# Ever meet a word whose definition surprises you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 13, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868 "2005-08-13T15:49:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/1 "2005-08-13T15:49:10Z")
In a crossword puzzle today, I ran into “puissant.” I’ve seen it before but never bothered to look it up. Today I did and it’s just about the opposite of what I thought it would be. If you don’t know its definition take a guess. And then go to… [http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=puissant&x=14&y=15](http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=puissant&x=14&y=15) …for the answer. If you do know, don’t spoil it. Give us instead a word whose meaning surprised you. Use spoilers if you want. ---
**Author:** ![cabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@cabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cabdude)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/2 "2005-08-13T15:57:39Z")
Yep - [surfeit](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=surfeit) - I thought the definition was the exact opposite. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/3 "2005-08-13T16:03:18Z")
Hell, just today I learned the meaning of [double-parked](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=330003). Talk about feeling like a right prat… Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/4 "2005-08-13T16:07:59Z")
[Cuirass](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=cuirass) Pronounced Queer-Ass (at least that’s how I pronounce it, ya know, cuz it comes up in conversation so often) ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/5 "2005-08-13T16:18:52Z")
[chauvinism](http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=chauvinist&x=17&y=19) When I first looked it up years ago there was no mention of the current usage. Many older dictionaries still read that way. ---
**Author:** ![Future\_days](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cab0a1/32.png) [@Future\_days](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Future_days)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/6 "2005-08-13T16:49:56Z")
> [@Nic2004](#): > > [chauvinism](http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=chauvinist&x=17&y=19) > When I first looked it up years ago there was no mention of the current usage. Many older dictionaries still read that way. Dont see how it’s any different tbh. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/7 "2005-08-13T17:09:02Z")
> [@Future days](#): > > Dont see how it’s any different tbh. My guess is Nic2004 is referring to older dictionaries which perhaps didn’t mention male/female chauvinism. ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/8 "2005-08-13T17:29:48Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > Hell, just today I learned the meaning of [double-parked](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=330003). Talk about feeling like a right prat… > > Daniel Don’t worry, I always have heard it/used it as “taking up more than one parking space” as well. Maybe it’s a southern thing. Or a Daniel thing. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/9 "2005-08-13T17:58:23Z")
I’ve always thought and used “high-concept” to mean “something with a very complicated or convoluted concept to the point that the concept actually overwhelms the execution” - aka, a Chef who serves one postage stamp-sized sliver of meat with an eyedropper of sauce and calls it “steak,” or a filmmaker whose avant-garde biopic of Johnny Cash consists of three hours of footage of a goat wandering an abandoned factory. Turns out, it means the _exact_ opposite - it means something with a very simplistic concept that can be easily summed up in one sentence and appeals to a mass audience. In fact, I’d been meaning to start this thread… ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/10 "2005-08-13T18:07:24Z")
I was surprised by this definition for “kidney” > [@](#): > > kid-ney (kid’nee) n. pl. \<-neys\> > 1. one of a pair of organs in the rear of > the upper abdominal cavity of > vertebrates that filter waste from the > blood, excrete uric acid or urea, and > maintain water and electrolyte balance. > 2. any similar structure in invertebrates. > 3. the meat of an animal’s kidney used as > food. > \*\* 4. constitution or temperament.\*\* > 5. kind; sort: to associate only with people > of one’s own kidney. I used to think (why I can’t recall) that “penultimate” was the absolute tippy top of something instead of > [@](#): > > pe-nul-ti-mate (pi nul’tuh mit) adj. > 1. \*\* next to the last.\*\* > 2. of or pertaining to a penult. > n. > 3. PENULT. ---
**Author:** ![parthenokinesis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/cc9497/32.png) [@parthenokinesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/parthenokinesis)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/11 "2005-08-13T18:30:04Z")
> [@cabdude](#): > > Yep - [surfeit](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=surfeit) - I thought the definition was the exact opposite. Hmmm, it turns out I have surfeited the web and need to go lie down. Thanks, **cabdude** , for giving me my word of the day. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/12 "2005-08-13T18:48:45Z")
Does any other Britisher see the word “surfeit” and think immediately of [lampreys](http://cunnan.sca.org.au/wiki/Henry_I)? ---
**Author:** ![Future\_days](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cab0a1/32.png) [@Future\_days](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Future_days)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/13 "2005-08-13T20:06:39Z")
> [@E = mc²](#): > > My guess is Nic2004 is referring to older dictionaries which perhaps didn’t mention male/female chauvinism. Doesnt matter, the chauvinist part still means the same as it always has. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/14 "2005-08-13T20:23:45Z")
I’ve always liked the word MALLEMAROKING - defined in Chambers dictionary as “carousing of seamen in icebound ships”. Its etymology is bonkers as well: from the Dutch _mallemerok_, a romping woman - itself from _mal_, foolish, and _marok_, from French _marotte_, a favoured object. The next word in the dictionary is similarly odd: MALLEMUCK - the fulmar or similar bird; also from _mal_, foolois, plus _mok_, a gull. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/15 "2005-08-13T20:35:01Z")
> [@parthenokinesis](#): > > Hmmm, it turns out I have surfeited the web and need to go lie down. You’ve surfeited the web, or it has surfeited you? ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/16 "2005-08-13T20:45:56Z")
**Astro** Don’t forget to look up the the word _ante_penultimate. 2 words that don’t sound like their definitions: **mollify** - Sounds like the act of picking up a sledge hammer and destroying things. _"I’m gonna mollify this $%#@_&^^% computer".\* Actually it means to soothe. **enervated** Seems as if it means to be filled with enrgy. Actually it means to be depleted of energy. ---
**Author:** ![rayh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@rayh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayh)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/17 "2005-08-13T20:57:14Z")
> [@bluecanary](#): > > Does any other Britisher see the word “surfeit” and think immediately of [lampreys](http://cunnan.sca.org.au/wiki/Henry_I)? No ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/18 "2005-08-13T21:12:09Z")
Here’s one: Main Entry: pe·ruse Pronunciation: p&-'rüz Function: transitive verb Inflected Form(s): pe·rused; pe·rus·ing Etymology: Middle English, to use up, deal with in sequence, from Latin per- thoroughly + Middle English usen to use 1 **a** : to examine or consider with attention and in detail : STUDY **b** : to look over or through in a casual or cursory manner So which is it? a) or b) 😕 ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/19 "2005-08-13T21:27:21Z")
Many years ago, I was surprised to learn that [fulsome](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=fulsome) has a negative connotation. It sounds so hearty and pleasant. ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868/20 "2005-08-13T21:38:34Z")
It’s both a) and b) **Quicksilver**. You’re studying the item, but sort of casually. Like when I’m shopping and looking over a handbag because it’s cute. Maybe I want it, maybe not, depending upon what I find while perusing the handbag. _Metaphysics_ always gets me. I expect equations and that’s not necessarily so. The original meaning of _slut_ was a surprise. \*Slut’s wool \* brought up some interesting mental images before I learned slut had to do with poor housekeeping. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-meet-a-word-whose-definition-surprises-you/316868.md?page=2)