A WORD ABOUT WORDS

I fell in love with words and reading in Miss Champion’s first grade.  She taught us the sounds of all the letters and how to put them together to spell a word and how to use those sounds to read new words.  It was the most fun I had ever had in my short six years of life😊 and it opened up a whole new world for me.

Today I am an avid reader and a lover of words.  I love coming across a new word and then finding out what it means.  Mr. Webster and I have become quite good friends over the years! 

I thought for this post I would share with you some of the LOVELY WORDS that I have collected over the years.  Some you have probably heard before, some may be new for you; but I think you will agree they roll off the tongue delightfully😊

SERENDIPITY:

I remember learning this word in my 12th grade Literature class.  We had this little yellow book filled with words for which we had to look up the definitions and then make a sentence with them.  I still have that book!!!!

BUMBERSHOOT:

Would you believe...it's an umbrella?

The origin of this word is unknown but seems to be American and in use since the 1800s.  It sounds rather BRITISH to me; I can just hear Mary Poppins now..."I say, ole' chap...I can't find my bloody BUMBERSHOOT!"

 DEMIJOHN:

 "a jug; large bottle with a bulging body and a narrow neck "

This word originated in France in the 1700s.  (Doesn't it sound more fun than "jug"?)

SHENANIGATOR:

I really, really like this one!  It means "a person who instigates shenanigans".  Sounds like a fun person to me!!!  Guess I like it because I'm Irish and we leprechauns do like our shenanigans:)

WANDERLUST : 

Some of you may claim this one.  Maybe it came about because someone had a lust for wandering.  (Don't you just wonder where these words come from?)

CODDIWAMPLE:

 This is one of my latest discoveries and it's soooo much fun to say.  It means "to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination".  I think I would like to partake of some coddiwample...just start out with my suitcase and no particular destination in mind and see where the winds take me.

TELIOSE:

This is another new one that I learned about recently while working on a Sunday School lesson I was to teach.  It comes from the Bible's original Greek and means "spiritual maturity".  I may do a post soon on this since the lesson went really well, and I learned a lot from my study and research.

WOOLGATHERING:

Raise your hand if you have been guilty of this...yes, I see all those hands...including my own:)  This is "indulgence in aimless thought or dreamy imagining".  It's something we probably shouldn't do in a class or church, but sometimes it can be relaxing and just plain fun.  

DEJA VU:

I know you are all familiar with this one, but I just had to include it because it's always been a favorite..."the illusion of having previously experienced something actually being encountered for the first time".  I'd love to hear about your experience with that...definitely a great conversation piece.

INSOUCIANT:

This one just rolls off the tongue so smoothly.  This is an adjective that does NOT describe me, but I'm hoping it will by at least the 22nd Century!!!

MERAKI:

"to do something with soul, creativity, or love; when you leave a piece of yourself in your work"   This one is a brand new one for me; I just learned it today.  And yet, I know it was a part of me for 40 1/2 years.  I was a teacher all those many years.  I loved it, and I loved all the students that I taught.  I can honestly say that I believe know that I left a piece of myself in each and every day that I was privileged to be called an educator.

I have many other WORDS in my collection, but I don't want this to get too WORDY...(pun intended)!!!!  So...do you have any favorite WORDS?  I'd love to hear about them, and maybe even see how smoothly they can roll off my tongue.

WORD  BLANKET

I cover myself with a blanket of words.

I quilted each consonant into this cloth.

Each vowel is keeping me warm.

Words to remember...read, write.

I'm pulling my word blanket up to my chin.

I'm sleeping with words.

Good night.

                                    ---by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater