Revision: 26 Words (one for each letter of the alphabet) - rather than 25.
I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to come up with 26 words (green) that I'd want tattooed on myself... However, I more than succeeded with this task and came up with 100+ (but I'll only post 100). I love words. I love the way they sound, what they mean, and I love typography more than anything. I expect I'll get a word cloud of some sort with each word in a different font on one of my thighs. I also hope to expand on this tattoo each year with a new word (or possibly choose 34 words - the yellow words are the additional 8 words - one for each year of my life). Obviously this tattoo is not quite done and I have a whole left arm sleeve that needs to be completed before I contemplate working on this one. But I wanted to find a list of words I enjoy (whatever their meaning).
Here is the list (the highlighted words are those I've chosen for the first 26). The choices I made, interestingly, have something to do with me in one form or another. Words that describe me (Audacious, Soliloquy). Words I use (Dystopia, Facetious). Words that remind me of something (Oubliette from Labyrinth, Yeoman from Robin Hood).
Any other suggestions??
1.
Audacious – Daring
2.
Acquiesce – To consent without protest
3.
Ampersand – The name for “&”
4.
Assuage – To make (something burdensome or
painful) less intense or severe; To pacify, calm
5.
Ballyhoo – Sensational or clamorous advertising
or publicity
6.
Botryoidal – Mineral with a globular form shaped
like a bunch of grapes
7.
Betwixt – Between
8.
Brouhaha – An uproar, hubbub
9.
Beguile – Deceive
10.
Cacophony – Jarring, discordant sound
11.
Caustic – Capable of burning, corroding,
dissolving, or eating away by chemical action
12.
Cornucopia – Horn overflowing with whatever its
owner desired, signifies prosperity
13.
Chrysalis – A protective covering
14.
Dystopia – A community or society that is
undesirable or frightening
15.
Druid – A priest in the ancient Celtic religion
16.
Disingenuous – Insincere
17.
Effervescent – Bubbly
18.
Equinox - Either of the two times during a year
when the sun crosses the celestial equator
19.
Euphoric – Feeling great happiness and
well-being
20.
Epiphany – A revelation
21.
Enrapture – Delight
22.
Epitome – Embodiment of the ideal
23.
Erstwhile – At one time, for a time
24.
Facetious – Playfully jocular, humorous
25.
Flibbertigibbet – A silly, scatterbrained person
26.
Grandiloquent – Using high-flown, pompous,
bombastic words and expressions
27.
Gumption – Boldness, initiative
28.
Hootenanny – Informal performance by folk
singers, typically with participation from the audience
29.
Harbinger – Messenger with news from the future
30.
Hyperbole – A deliberate exaggeration used for
effect
31.
Hoi Polloi – The common people
32.
Immolate – To kill oneself by fire
33.
Incognito – With one’s identity disguised or
concealed
34.
Ineffable – Indescribable or unutterable, Taboo
35.
Insatiable – Impossible to satisfy
36.
Insidious – Beguiling but harmful
37.
Jinglingly – So as to jingle
38.
Juxtaposition – Placing side by side,
especially for comparison or contrast
39.
Kismet – Fate, fortune
40.
Kerfuffle – A disorderly outburst or tumult
41.
Labyrinth – A maze
42.
Lachrymose – Inclined to weep
43.
Lascivious – Expressing lust
44.
Libertine – One who defies established religious
precepts; a freethinker
45.
Languid – Slow, listless
46.
Lithe – Flexible, graceful
47.
Mellifluous – Smooth, sweet sounding
48.
Mottephobia – Fear of Moths
49.
Moxie – Determination, nerve
50.
Misanthropy – Hatred or mistrust of humankind
51.
Moist – Slightly wet, damp
52.
Ne’er-do-well
– An idle, irresponsible person
53.
Nebulous – Cloudy, hazy; vague
54.
Necromancy – Practice of communicating with the
spirits of the dead; black magic
55.
Nefarious – Infamous by being extremely wicked
56.
Noctilucous – Shining in the night
57.
Obsequious – Exhibiting servile compliance
58.
Om – A mantric word thought to be a complete
expression of Brahman
59.
Onomatopoeia – Words that imitate the sound they
are describing (“quack,” “moo,” “boing”)
60.
Oubliette – A dungeon with a trapdoor in the
ceiling as it’s only means of entrance or exit
61.
Opulent – Ostentatious
62.
Panache – Dash, verve
63.
Paramour – A lover, especially one in an
adulterous relationship
64.
Penultimate – Next to last
65.
Penchant – A strong inclination
66.
Penumbra – A partial shadow, as in an eclipse
67.
Quintessential – Most essential
68.
Quiescent – Being quiet, still
69.
Quixotic – Extravagantly chivalrous or romantic
70.
Resplendent – Splendid or dazzling in appearance
71.
Reverie – Daydreaming
72.
Sarcophagus – An above-ground stone coffin
73.
Scintillating – Sparkling; A brilliant display
of wit
74.
Soliloquy – The act of speaking to oneself
75.
Serendipitous – Chance
76.
Splendiferous – Splendid
77.
Steatopygian – Having and excessive accumulation
of fat on the buttocks
78.
Superfluous – Being beyond what is sufficient
79.
Syzygy – The configuration of the sun, the moon
and the Earth lying in a straight line
80.
Thew – A well-developed sinew or muscle
81.
Tittle – A small amount; to giggle
82.
Tutelage – Guardianship; care, protection
83.
Ubiquitous – Omnipresent, being (or seeming to
be) everywhere at the same time
84.
Usurp – To seize and hold by force and without
legal authority
85.
Undulation – Movement in waves
86.
Vestige – Trace
87.
Vim – Enthusiasm, vitality
88.
Voluptuous – Characterized by ample,
unrestrained pleasure
89.
Wherewithal – The means
90.
Woebegone – Sorrowful, downcast
91.
Wanderlust – A strong, irresistible impulse to
travel
92.
Xesturgy – Polishing
93.
Xylomancy – Divination by examining wood found
in one’s path
94.
Xyloglyphy – Wood carving
95.
Yeoman – One who cultivates his own
land/craftsman/trader
96.
Yesternight – Last night
97.
Zen – A school of Mahayana Buddhism
98.
Zephyr – A gentle breeze
99.
Zither – A stringed musical instrument
100.
Zythum – Ancient Egyptian beer
.JPG)
