Heather Carreiro

What does kerfuffle mean? It has a great sound to it.
http://storycomments.blogspot.com Jen Bee

Bring back kerfuffle? I didn’t think it had left. I’ve always used it…

“A disorderly outburst or tumult”

mk bearden

I remember I first heard the word “kerfuffle” a few years ago – then it seemed I heard it many times over the next few months. Haven’t heard it lately, but someone “trying to bring it back” sounds like a true story to me!
Casey

Anatiferous – adj.- producing ducks.

Fromt he 17th century dictionary at St. Johns College, Oxford, England
http://thetriondexperiment.blogspot.com The Triond Experiment

My math teacher in highschool call the dumbest of the class hoddypeak. I was one of them. I wonder what happened to Mr. Tillman?
Pat

Fascinating. I’m wondering if “jollux” is the real reason that we say that fat men are “jolly”?
Luc

I enjoyed the list, and in regards to #15 Bibesy’s origin, I definitely noticed a connection between it and the Latin “bibere,” which means “to drink.”

Paul

Many of these have a Latin Origin, in fact. Bibesy (bibere = to drink), scriptitation (scriptitare = to write constantly), illecebrous (illeceber = alluring).

http://www.santafetravelers.com santafetraveler

Love the obsolete English- sounds a little bit like it escaped from the pages of Lewis Carroll. Twas brillig!
http://www.goseewrite.com/ Michael Hodson

I have rarely enough a post this much lately.
Andrea

I choose “deliciate”. It will be my New year’s resolution….More opportunities to deliciates, please!

Brian McCann

I’m thinking that “deliciate” would be something Sarah Palin would say in a hot tub with champagne and chocolate…

Heather Carreiro

Oh Brian, you just ruined this word for me now that I pictured her saying it in my head.
http://www.google.com/ Jera

Dz2uBh Very true! Makes a change to see someone spell it out like that.

Pingback: 20 Obsolete English words that need to be resurrected post haste « Hands Wide Open
Debaloo

I agree with your assessment of “jollux.” I liken it to the fun modern word “chillax.” Hmmm. Maybe adding an “x” just makes works more fun.
serenity

Thank you! Brought up a few smiles of delight….love any word i dont hear overused!!
http://douglassigler.com Doug Sigler

Heather,

One of my favorite words that is little used in the US language is Haver:

Verb to haver (third-person singular simple present havers, present participle havering, simple past and past participle havered)

1.(UK) To hem and haw
2.(Scottish) To maunder; to talk foolishly; to chatter; talking nonsense; to babble
http://www.samehands.blogspot.com Alex

Symphysy is a good one also
Pingback: obsolete words that should make a comeback « Thing of the Day
Althea Estey

I’m a little jargogled by all the ludibrious brabbling in congress. I wish those hoddypeaks would freck a little, corrade a lot, and stop quagswagging the American people. All the yemeles perrisology in the world is not going to change the fact that it is their job to turn in a budget. Congress seems to be stuck in a widdendream. They should have had this done long before twitter-light Friday. I am sadly pushed into bibesy over it all and find that a brannigan is becoming more and more illecebrous! A little kenching and deliciating sounds like fun. If this isn’t resolved soon, the American people are going to be overcome with sanguinolency and head for DC to take the malagrugorous jolluxes to task.
2 seconds ago · Like

Heather Carreiro

Love it! You should send this statement to your senator.
Rahul Maurya

What a beautiful &meaningfull use of all these forgotten words you have managed to carve out of your brain. Really nice.
Sherby

You make it seem like that all just came tumbling out of your head on the spur of the moment.
Jules9599

You are amazing!
Ron Serina

A timely and artful display of verbal gymnastics …well done
James H

Genius!

Kaitlyn

Hey linguistics major, the last word should be slowly. Otherwise I enjoyed this post

Heather Carreiro

LOL – totally didn’t notice that. I just wrote it how I would actually say it!

Es

to brabble is used widely in Holland. We call it ” brabbellen”
Ik brabbel – I brabble

Anonymous

It’s not used in the same context though. Brabble here means squabbling. Brabbelen in Dutch is the same as babbling

Cody Barrus

My favorite was ‘brannigan’, I will be sure to use that word soon, particularly in the midst of a brannigan for optimum effect
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_HALGYCUPTCCR5KOEW3VX5Z7M5I Susan K

These words are all so useful. I love the sounds and meanings and am working on incorporating them into my speech.
Thekings_za

Excellent work, can we consider
maffick [ˈmæfɪk]vb (intr) Brit archaic to celebrate extravagantly and publicly[back formation from Mafeking (now Mafikeng), from the rejoicings at the relief of the siege there in 1900]mafficker n
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_Z6742IA2SESDM2ULT3Y6MIAHHU Random Luser

This is just copypasta
Judoqueen2016

Instead of using lol, I’ll just say ‘kench’!
Kench.
Rhainebow

you actually used the non-word “alright”??? shameful. it’s “all right”.
Ming the Merciless

Sanguinolent is not an English word but french for “bloody”…modern spelling: “sanglant”,
although both have a slightly different meaning.

But “old English” evolved from german dialect to French creole anyway.

It came from Saxon servants imitating their Norman masters…who where treating them dreadfully.

But not worse than the Anglo-Saxons treated the Celtic population they invaded from Germany.

But Celts themselves invaded from southern Russia…God know what population they invaded and slaughtered in England!
Ming the Merciless

Sanguinolent is not an English word but french for “bloody”…modern spelling: “sanglant”,
although both have a slightly different meaning.

But “old English” evolved from german dialect to French creole anyway.

It came from Saxon servants imitating their Norman masters…who where treating them dreadfully.

But not worse than the Anglo-Saxons treated the Celtic population they invaded from Germany.

But Celts themselves invaded from southern Russia…God know what population they invaded and slaughtered in England!
Irish Cailin

Didn’t Laura “Brannigan” sing that song “Gloria” back in the late 70s – early 80s? hahaha
http://prussan.soup.io Prussan

What about Zemblanity? It’s the opposite of serendipity and hence means to, unsurprisingly, discover an unhappyness.

“Oh, the zemblanity of it all!”
Jwideman62

Next thing on the App market “TwitterLite” That way you don’t have to see all the ppl who update twitter while on the John.
Jwideman62

Next thing on the App market “TwitterLite” That way you don’t have to see all the ppl who update twitter while on the John.
Stephanie3235

I love this! But it would be quite helpful if you put the pronuciations in here because I dont want to use to wrd and prononce it wrong.
savethewords

Other wonderful obselete words:
Apanthropanization — withdrawal from the social world
Dodrantal — nine inches in length
Squiriferous — gentlemanly
Gargamont

My mood turns malagrugrous now that we will be unable to freck to your illecebrous corrade. How I long to deliciate and kench while endulging my sanguinolency unto the scant twitter-light! My bibesy compels me to jargogle myself with a ludibrious brannagan, exhibiting renowned yemeles, until I’m found brabbling and quagswagging like a hoddypeak! Please pardon this perissology of a scriptitation. I am after all a jollux in a widdendream.
fdvce

you forgot Flibbertigibbet
http://lisahendrix.com Lisa Hendrix

I believe yemeless still is in use. We just spell & pronounce it as aimless.
http://www.authorjulieglover.blogspot.com Julie Glover

How can one not wish to bring back jargogle, brabble, and quagswagging? They roll off the tongue like teasers, and I deliciate each of them. Thanks for these words with meanings that are not the least bit obsolete. Too bad no one else will know what I’m talking about when I use them!
http://www.authorjulieglover.blogspot.com Julie Glover

How can one not wish to bring back jargogle, brabble, and quagswagging? They roll off the tongue like teasers, and I deliciate each of them. Thanks for these words with meanings that are not the least bit obsolete. Too bad no one else will know what I’m talking about when I use them!
Scott

What Fun! Thank you for putting this up.
http://www.myducttapelife.com Michael Walden

I love the looks you get from people when you use words such as these in a conversation!
http://www.myducttapelife.com Michael Walden

I love the looks you get from people when you use words such as these in a conversation!
Graham L

This is somebody who loves English, is it! ”I hate it when I’m frecking through the airport and other people are going so slow.” You mean slowly, not slow. Slow is an adjective, not an adverb.

VonMalcolm

Slow can be used as an adverb informally.
VonMalcolm

Slow can be used as an adverb informally.

Followingsunshine

I don’t know if I can pronounce them, but I do know we need to upscale the language.
Followingsunshine

I don’t know if I can pronounce them, but I do know we need to upscale the language.
Taimunozhan

Ereyesterday and overmorrow FTW!
Taimunozhan

Ereyesterday and overmorrow FTW!
Taimunozhan

Ereyesterday and overmorrow FTW!
http://keycaptchaured.wordpress.com/wp-admin/edit-comments.php?comment_status=spam&paged=07 Conspywrightor

Deliciating my widdendream from scriptitating perissology about illecebrous hoddypeaks in twitter-light
http://keycaptchaured.wordpress.com/wp-admin/edit-comments.php?comment_status=spam&paged=07 Conspywrightor

Deliciating my widdendream from scriptitating perissology about illecebrous hoddypeaks in twitter-light
http://keycaptchaured.wordpress.com/wp-admin/edit-comments.php?comment_status=spam&paged=07 Conspywrightor

Deliciating my widdendream from scriptitating perissology about illecebrous hoddypeaks in twitter-light
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=703601305 Laney Stevens Nielsen

one thru four
love ya for them
thanks
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=703601305 Laney Stevens Nielsen

one thru four
love ya for them
thanks
Dillo

Jaysus, Mary, and Joseph, doesn’t Irish English count?
Rferrara67

great stuff (and i use ‘stuff’ as a major compliment).
i’ve been told there is a site by linguists that predicts words used today that will become obsolete in the next 20, 50, 100 years. if you know where i can find this please let me know.
rferrara67@yahoo.com
am aware languages tend to keep numbers, body parts and pronouns but others fade away.
many believe, with good reason i think, that our DO verb will be lost ( non-native english speakers would love this to happen today!) and a word such as ‘any’ could also die out.
a sentence like “do you have any money?” can easily be understood thru inflection using just “you have money?”
appreciate your site and any help you can provide with the site i’d love to visit.
thank you.
Rferrara67

i verified my email but then noticing you have fees for the service i have decided NOT to subscribe
please therefore remove me from your list of subscribes immediately as i am not in any financial position these days to spend money i do not have.
it was disappointing to find that trying to email you from the email address you contacted me by as well as the email shown for contacting you both failed – for this reason i am sending this email to you and saving a copy for my files.

please confirm by return email this has been done and thank you for your understanding.
rferrara
http://www.tiecoon.com/neckties/tiecolor.html Tie Color

Cravate Motif. Bring it back.
http://www.tiecoon.com/neckties/tiecolor.html Tie Color

Cravate Motif. Bring it back.
http://milano.bbakeca.com/ Bakeca Milano

Very interesting article…thanks for sharing!
Rick

Great stuff…..I find that brabble might be one of the most useful on the list….I find that I brabble on the most insignificant, trivial stuff. But that is sometimes such a simple thing to deliciate in.
http://twitter.com/crispsearingice kb

I love how you breathed life into these dormant joys!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Angel-Firestone/1410862224 Angel Firestone

Makes me sad that such words are not being used. Probably because they’re being replaced with words like “mankini,” “jeggings,” and “OMG.”
http://www.facebook.com/mark.s.hankins Mark S. Hankins

I’m in favor of “codswallop” and I use some word that are almost obsolete like “feckless” fairly often.
http://twitter.com/MikeSlickster Mike Slickster

My ex-wife was the queen of brabble ~
Guest

I wonder if Heather was not engaging in perissology herself, given her redundant example.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=29007195 Heather Foster

Congrats, Heather! This article was on AOL’s newsfeed today. You’re moving up in the world!
http://twitter.com/ColleenWelsch Colleen Welsch

Bibesy – are you sure it doesn’t mean when you have a desire that is too earnest AFTER you drink? i.e. sex, taco bell, etc.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Leonardo-Almeida/100000203599332 Leonardo Almeida

Interesting…That’s for you Steve Burnett, from Chicago, IL, who is now in Toronto, Canada, but wanted to be in Los Angeles, CA writing pseudo-intellectual books.
Tarun Sharma130

A good one–of corrading such illecebrous words that can potentially put the user in widdendream, jargogle their brains, get them termed ludibrious, deliciate and kench the reader and at the end of it might be classified as perissology. ..Tarun
Dmajor

I’m surprised that JK Rowling never used Malagrugrous as the name of a character. Also, “twitter-light” isn’t bad, but why use it when “crepuscule” is available?
http://coolmainpress.com/ajwriting/ Andre Jute

Deliciating in the power of words, quagswagging the prissy oneshttp://coolmainpress.com/ajwriting/archives/2441
http://lupussolusluna.blogspot.com/ LoboSolo

Actually, I find most of these boring … which is likely why they fell out of the tung. If you’re trying to wrap your tung around Middle English then you likely know that widdendream itself is a corruption of wodendream. There you can also see the true root which is also the root of the word wode (madness, insanity) which can sometimes be found in the phrase “to wax wode” (to grow angry).
http://www.facebook.com/people/Matt-Cola/734345460 Matt Cola

I’m just mildly disappointed that the word fisticuffs didn’t make it in here.
http://twitter.com/Brimshack northierthanthou.com

Must use some of these words, and SOON!!!
http://twitter.com/ewillse ewillse

I might have mis-parsed “bibesy,” from its definition, a too-earnest desire after drink. I thought it meant… handsy after having a few.
Dee

i would like to add the word “smote.” not enough smoting in this day and age.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1010920383 Daniel Dowd

I LOVE this list and absolutely agree that malagrug should be a noun. I know a few malagrugs – bunch of Puddleglums, they are. If the word does not find its way into the language naturally, those of a mind to generate literature could always make a fictitious race called the Malagrugs who are interminably morose.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1010920383 Daniel Dowd

I LOVE this list and absolutely agree that malagrug should be a noun. I know a few malagrugs – bunch of Puddleglums, they are. If the word does not find its way into the language naturally, those of a mind to generate literature could always make a fictitious race called the Malagrugs who are interminably morose.
Tiggypop

Please! People can hardly spell the words we’re throwing around now! LOL

20 obsolete English words that should make a comeback

11. Brannigan

12. Perissology

13. Quagswagging

14. Hoddypeak

15. Bibesy

16. Scriptitation

17. Widdendream

18. Yemeles

19. Twitter-light

20. Illecebrous

Community Connection

Related Posts

Heather Carreiro

More By This Author

Subscribe to Matador

The best travel articles each week. No spam.

Breaking stories, announcements, events, and more.

Quick-Read

Quick-Read

Quick-Read

Feature

Feature

Feature

Feature

Quick-Read

Feature

Feature

Feature

Feature

Feature

Matador Network © 2006-2012

About Matador

Sections

Become a Contributor

New Media School