Lexical Compendium
Wait... what is this? Sometimes I come across a word, phrase, idiom, quote, reference, bit of slang, person of interest, etc that either I don't know or I find amusing, interesting, etc. This is a collection of those items so that I can refer back to them in emails, texts, etc.
Recent Entries:
- : defenestration
- : fridging
- : groyper
alacrity
Alacrity means to respond or act with zeal and promptness.
It comes to English from the Latin alacritās, meaning liveliness or eagerness.
An example:
The team responded to the urgent call with alacrity, eager to prove their capability.
Another example, from a New Republic article from July 2025:
The Democratic Party also needs some of its members and best-known figures to start seeding the earth with the future they envision if they return to power. This begins with paving the way for “CTRL+Z 2028”—a promise to undo the damage done to the civil service with the same alacrity and doggedness with which Trump and his flunky Elon Musk destroyed it.
(link to this entry)
References:
- Definition: alacrity Reference ID definition-alacrity
- New Republic: The Democrats Finally Have a Plan to Attack Trump. Sort of. Reference ID new-republic-the-democrats-finally-have-a-plan-to
- Etymology: alacrity Reference ID etymology-alacrity
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anodyne
Something that is anodyne is not likely to provoke dissent or offense. The word is often used metaphorically to describe a tactful way of communicating something. When used this way, the word is mildly pejorative in that anodyne content is typically boring, watered-down and so deliberately inoffensive that it has lost any real substance or edge.
The word comes from the Greek anōdynos, meaning "painless."
(link to this entry)
References:
- Definition: anodyne Reference ID definition-anodyne
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antipathy
Antipathy is a deep and strong dislike for something.
While composing a message, I was trying to figure out which of these two words fit my sentiment more accurately: antipathy and animosity. I had the realization that I wasn't really sure what the difference was. While trying to figure that out, I came across this old opinion piece:
Some people are irritated by the weirdest things.
Wow! He summed up exactly how I feel about mourning doves -- and all pigeons generally. (I do, however, own an Argus.)
Unfortunately though, I'm still not sure I know the difference between antipathy and animosity.
(link to this entry)
References:
- Washington Post: Some people are irritated by the weirdest things. Reference ID washington-post-some-people-are-irritated-by-the-w
- Definition: antipathy Reference ID definition-antipathy
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canard
A canard is false or unfounded statement/story.
It literally comes from the French canard meaning "duck." There's a French idiom that goes "vendre un canard à moitié" and means "to sell half a duck," in other words, to swindle someone. Over time this evolved to mean something more like a "false report."
There's a second use of this word in the aviation industry where it's a bit of jargon which describes a configuration in which a small forewing is placed ahead of the craft's main wings.
In the early 1900s French aviation engineers built a plane with these small forewings that was reminiscent of a duck and they started calling these planes "avions canard."
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References:
- Word of the Week: Canard Reference ID wow-canard
- Wikipedia: Canard (aeronautics) Reference ID wikipedia-canard-aeronautics
- Definition: canard Reference ID definition-canard
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compunction
Compunction is the feeling of guilt that follows the doing of something bad.
The word comes from the Latin compungere, meaning "to prick severely," i.e. a prick of conscience.
(link to this entry)
References:
- Definition: compunction Reference ID definition-compunction
- Etymology: compunction Reference ID etymology-compunction
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litotes
Do you have the habit of expressing a positive statement by negating its opposite (or vice-versa)? For example, saying something is "Not bad" when you mean that it's good?
This is called a litotes (pronounced LIE-tuh-teez). The word comes from the Greek lítotēs, meaning simplicity. Litotes can be used to soften something, i.e. saying "I'm not bad at this" seems less boastful than saying "I'm pretty good at this." It can also be used for humorous effect, for example saying "I don't hate it!" instead of saying that you like something.
(link to this entry)
References:
- Wikipedia: Litotes Reference ID wikipedia-litotes
- Definition: litotes Reference ID definition-litotes
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metonymy
A metonymy is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is substituted with another closely associated with it. For example, in the sentence "Hey, who are all the suits?" the word suit is a metonymy for "business people."
The word comes from the Greek metōnymía, meaning "a change of name."
I heard the word in an episode of PBS' Otherwords.
(link to this entry)
References:
- YouTube: Otherwords - The Ancient Origins of Body Words Reference ID youtube-otherwords
- Wikipedia: Metonymy Reference ID wikipedia-metonymy
- grammarly.com blog entry - Metonymy: How to Use This Literary Device Reference ID grammarlycom-blog-entry
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