Thursday, January 22, 2009

Save the words

Remember how in the 80s, Cabbage Patch dolls would come with little adoption certificates? And you'd have a good feeling, 'cause you were saving some adorable, chubby-cheeked urchin from a life of drudgery, picking cabbage leaves or whatever? Well, I don't have a Cabbage Patch Kid anymore (little Oliver Wendell is languishing somewhere in my parents' attic, I think), but I've found something that provides similar warm fuzzies and similar uselessness to society at large: save the words.

You "pledge" to save a word by using it in conversation, or scrawling it on the subway or whatever. This clearly isn't a decision to take lightly, so here are the words I'm considering saving:

frutescent - shrublike

oncethmus - the loud and harsh cry of a donkey

legatarian - pertaining to a deputy

panchymagogue - medicine purging bodily fluids from the body

phylactology - science of counter-espionage

plebicolar - appealing to the common people

venustation - the act of becoming beautiful or handsome

So tough to choose...they all need good homes...and how do you know which ones are going to grow up to resent you, once they're accepted back into the lexicon thanks to your love and nurturing?

5 comments:

Jacob said...

I can't believe Xavier Roberts named a Cabbage Patch doll after a famous judge.

Oncethmus sounds like it could be so many cooler things than the loud and harsh cry of donkey.

Kate said...

Actually, Xavier Roberts didn't. My dad didn't care for the name that came with the Cabbage Patch Kid, and so renamed him. My 3-year-old self didn't know the difference (or the namesake reference) until years later.

Anonymous said...

Today's word of the day from merriam webster is "clepe," past tense "yclept." Definitely a keeper.

Scott

Kate said...

Scott, I think you get double dictionary karma points if you can resurrect that one.

Michelle said...

I've already adopted oncethmus. :-)

http://crows-feet.blogspot.com/2009/02/save-words-meme.html