National Dictionary Day is the perfect opportunity to learn a few new or, in this case, old words. We’ve come up with a list of 20 interesting words you and the kiddos can practice using in a sentence. Scroll down for the list.
photo: Seoulful Adventures via flickr
bantling: a young child
billfold: essentially, a wallet. A pocket for keeping bills and checks.
bluestocking: a woman of literary tastes or occupation
bonhomie (bon-o-me): good-heartedness
brownie: a beneficial spirit supposed to haunt old farm houses
canzonet: a short song
cassowary: a large bird resembling an ostrich
draggle: to wet or soil by dragging in the mud
firkin: a small wooden vessel for holding butter
gillyflower: a plant of the mustard family
jerkin: a short coat or jacket, not to be confused with gherkin, a kind of pickle
mavourneen: sweetheart, from the Irish
milliner: a maker of hats, specifically for women, including headdresses and other adornment.
orotund: characterized by fullness, clearness, strength and smoothness
pannikin: a small tin cup
rivulet: a little stream
stinkpot: an earthen jar full of various malodorous (stinky!) compounds, and formerly thrown on an enemy ship
superdreadnought: the most gigantic type of modern battleship (according to Webster’s 1940 edition!)
zyzzle: to sizzle or make a sputtering sound
Looking for more fun and quirky words? Check out our nautical dictionary here and our pirate dictionary here.
What’s your favorite new or old word? Share it with us in a comment below!
—Amber Guetebier
