Word for the day (As inspired by the"McJob is officially a word" thread)

[Big Easy King]

Okay folks, we've all come across some unusal or uncommonly used words. Indicate such a word and provide a definition, and keep it clean. I'll start:

Umlaut - "assimilation in which a vowel is influenced by a following vowel or semivowel." (The Random House Dictionary)

[Chet]

Originally posted by Big Easy King
Okay folks, we've all come across some unusal or uncommonly used words. Indicate such a word and provide a definition, and keep it clean. I'll start:

Umlaut - "assimilation in which a vowel is influenced by a following vowel or semivowel." (The Random House Dictionary)

Use it in a sentence.

[Zoning Goddess]

My fave is one you see frequently in zoning codes, but which normal people would never know: Elymosinary (spelling?, my home dictionary doesn't have it).

[Chet]

Hereditament. Any item physical or not which may be inherited or passed by title.

"Developer shall dedicate all improvements, easements, rights of way, buildings and structures, related appurtenances, and hereditaments to City prior to release of building permits..."

[Big Easy King]

Originally posted by Chet
Use it in a sentence.

The umlaut of vowels is influenced within the word "mouse" so that it's correctly transformed into its plural, "mice."

[Gedunker]

In German, "Umlaut" are the two small dots over vowels that change their sound, usually from short to long. I've never heard its use in English, but it is in my dictionary.

I agree with Churchill: "The old words are best and when short, better still". We are trying to use this idea in all of our staff reports, response letters, and so forth.

[otterpop]

Originally posted by Zoning Goddess
My fave is one you see frequently in zoning codes, but which normal people would never know: Elymosinary (spelling?, my home dictionary doesn't have it).

Zoning Goddess, is this the word you mean?

eleemosynary \eh-lih-MAH-sun-air-ee\ adjective: of, relating to, or supported by charity

It is one of my Dad's favorites.

[Budgie]

Some of my favorite words.

smegma
fop
slaughter
*****rdly
cunilingous
samovar
fungo

The censored word means miserly or enimic. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it's set for automatic censorship, since it's often mistaken for a most infamous word in the United States, given our history.

[donk]

My favourite word of late is

Main Entry: at·a·vism
Pronunciation: 'a-t&-"vi-z&m
Function: noun
Etymology: French atavisme, from Latin atavus ancestor, from at- (probably akin to atta daddy) + avus grandfather -- more at UNCLE
Date: 1833
1 a : recurrence in an organism of a trait or character typical of an ancestral form and usually due to genetic recombination b : recurrence of or reversion to a past style, manner, outlook, or approach <architectural atavism>
2 : one that manifests atavism : THROWBACK
- at·a·vis·tic /"a-t&-'vis-tik/ adjective
- at·a·vis·ti·cal·ly /-ti-k(&-)lE/ adverb

It describes the great unwashed that I deal with every day, plus HST uses it like others use expletives.