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Lost Words: S-Z

A-E F-M N-R S-Z Index


saburrate v 1623 -1658
to put sand or gravel in a ship as ballast
Fortunately, the ship was thoroughly saburrated, or else it would surely have capsized.
sacricolist n 1727 -1727
devout worshipper
She was a skeptic, but became a sacricolist after her father's death.
sagittiferous adj 1656 -1858
bearing arrows
The general ordered that some of his foot-soldiers should thereafter be sagittiferous.
sagittipotent adj 1656 -1656
having great ability in archery
The sagittipotent hunter found himself unable to kill the beautiful white stag.
sarcinarious adj 1656 -1656
serving to carry a burden or load
His sarcinarious draught-horse could take no more, and collapsed on the desert sands.
scaevity n 1623 -1658
unluckiness; left-handedness
She attributed her failure to evil forces, but her family felt it was a matter of scaevity.
scandiscope n 1825 -1825
machine for cleaning chimneys
The scandiscope removed soot, but also what might have been reindeer droppings.
scathefire n 1632 -1796
great destructive fire; conflagration
Despite the scathefire that razed the town, its citizens were determined to rebuild.
scelidate adj 1877 -1877
having legs; legged
The legless dragon of Eastern myth contrasts with its scelidate Western counterpart.
sceptriferous adj 1656 -1658
bearing a scepter
The court's sceptriferous seneschal had a primarily symbolic function.
schismarch n 1657 -1657
founder of a schism
The schismarch of the People's Front of Judea was hated by his former allies.
secability n 1842 -1842
capability of being cut
The limited secability of Kevlar makes it an ideal material for modern armour.
sedecuple n 1690 -1690
quantity sixteen times another
She enjoyed the Slinky, though her age was the sedecuple of her granddaughter's.
sementine adj 1656 -1656
pertaining to sowing; of the time of seeding fields
This year's drought means that our springtime sementine efforts were in vain.
senticous adj 1657 -1657
prickly; thorny
He pricked himself on a senticous bush as he searched about for his golf ball.
seplasiary n 1650 -1658
seller or producer of perfumes and ointments
She had an allergic reaction after the seplasiary sprayed her in the eyes.
sermonolatry n 1859 -1859
excessive devotion to sermons
We moved to a church across town because of our pastor's excessive sermonolatry.
sevidical adj 1656 -1656
speaking cruel and harsh words; threatening
I will not tolerate your sevidical tone and manner, you filthy peasant!
sevous adj 1725 -1725
like tallow or suet
The sevous mixture wouldn't harden, and so the whole batch of candles was ruined.
siagonology n 1895 -1895
study of jaw-bones
Reliance on siagonology alone led to the proliferation of the Piltdown Man hoax.
sigilism n 1865 -1865
act of revealing the secrets of the confessional
After learning of such atrocities, it is only natural that he would consider sigilism.
sinapistic adj 1879 -1879
consisting of mustard
The chef's sinapistic sauces delighted connoisseurs of French cuisine.
sireniform adj 1849 -1852
having the lower legs abnormally joined into a single limb
When they learned that their child had a sireniform deformity, they were devastated.
slimikin adj 1745 -1745
small and slender
She was a slimikin young woman who often flirted with the schoolboys at the academy.
snobographer n 1848 -1966
one who describes or writes about snobs
The editors scrapped the society page because it was full of pretentious snobographers.
sodalitious adj 1656 -1730
of or belonging to society or to fellowship
Sodalitious camaraderie is the basis for gentlemanly life in this civilized era.
soleated adj 1623 -1656
shod like a horse
Because his steed was poorly soleated, he was unable to make good time on the trip.
solennial adj 1623 -1656
occurring once a year; annual
Welcome to our solennial celebration of the birth of our illustrious institution.
soloecal adj 1716 -1716
provincially incorrect
His soloecal Southern dialect cost him more than one job.
somandric adj 1716 -1716
pertaining to the human body
Today's athletes frequently exceed natural somandric limits with anabolic steroids.
sophronize v 1827 -1827
to imbue with sound moral principles or self-control
It is important that we sophronize children, not merely teach them facts.
sospital adj 1656 -1658
keeping safe and healthy; preserving from danger
The bodyguard's sospital functions were compromised by his love for his charge.
sparsile adj 1891 -1891
of a star, not included in any constellation
The prevalence of sparsile stars today reflects technical advances in telescopy.
speustic adj 1656 -1658
made or baked in haste
At the last minute, he thought to throw together a speustic pie for the gathering.
spiscious adj 1655 -1655
of a thick consistency
Her soups are both spiscious and delicious, though perhaps over-laden with salt.
sputcheon n 1842 -1878
metal lining of the mouth of a scabbard
The blade rang against the sputcheon as he drew it, eliminating the element of surprise.
squiriferous adj 1796 -1796
having the character or qualities of a squire
The squiriferous youth squandered his inheritance with astonishing rapidity.
stagma n 1681 -1820
any distilled liquor
I will touch neither wine nor stagma, though I do occasionally partake of ale.
starrify v 1598 -1675
to decorate with stars; to make into a star
She would often starrify her high school students' work, thereby infantilizing them.
stibogram n 1891 -1898
graphic record of footprints
The detective took stibograms from the scene, hoping they would lead to the culprit.
stigmatypy n 1875 -1875
printing portraits using dots of different sizes
The use of stigmatypy takes enormous effort, but provides little artistic benefit.
stiricide n 1656 -1656
falling of icicles from a house
The untended tenement was very dangerous in winter due to stiricide.
sturionic adj 1852 -1852
of or pertaining to the sturgeon
With its great sturionic strength, it leapt off the hook, never again to be seen.
succisive adj 1619 -1656
of time, spare or in excess
Because I worked so much harder than them, they envied my succisive rests.
suffarcinate v 1656 -1656
to load up; to stuff
His daughter suffarcinated the moving van with a hoard of old clothing, to his chagrin.
summotion n 1653 -1653
removal
The summotion of the unruly committee members was itself an unruly occasion.
supellectile adj 1615 -1843
of the nature of furniture
Our apartment is full of knick-knacks, but is lacking in supellectile necessities.
surgation n 1688 -1688
erection of the penis
His surgation caused him embarassment when he had to speak in front of the class.
synallactic adj 1853 -1853
reconciliatory
A synallactic dinner was a good idea, and helped them save their marriage.
tabernarious adj 1656 -1656
belonging to shops or taverns
Our tabernarious citizens have put before us their preposterous demands.
tantuple adj 1656 -1656
multiplied by the same number; so many times a given quantity
We expect a tantuple increase in this year's profits as well.
tauroboly n 1700 -1891
slaughter of a bull or bulls; pagan bull sacrifice
The cruelty of the matador led her to fight against tauroboly as an inhumane practice.
tecnolatry n 1899 -1914
worship or idolization of children
Despite her infertility, or perhaps because of it, she was known for her tecnolatry.
teliferous adj 1656 -1658
bearing darts or missiles
The teliferous battalion of soldiers advanced, knowing that they had the upper hand.
telligraph n 1783 -1903
charter outlining boundaries of landholdings
Fortunately, he still possessed the telligraph given to his great-grandfather.
temerate v 1635 -1654
to break a bond or promise; to profane
She would not compromise, for doing so would force her to temerate her vows.
tenellous adj 1651 -1651
somewhat tender
Their tenellous relationship, which was never strong, came under great strain.
tetanothrum n 1519 -1823
cosmetic for removing wrinkles
The proliferation of tetanothrums reflects the concerns of aging baby boomers.
teterrimous adj 1704 -1864
most foul
The fiend's teterrimous visage alarmed the librarian, who quickly closed the dark tome.
theomeny n 1623 -1656
the wrath of God
I may suffer theomeny for my beliefs, but at least I will have been consistent.
thural adj 1624 -1714
of or pertaining to incense
The mysteries of the ancient order involved the burning of thural herbs.
thysiastery n 1657 -1657
sacrificial altar
They laid the babe upon the thysiastery with his mother's willing consent.
tolfraedic adj 1703 -1905
of reckoning one hundred as 120; duodecimal
Unfortunately, our measures still have a strong component of tolfraedic reckoning.
tollation n 1688 -1688
act of lifting
The tollation of the child from the well required special equipment to be imported.
tornatil adj 1661 -1661
made with a wheel; turned on a wheel
The potter was a master of his tornatil work, but many of his pots broke during firing.
tortiloquy n 1656 -1656
crooked speech
I will not tolerate such tortiloquy in my court!
trabeal adj 1862 -1866
like a beam; of the nature of a horizontal beam
This trabeal support for the roof won't last more than a decade.
traboccant adj 1651 -1654
superabundant; excessive
Your traboccant generosity will no doubt be repaid twice over by the award recipients.
tragematopolist n 1656 -1658
confectioner; seller of sweets
No tragematopolist can match the appeal of a toy-store for young children.
trajectitious adj 1656 -1855
characterized by oversea transport
The trajectitious movement of sugar cane allowed the merchants to grow rich.
tremefy v 1832 -1832
to cause to tremble
His words tremefied the more gullible of onlookers, while others shook their heads.
triclavianism n 1838 -1838
belief that only three nails were used at Christ's crucifixion
My debate on triclavianism was ill-received by the priests, who felt it irrelevant.
tristifical adj 1656 -1656
causing to be sad or mournful
His tristifical wailing got the best of us, and we also were reduced to tears.
tropaean adj 1686 -1686
blowing from sea to land
The tropaean winds blew the raft ashore after long weeks at sea.
trophaeal adj 1646 -1660
pertaining to or adorned with trophies
Her trophaeal treasure trove was the only thing undamaged by the fire.
tudiculate v 1623 -1658
to bruise or pound; to work as with a hammer
He was brutally tudiculated by the bullies, so he started to work out.
tussicate v 1598 -1890
to cough
He tussicated throughout the opera, annoying nearby audience members.
uglyography n 1804 -1834
bad handwriting; poor spelling
Your uglyography conceals the cogency and brilliance of your ideas.
ulvose adj 1727 -1727
full of reeds or weeds
The ulvose marsh was drained, damaging the habitat of several species of waterfowl.
urette n 1840 -1840
dried animal urine absorbed into calcareous soil
The only sign it had ever been a pasture were the patches of urette and dried dung.
utible adj 1623 -1711
serviceable; useful
While the new system is much more expensive, at least it is utible.
utlegation n 1678 -1678
legal process by which someone is outlawed
The gunslinger's utlegation was no impediment to his efforts to find work.
uviferous adj 1656 -1656
bearing grapes or vines
The uviferous hills of Champagne are still renowned for their quality produce.
vacivity n 1656 -1721
emptiness
The vacivity of her mind can hardly be a consequence of her blonde hair.
vadiation n 1753 -1812
act of requiring a pledge
The secret society insisted that he must attend the vadiation ceremony before entering.
vadosity n 1658 -1658
fact of being fordable
The limited vadosity of the river presented an enormous barrier to the pioneers.
vampirarchy n 1823 -1823
set of rulers comparable to vampires
Some believe that we are secretly ruled by the Illuminati or a similar vampirarchy.
vanmost adv 1865 -1865
in the front; foremost
The vanmost brigade is expected to take very high casualties, unfortunately.
vappous adj 1673 -1673
flat; insipid
This chili has a vappous and unpleasant taste, unlike the other offerings.
vargeous adj 1779 -1779
resembling a rod; rod-like
He twirled his vargeous billy-club menacingly at the peaceful protesters.
vectarious adj 1656 -1696
belonging to a wagon or carriage
At the end of their vectarious voyage, he pulled out the engagement ring.
vellicle n 1676 -1676
something that pinches or holds fast
You need some sort of vellicle to keep the papers from falling all over the place.
venalitious adj 1656 -1656
of the sale of humans as slaves
Despite universal condemnation, venalitious practices abound in the Third World today.
venialia n 1654 -1654
minor sins or offences
Though he had done nothing heinous, all of his friends had been victims of his venialia.
venundate v 1623 -1656
to buy and sell
The farmer went to town once a month to venundate, but was otherwise solitary.
venustation n 1656 -1658
act of causing to become beautiful or handsome
The cream's manufacturer fraudulently promised venustation to those who used it.
veprecose adj 1721 -1721
full of brambles
When they moved onto the estate, the grounds were veprecose and untended.
veteratorian adj 1656 -1656
crafty; subtle
Your veteratorian villainy is no match for the might of my armies of men!
vicambulate v 1873 -1873
to walk about in the streets
Would you care to vicambulate with me on this fine evening, my dear?
viduifical adj 1657 -1657
widow-making
It is often said that golf is just as viduifical as war, and twice as pointless.
viliorate v 1722 -1722
to make less good; to worsen
The presence of gangs viliorates the quality of life for everyone in the neighbourhood.
vinitorian adj 1656 -1656
of or pertaining to tending vines
Though the orchard was more profitable, her vinitorian skills earned her respect.
virtival n 1794 -1794
metal support for an axle
Though he added virtivals to the cart, it fell to pieces at the first major jolt.
visotactile adj 1652 -1652
involving both touch and vision
The deaf man learned to make better use of visotactile input in his daily life.
vocitate v 1653 -1653
to name or call
I can understand giving a name to a dog, but who vocitates their houseplants?
volgivagant adj 1656 -1656
pertaining to the common people; poor or base; inconstant
Her political fortunes were tied to her ability to appeal to her volgivagant constituents.
vultuous adj 1633 -1721
having a sad or solemn countenance
The child's vultuous visage was the key to the team's successful con game.
weequashing n 1888 -1902
spearing of fish or eels by torchlight from canoes
The Scouts went out weequashing, but they forgot to obtain the proper permit.
welmish adj 1688 -1688
of a pale or sickly colour
Her welmish complexion was the first clue that she had become a full-blown addict.
woundikins int 1836 -1836
diminutive form of "wounds"; mild oath
He shouted, "Great woundikins!" upon striking his toe, much to their amusement.
xenization n 1818 -1818
fact of travelling as a stranger
This period of youthful xenization was the source of his later cultural tolerance.
yelve n 1000 -1886
dung-fork; garden-fork; to use such a fork
With her yelve and hoe never far from hand, she grew her crops the old-fashioned way.
zygostatical adj 1623 -1656
pertaining to a market official in charge of weights
His zygostatical training allowed him to cheat the scales undetected for decades.


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