Interesting Words for Kids and Adults

Comprehension of words

To add to my vocabulary and to help my understanding I look up interesting words in old reference books and dictionaries. Some of them are outdated and some are new but they make amusing reading just the same if you have never heard of them. I have compiled a list of ten very interesting words which I have come across that I like a lot. Apologies, in advance, to any readers of this article who are already au fait with all ten words. I just like the polished sound of some of them. They are not in any particular order.

Encourage Kids to Learn Words

Interesting words for children

These obscure and somewhat pointless words may trigger a desire for kids to aquire greater knowledge. Reading dictionarys will be a start before they progress onto subject matter that interests them or inflames their desires to obtain knowledge. For some kids interesting words will be the catalyst they need to propel them into an enriched world of literature and all it offers. Practice new words with your children every day to excite them in their language and to help them understand the opportunities that exist for them to gain further education and fulfilment.

MALUM

Malum sounds like something that Gollum ( Sméagol, of LOTR fame) would say but it simply means apple. The word from the Latin may be derived from ‘malus’ which is apple tree.

SCILLICET

Scillicet means to explain, in a similar way to e.g. and i.e. For example if you were talking about the FDA you would use a scilicet after FDA to explain the acronym and make it more intelligible (Food & Drug Administration) or as in Malum above LOTR scillicet is ‘Lord Of The Rings’.

TETCHY

Tetchy means irritable or over sensitive. A similar word is touchy but ‘tetchy’ is touchy with a lot more attitude!

CHARLESTON

Charleston is a famous city in South Carolina, USA but maybe the word is more famous as a dance. The 1920s was the ‘Charleston era’ and the dance craze brought a new word called ‘flappers’ into common usage.

SUTTER’S MILL

Captain John Sutter diverted water to enable his sawmill wheel to turn. The disturbed land revealed gold glinting on the surface. Thus began ‘The Gold Rush’ and the population of San Francisco increased from less than 1000 citizens in 1848 to more than 100000 people in 1849.

TIGGER

Tigger is the name of the tiger friend of Winnie-The-Pooh and Christopher Robin in the stories by A. A. Milne. I love the sound of the word Tigger with its additional ‘g’.

ONOMATOPEIA

Onomatopeia is from the Greek and means word forming. Onomatopoeic words imitate the sound or action of the word itself. Examples are ‘hiss’ and ‘murmur’ and ‘cuckoo’ but there are many more.

OOZIUM

The Oozium bird flies backwards (or is reputed to do so) and does not know its destination but it does know where it has come from. From a weird short poem circa 1899.

NURDLE

Nurdle is a sporting term from the cricket field. To nurdle means to half heartedly hit the ball in order to score only one run.

OGOPOGO

Ogopogo is the name of Canada's most famous monster reputed to live in the waters of Lake Okanagan.

Ten interesting words

So ends my selection of what I consider to be quirky very interesting words although not many of them would be allowed in a Scrabble game. The true beauty of the English language is that I could compile another equally obscure list of weird words tomorrow. I find studying word lists to be very relaxing and helpful not only for crossword puzzle solving but as an aid to a good night’s sleep. As an insomnia cure I think about newly discovered words that I have learned in an effort to help me sleep and it works well for me. For book lovers and wordsmiths, reference books are invaluable and always welcome. Reading books of strange interesting words is great fun and interesting referenec books makes for quirky gifts at Christmas time, plus there are ample titles to choose from.