LEXI'S DICTIONARY

So many beautiful words...

...what's your favourite?

Professor Lexi Con featured 26 words during The Alphabet of Awesome Science – one for every letter of the alphabet. But that was just the beginning!

There was a whole stack of other gorgeous words that fell out of her head over the course of the show. We've included a few of the more unique and unusual ones in the dictionary below.

HAPPY WORD NERDING!

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

is for...

ANNULAR

Adjective

1) pertaining to, or having the form of, a ring; ring shaped

2) banded or marked with circles

B

is for...

BRUMOUS

Adjective

1) foggy or misty; wintry

C

is for...

CURTAL

Adjective

1) brief, curtailed (obsolete)

2) having a docked tail (obsolete)

3) wearing a short frock coat (archaic)

4) physically shortened; short (rare)

D

is for...

DEGLUTITION

Noun

1) the act or process of swallowing

DEGUSTATION

Noun

1) tasting, especially as a form of careful appreciation

DELECTABLY

Adverb

1) in a delectable manner; delightfully

DENOUEMENT

Noun

1) the conclusion or resolution of a plot

DISCOMBOBULATE

Transitive verb

1) to throw into a state of confusion; to befuddle or perplex

DOODAD

Noun

1) an ornamental attachment or decoration

2) an often small article whose common name is unknown or forgotten: gadget

DOOHICKEY

Noun

1) a thing (used in a vague way to refer to something whose name one cannot recall)

E

is for...

ERUMPENT

Adjective

1) bursting forth

EBULLIENT

Adjective

1) enthusiastic; high-spirited

2) (of a liquid) boiling or agitated as if boiling

EGOTISTICAL

Adjective

1) tending to talk excessively about onself

2) believing oneself to be better and more important than others

EMPURPLED

Adjective

1) made purple, especially having a purple complexion because of rage

2) (of a text) over-embellished or flowery

ESCHEW

Verb

1) to avoid to shun, to shy away from

EXIGENCY

Noun

1) the demands or requirements of a situation

2) an urgent situation, one requiring extreme effort or attention

EXTOL

Verb

1) to praise; to make high

EXTRAVAGANZA

Noun

1) an extravagant or eccentric piece of music, literature or drama

2) an instance of fantastical or chaotic behaviour or conduct

F

is for...

FORAMINATE

Adjective

1) having foramina: perforated

G

is for...

GASCONADE

Noun

1) extravagant boasting

GAMINESQUE

Adjective

1) like a gamin or gamine; mischievously charming without sophistication

GOBSMACKED

Adjective

1) (slang) flabbergasted, astounded, speechless, overawed

GOWPEN

Noun

1) the hollow of two hands held together as if forming a bowl

GRANDILOQUENT

Adjective

1) (of a person, their language or writing) given to using language in a showy way by using an excessive amount of difficult words to impress others; bombastic; turgid

GUILELESS

Adjective

1) innocent, naive

GUMPTIOUS

Adjective

1) having gumption: alert, eager, vigorous

H

is for...

HORRESCENT

Adjective

1) bristling with horror; shuddering

I

is for...

IDEOPRAXIST

Noun

1) a person who is impelled to carry out an idea

J

is for...

JOCOSERIOUS

Adjective

1) simultaneously jocular and serious; mixing mirth with serious matters

K

is for...

KYRIOLEXY

Noun

1) the use of literal expressions, as opposed to figurative (rare)

L

is for...

LUCIFEROUS

Adjective

1) illuminating; providing light

2 (figuratively) illuminating; offering insight

LISTICLE

Noun

1) (informal) an article based around a list

M

is for...

MADEFY

Transitive Verb

1) to make wet or moist (obsolete)

MISTRAL

Noun

1) a strong cold north-west wind in southern France and the Mediterranean

N

is for...

NEBULISE

Verb

1) to reduce to a fine spray

O

is for...

OBTURATE

Verb

1) to block up or obstruct

OBAMBULATE

Verb

1) to walk about; to wander aimlessly

OPULENT

Adjective

1) having a large estate or property: wealthy

2) amply or plentifully provided or fashioned often to the point of ostentation

OROTUND

Adjective

1) marked by fullness, strength, and clarity of sound: sonorous

2) pompous, bombastic

P

is for...

PIEZOELECTRICITY

Transitive Verb

1) the ability of certain crystals to generate a voltage in response to applied mechanical stress

PEREGRINATION

Noun

1) a journey, especially a long or meandering one

Q

is for...

QUITCH

Verb

1) to shake; to stri, move (obsolete)

2) to flinch, shrink

QUA

Preposition

1) in the capacity or character of: as

QUAG

noun

1) marsh, bog

QUARK

Noun

1) (physics) in the Standard Model, an elementary subatomic particle that forms matter

QUAWK

Intransitive verb / chiefly dialectal

1) caw, squawk

QUEACH

Noun / dialectal, chiefly England

1) thicket

QUEME

Adjective / dialectal, chiefly England

1) pleasant, agreeable

2) comely, attractive

3) handy

QUERL

Verb

1) to twirl; turn or wind around; coil

QUERN

noun

1) a mill for grinding corn, especially a hand-mill made of two circular stones

QUIB

Noun

1) a quip or gibe

QUIFF

Noun

1) a puff or whiff

2) a trick or ploy; a strategem

3) a hairstyle whereby the forelock is brushed and/or gelled upward

QUINK

Noun

1) (physics) a hypothetical fundamental particle; a preon

QUIP

Noun

1) A smart, sarcastic turn or jest; a taunt; a severe retort or comeback; a gibe

QUOB

Verb

1) to throb; to quiver (obsolete)

QUOD

noun

1) a quadrangle or court, as of a prison; a prison

2) confinement in a prison

QUOIN

Noun

1) any of the corner building blocks of a building, usually larger or more ornate than the surrounding blocks

2) the keystone of an arch

3) (printing, historical) a wooden or expendable block used by printers to lock up a form within a chase

4) (nautical) a form of wedge used to prevent casks moving (obsolete)

QUOIT

Noun

1) a flattened ring of iron or circle of rope used in a throwing game

QUOLL

Noun

1) any of a genus (Dasyurus) of small spotted carnivorous marsupials of Australia and New Guinea

QUOP

Intransitive verb / chiefly dialectal

1) throb

QUOTH

Verb, past tense

1) said (archaic)

QUOZ

Noun

1) something queer or absurd (archaic)

R

is for...

REBULLITION

Noun

1) the act of boiling or effervescing (obsolete)

S

is for...

SPUMESCENT

Adjective

1) resembling froth or foam; foaming (rare)

SQUALL

Noun

1) (meteorology) a squall line, multicellular line, or part of a squall line

2) (often nautical) a sudden storm, as found in a squall line

3) a loud cry or wail

T

is for...

TENEBROUS

Adjective

1) dark and gloomy

TEMPEST

Noun

1) a storm, especially one with severe winds

2) any violent tumult or commotion

3) a fashionable social gathering; a drum (obsolete)

THINGAMAJIG

Noun

1) (slang) something taht one does not know the name of

TRANSMOGRIFY

Verb

1) to change or alter greatly and often with grotesque or humorous effect

U

is for...

ULLAGE

Noun

1) the amount that a container (such as a tank or cask) lacks of being full

V

is for...

VERTIGINATE

Intransitive verb

1) to whirl dixxili around: twirl

W

is for...

WANZE

Verb

1) to wane; waste, waste away; pine; wither

X

is for...

XANTHIC

Adjective

1) yellow; yellowish

Y

is for...

YESPEN

Noun

1) amount that can be held in two hands cupped together (obsolete)

2) two hands cupped together (obsolete)

Z

is for...

ZEPHYR

Noun

1) a light wind from the west

2) any light refreshing wind, a gentle breeze

3) anything of fine, soft, or light quality, especially fabric