Word Journal

noun • the formal name for dirty talk; the practice of using graphic word imagery to heighten sexual pleasure before and during sexual intercourse, commonly a part of foreplay

noun • /ˈpər.lɪ.kjuː/ • the space between the thumb and index finger

noun • the buttocks

editor’s note: in addition to being another useful word for one’s posterior, curple does in fact rhyme with purple. it has been in the english language since the 1400s.

noun • /ɛpɪˈnɪsɪən/ • a triumphal ode commemorating a victory at the Olympic games; a song of triumph

noun • ˈdɪsfɪmɪz(ə)m • the substitution of an unpleasant word or expression for a pleasant one; the opposite of euphemism.

wikipædia says, “referring to the paper version of an online magazine as the ‘dead tree edition’ is an example of dysphemism.”

noun • /ælˈtɛrɪtɪ/ • the state of being different

noun • incomprehensibility of things; the state of being impossible to understand; the skeptic doctrine that knowledge cannot be certain.

From the Greek α̉- (privative) + καταλαμβάνειν (‘to seize’).

• rout • a rout of wolves
• clowder • a clowder of cats
• descension • a descension of woodpeckers
• disworship • a disworship of Scots
• mute • a mute of hounds
• raft • a raft of ducks
• unbrewing • an unbrewing of carvers
• neverthriving • a neverthriving of jugglers
• drunkenship • a drunkenship of cobblers
• shrewdness • a shrewdness of apes

noun • 1) the condition of something whose essence is fully realized; an actuality or perfect realization. 2) a vital force that directs an organism toward self-fulfillment; a catalyst to fulfillment.

noun • /ˈpur-kwuh-zit/ • any monetary or other incidental benefit beyond salary; a tip or gratuity.

Often shortened to perk. From Medieval Latin perquīsītum (‘an acquired possession’).

verb • /som-nam-byuh-leyt/ • to walk in one’s sleep.

From Latin somnus (‘sleep’) + ambulāre (‘to walk’).