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19 Amazing English Words We've Totally Forgotten About

Languages
by Matt Hershberger Aug 13, 2015

10. Empurple

To make something purple. It probably gets underused because there just aren’t many opportunities for us to discuss the making purple of things, but we could easily fix that by empurpling more of our lives.

11. Pilgarlik

Someone who is bald. Apparently, in the 16th century, they thought bald men’s heads looked like peeled garlic.

12. Crapulence

Easily the most amazing synonym for “hungover,” crapulence comes from the Latin word crapula, which just means “hungover.” Why we thought saying “I’m super hungover” sounded better than, “I’m completely crapulent right now,” we’ll never know. Another great term for hangovers is “the Woofits.”

13. Callipygian

One who is callipygian is one who has a nice ass.

14. Swullocking

Humid weather.

15. Snollygoster

An unprincipled politician. Though I really didn’t need to tell you that, you can basically feel the word’s meaning from its sound. It was a 19th century slang word that probably was a derivation of “snallygaster,” which was a mythical beast that supposedly haunted the hills around Washington, DC.

16. Nibling

A catchall, non-gender specific term for nieces and nephews, much like “sibling.”

17. Chasmophile

Simply enough, this is someone who loves nooks and crannies.

18. Scurryfunge

The act of hastily cleaning before a guest arrives.

19. Widdershins

Counter-clockwise. But isn’t this so much better than saying counter-clockwise?

h/t: Reddit, Huffington Post, Forgotten English, Time, and Mental Floss.

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