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Favorite Word

I had a thought this morning, and realized that I couldn't narrow down my list of favorite words to just one. There are so many wonderful words out there, how can I possibly choose a single favorite! And so, I pose the question to you: What are your favorite words, and do you have more than one?

My apologies if a similar thread has already been started, I didn't see one...

My personal favorite words are currently:

Chimerical: adj.
1. unreal; imaginary; visionary: a chimerical terrestrial paradise
2. wildly fanciful; highly unrealistic: a chimerical plan

Serendipity: noun
1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident
2. good fortune; luck

Discombobulate: verb (used with object)
1. to confuse or disconcert; upset; frustrate: the speaker was completely discombobulated by the hecklers

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Michelle on September 6, 2010 at 12:21am

Grundgetta, I believe that was just body glitter in Twilight.

Permalink Reply by Loren Miller on May 24, 2010 at 8:13am

A couple come to mind:

Outstanding - Not one you hear very often, and you can enthuse when you say it.
Counter-intuitive - Especially since some things are NOT intuitively obvious, and need to be learned.

Permalink Reply by Michelle on September 6, 2010 at 12:23am

Nooooo! Loren you stole my favorite word of all time; counter-intuitive. It is one of those words that is so concise in describing what it means and it has a nice sound. I tend to like euphonious words in general but this one, even though it is a mix, still tops my list.
Counter-intuitive

Permalink Reply by sacha on July 6, 2010 at 3:42am

propinquity

In social psychology, propinquity (from Latin propinquitas, nearness) is one of the main factors leading to interpersonal attraction. It refers to the physical or psychological proximity between people.

Propinquity can mean physical proximity, a kinship between people, or a similarity in nature between things.

nearness or proximity

propinquitās (Latin)

1. nearness, propinquity, proximity (in space or time)
2. (figuratively) connection, affinity, kindred, relationship (of people)

Permalink Reply by Stephen Moore on September 6, 2010 at 12:12am

My favourite word is kumquat; the sound of the word, the movement of the mouth in pronunciation, that it is two alliterative syllables. There is, for me, also a sexual allusion with the word, in the form of "come squat" (a directive to engage the 'cowgirl' position [links to wikipedia article with illustrations, so probably NSFW]; and then there is the Monty Python song Sit on My Face) and "cum squat" (which I shall leave to the reader's imagination).