# Rare words **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 5, 2023, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623 "2023-09-05T00:09:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/81 "2023-09-07T18:46:21Z")
@kayaker you are just so weird. In a good way😊 ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/82 "2023-09-07T23:34:41Z")
I learned a new word: [Epizeuxis](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/epizeuxis). It’s a very toddler/non-toddler word. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2023, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/83 "2023-09-08T04:03:58Z")
I like “glede”. The one and only time I’ve encountered it was in The Lord of the Rings, in which Isidur writes about taking the Ring from Sauron’s hand: “It was hot when I first took it, hot as a glede, and my hand was scorched
” It’s an archaic word for a red-hot ember. Still looking for an opportunity to use it myself. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2023, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/84 "2023-09-08T04:39:01Z")
Fairly well read people know what a fortnight is, maybe more due to the game? But _sennight_ is rare. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2023, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/85 "2023-09-08T05:46:09Z")
I heard it a lot in the late 80’s when I lived in Michigan. The state celebrated it’s 150th anniversarty, it’s sesquicentennial, while I was up there. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2023, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/86 "2023-09-08T09:12:24Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I heard it a lot in the late 80’s when I lived in Michigan. The state celebrated it’s 150th anniversarty, it’s sesquicentennial, while I was up there Oregon had its sesquicentennial 14 years ago. I can’t recall hearing a single thing about it. Googling shows that some people did things, but it bypassed me totally. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2023, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/87 "2023-09-08T17:03:21Z")
Rochester had its sesquicentennial in 1984. It was a fairly big deal. I worked for the city at the time. I created a 500 screen database for a touchscreen computer, built on an Apple 2. People could use menus to read through screens to get a complete Rochester history, a listing of of city services, popular events and places, and famous residents. It was so advanced for the time that I wrote the text for the screens on a typewriter, since we didn’t have computers of our own to work on. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2023, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/88 "2023-09-08T17:40:14Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Did you know that the word paradimethylaminobenzaldehyde can be sung to the tune of the Irish Washerwoman? [Asimov fan, huh?](https://www.ratioscientiae.com/ratio-scientiae-blog/chemical-nomenclature-and-asimov-on-speaking-gaelic-the-irish-washerwoman-and-para-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde) ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2023, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/89 "2023-09-08T17:42:19Z")
I have the feeling I will use the word quinquagenarian less in future, but may use the word sexagenarian more often. I wonder whether someone will think it means something risqué. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2023, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/90 "2023-09-08T18:11:02Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Asimov fan, huh? Oh, yes. It’s amazing what one will remember when so much else is forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2023, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/91 "2023-09-08T18:12:53Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Oh, yes. It’s amazing what one will remember when so much else is forgotten I think I read the Asimov book with _paradimethylaminobenzaldehyde_ set to music when I was like 11, and I still remember that chemical musically. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2023, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/92 "2023-09-08T18:14:10Z")
I’ve seen sex-agenarian used in lubricious situations a Brobdingnagian times. My apologies to any hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobics out there. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2023, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/93 "2023-09-08T18:15:21Z")
“Sesquicentennial - 150 Years” was put on the bottom of California license plates for about three years starting in 1998. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2023, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/94 "2023-09-08T18:20:50Z")
Happy doperversary(rare word? Think I coined it, but I’ll accept anyone who says different as being more informed than me) I meant _sesquicentennial_ as a joke. You know
said rarely, as in every 150 years. 😊 ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/95 "2023-09-09T00:42:30Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > It’s a similar process as what happened with “all one”, “to day”, “an other”, “in stead”, etc. Enjoy the birthing of a new word! They obviously got cliticized. Reading a Robert Galbreath (AKA J.K. Rowling) mystery the other night, I came on someone accused of affry. From the context, it seemed like it had to mean disturbing the peace and the dictionary agreed. Maybe it is common in the UK. Utterly new to me. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/96 "2023-09-09T02:27:01Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I came on someone accused of affry. Will stand corrected but I think the term is “affray”. Comes with a max term of 10 years in the slammer here in NSW. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/97 "2023-09-09T04:33:12Z")
Is that at all similar to ASBO? ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/98 "2023-09-09T11:28:20Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Maybe it is common in the UK. Utterly new to me. Affray is a specific offence in the law: > **[Public Order Act 1986](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/64/section/3)** > > An Act to abolish the common law offences of riot, rout, unlawful assembly and affray and certain statutory offences relating to public order; to create new offences relating to public order; to control public processions and assemblies; to control... ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/99 "2023-09-09T11:35:45Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Is that at all similar to ASBO? Not really. An ASBO is an injunction to not do some sort of behaviour that causes alarm or distress, so it could be a way of trying to prevent an affray from developing where people have some longstanding beef or a persistent pattern of seriously annoying behaviour > **[Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/12/section/2)** > > An Act to make provision about anti-social behaviour, crime and disorder, including provision about recovery of possession of dwelling-houses; to make provision amending the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, the Police Act 1997, Schedules 7 and 8 to the... ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2023, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623/100 "2023-09-09T11:54:44Z")
**Acnestis** **Definition:** Noun. acnestis. (zoology) The section of an animal’s skin that it cannot reach in order to scratch itself, usually the space between the shoulder blades. - [SOURCE](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/acnestis) I think we all know that spot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-words/989623.md?page=6)