­
Which Words Do You Find Peculiar or Funny? in The AnswerBank: Word Origins
Donate SIGN UP

Which Words Do You Find Peculiar or Funny?

Avatar Image
bravejordy | 10:00 Sat 17th Mar 2012 | Word Origins
55 Answers
One word that always makes me laugh is "discombobulated".

Another, although the reason will be obvious, is "Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia" - the fear of long words!
Gravatar
Rich Text Editor, the_answer

Answers

1 to 20 of 55rss feed

1 2 3 Next Last

Best Answer

No best answer has yet been selected by bravejordy. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.

For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
-- answer removed --
extra means outside or beyond... beyond the ordinary... hippocampus is a nice word, it's part of the brain, not higher education for river-dwelling animals at all...
That word peculiar was for some reason always written by me as beculiar when I was young. I must have heard it and thought I knew how to spell it. Teachers always put a line through it, so I thought they didnt like the word and I would substitute another word like strange or whatever. It is only years later I found I had not been spelling it correctly!
Osenpheffercatsenellabogenbythesea
2shortplanks extraordinary actually does mean ' Beyond the ordinary' in other words it is something 'extra' to ordinary, so it is the opposite to ordinary.
Two of my favourites are deemed and tantamount. Each means that something that DIDN'T happen or is NOT the case is treated as if it DID or IS!
Knickers !!
The one which I find people getting wrong so often is Epicentre - they use it to mean "the absolute centre" when it doesn't - it means the point above the centre (as in the epicentre of an earthquake).

Triskaidecaphobia fear of the number 13
.. and I can't get right - circumambulation, meaning to circulate round something. for years I thought it was circumnambulation.
Something which is sesquipedalian is a foot and a half long. An elegant term, to my liking, despite the relentless drive to metrication
So many people use the word "vertigo" to mean "don't like/frightened of heights", when it has nothing to do with heights at all.
Question Author
Cheers, some really interesting words here. I'm a bit confused by your definition of deemed and tantamount, Quizmonster. I just thought "deemed" was another way of saying "felt" as in, "The judge deemed it necessary to hand out a custodial sentence" and that "tantamount" just meant "the same as" i.e. "his borrowing of the watch without asking was tantamount to theft."

boxtops, I too find I say "circumnambulation" and now I know it's wrong, the correct way actually seems weird!

Good one, Mike! Now I know why my girlfriend finished with me, she said her last boyfriend was sesquipedalian... I thought she was referring to the country he came from! (Sorry, couldn't resist that one, LOL)


Thanks again all, I appreciate the input.
Flabbergasted.

What exactly is a flabber and how is it gasted?
inflammable and flammable as they mean the same! Always think inflammable should mean NOT flammable!
Question Author
Totally agree with you, yogasun, this is something that's always baffled me too.
floccinaucinihilipilification


There is just no need is there ?
Question Author
Geez, that's a mouthful!
antidisestablishmentarinism - no need for it !
some words flummox me, either to spell or say. There is one which for no reason can explain has totally gone by, perhaps will think of it in a minute..
Mick, that's a word I can't say let alone spell. :)

Llanfairpwllgwll etc etc etc gogogoch is just cruel.

1 to 20 of 55rss feed

1 2 3 Next Last

Do you know the answer?

Which Words Do You Find Peculiar or Funny?

Answer Question >>

Related Questions

Sorry, we can't find any related questions. Try using the search bar at the top of the page to search for some keywords, or choose a topic and submit your own question.

Complete your gift to make an impact