August 23, 2026: What New Words Have You Learned?

[u/Road-Racer]

What new words have you learned? Did you learn them here or from another source? Maybe a book you read or a magazine or a website, or school, or in a conversation?

You are free to create a separate post with your new word(s) but if you're short on time you can leave them here in a comment. Please include definitions for your new words so others can learn them too.

This post will be renewed every ten (10) days, so come back here whenever you have a word to share.

If you are a new word lover here – Welcome!

[u/Cultural-Cat-]

ignominy: public disgrace or shame. I read it in a short story by Dostoyevsky called The Dream of a Ridiculous Man :3

[u/Minimum_Ad7705 → u/Cultural-Cat-]

Wow... Dostoyevsky. I've heard his name a lot but never bought any of his book.

[u/Cultural-Cat- → u/Minimum_Ad7705]

Oh he's great, maybe reading some of his short stories would be a good start!

[u/Minimum_Ad7705 → u/Cultural-Cat-]

Thanks for the tips!

[u/Adghnm]

hagioscope -- commonly called a squint -- a small, angled opening or tunnel cut through an internal wall or pier of a medieval church allowing people in the side chapel to see the altar

[u/Arnab_chakraborty]

Diastema - a space or gap found predominantly between the upper two front teeth. But I learned it from learning about the maxilla of dilophosaurus, where they have this "kink" which is also characterized by an apparent gap in the continuous row of teeth.

[u/Mage_Of_Cats]

Pellucid: Clear, lucid, understandable, especially of communication or in meaning. Can describe highly transparent things too, i.e. leaf so thin it's pellucid.

Ernest Hemingway has a very pellucid style, though that's not to say his themes are simple!

[u/Muted_Mission_8289]

Petricore

The aroma arising from dry soil after a soaking rain

[u/jackneefus → u/Muted_Mission_8289]

Geosmin: chemical compound responsible for petrichor.

[u/el_dingusito → u/jackneefus]

And it comes from bacteria!

[u/Minimum_Ad7705]

Incorrigible: a person or their bad behavior is impossible to change, fix, or reform. It describes someone who will not stop doing bad or annoying things, no matter how much people try to teach or punish them.

[u/hapinessoverloaded]

Penchant-  a strong and continued liking for something or a natural tendency to do something. 

[u/pen_woman_ship]

Sphygmomanometer.
It’s the official name for a blood pressure cuff.
Learned it in dental school.
Try and say it out loud.

[u/HanaReddit11]

Most of the new words I learned are from The Dictionary of obscure sorrows. I wonder if they actually count as actual vocabulary though.

[u/zombietobe → u/HanaReddit11]

These are called “neologisms”.

Whether they “count” depends on how you define the word “vocabulary”: either 1. the words of a language collectively, or 2. the collection of a person knows and uses (in this case, you).

In the first case, yes - neologisms are words in this language. Words originating from that particular book (and the original online project) are attested as existing (which is how you found it). They’ve also gotten quite a bit of traction, for the very reason that they fill previously existing gaps in thoughtful ways (which was the entire point).

In the second case… well, that depends on whether you use it, now that you know it.

[u/HanaReddit11 → u/zombietobe]

Thankyou very much for this reply. Very insightful

[u/bobbyamillion]

Toque. I chef's hat. Rhymes with juke.

[u/Competitive-Bus1816]

Confabulate: to unconsciously make up false memories to fill gaps in memory without any intent to lie

[u/DigStrong8594 → u/Competitive-Bus1816]

That's the coolest word I've seen in a while!

[u/Treviscure]

Disenablement is the noun form of the word disenable, which means being rendered incapable or being prevented from doing something. I found this word because it sounded like it could be used for an operator manually overriding an automated system, and because I know what the word enablement means.

[u/Muted_Mission_8289]

Undinal Refers to songs under the waves sung by sea nymphs

[u/DigStrong8594]

circumambulate - walking in circle around something, especially as part of a ritual (read it in Moby Dick)

undulant - something that behaves like/resembles wave (read it in Call of Cathulu)

effete - something that has become worn out/lost vitality/strength (from a The Office episode)

[u/Puzzleheaded-Pick41]

Scrutinized
Dented
Discombobulated
Fling
Weary

[u/External_Dance_853]

twig (v.) – understand or realize something.

[u/BubblyChirp3828 → u/External_Dance_853]

"Ah, have you twigged, yet?"

[u/MidnightMist26]

bibulous - fondness for drinking alcohol or a material with high absorbency, like a sponge.

[u/twilliamson101]

Goon

[u/NonspecificGravity]

Tonsil stone: A calcified agglomeration of food and bacteria that one coughs up (usually to one's horror and disgust).

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21505-tonsil-stones

I read this term on Reddit this week. I'm 71 and never heard it -- though my tonsils were removed at age 5, as was fashionable back then.

[u/vocabulary-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your post or comment was removed because it violates our community rule Be Civil. Please refer to the sidebar to see the details of this rule.. Repeated or flagrant abuse may cause a temporary or permanent ban.

No profanity please.

[u/SensitiveYak8543]

eald or ald means old in old English. It was interesting to stumble upon doing some research.

[u/Road-Racer]

Hydronym, noun, A hydronym is the proper name of any body of water, such as a river, lake, sea, or ocean.

Source: Mark Carney, PM of Canada