veronica 2 Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 I care about animals becoming extinct, but words? Some words below heading for dictionary extinction apparently. Should we care. I haven't heard of lots of these ones. Abstergent Cleansing or scouring Agrestic Rural; rustic; unpolished; uncouth Apodeictic Unquestionably true by virtue of demonstration Caducity Perishableness; senility Caliginosity Dimness; darkness Compossible Possible in coexistence with something else Embrangle To confuse or entangle Exuviate To shed (a skin or similar outer covering) Fatidical Prophetic Fubsy Short and stout; squat Griseous Streaked or mixed with grey; somewhat grey Malison A curse Mansuetude Gentleness or mildness Muliebrity The condition of being a woman Niddering Cowardly Nitid Bright; glistening Olid Foul-smelling Oppugnant Combative, antagonistic or contrary Periapt A charm or amulet Recrement Waste matter; refuse; dross Roborant Tending to fortify or increase strength Skirr A whirring or grating sound, as of the wings of birds in flight Vaticinate To foretell; prophesy Vilipend To treat or regard with contempt Link to post Share on other sites
Amos in Utsunomia 0 Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 More and more of my English vocabulary is becoming more extinct the more I live in Japan and don't speak that much (more than basic) English. Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Most of those words went out of general usage well before I was born (and I'm a BOF!). As most of them have a single word equivalent/meaning, I cannot see the point of retaining them, especially as they are not used. Muliebrity is a good thing, however, so long as you have the correct gender. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 must say I don't care. I like new words. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 I like words. I like old words. I like big words.....and I like to use them to look smart! But those are extinct already. Language is not static - it is evolving, changing, growing and taking on new forms to easily represent the new things we encounter. As an interpreter who took a 10 year break from her profession I found that out in a big way. I had a whole new vocab to learn!! While I was gone mobile phones and the internet came into use ... just imagine all the new signs/terminology I had to pick up (and fast!). Go with it. Use it or LOSE it! Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 no need to be oppugnant about it, mama! Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 I would think that my right to be oppugnant would be well supported by my muliebrity, and that your years of experience would have shown it to be apodeictic. Link to post Share on other sites
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