I didn’t know: chivvy, embonpoint, pother, cantle, clerisy, oneiromancy, tatterdemalion, williwaw, caitiff, hypnopompic, and opsimath. Some of those I’ve seen, but being honest, couldn’t say exactly. “Pother” is strikingly familar – just can’t remember exactly enough to say if it’s a good one or a bad one. Some others, I can guess (oneiromancy, hypnopompic), but it’s not clear to me if English usage reflects the origins of the words.
Oh, I see the breakdown at the end. I couldn’t remember my full SAT score – I only missed one question on verbal – can’t remember if that was 780 or 760.
I wish I were better at the languages really. I’ve studied in each of these places, so I had to pick up enough to get by the third language requirements (also had to do german and sanskrit, but those I don’t even claim to know a smattering of). But like almost everybody who learns a new language at school, I know only the most basic things, and those badly. I’m sure you would have had to do a third language in school too right?
Another who didn’t know uxoricide. That was one of three that I sort of thought I knew, so I double checked myself on m-w.com and found out I really didn’t, so had to uncheck the box. I also didn’t check those I could derive from the roots, but had never encountered before. I assumed testing vocabulary to be those word one could spontaneously use, not those one can figure out in context when someone else uses them.
I copied out the last page so I can look them all up.
41 600. I am not surprised to find out my vocabulary is large but I am impressed to find I am one of the higher scores here. Of course I basically have not STOPPEd reading since age of 4, and I did spend time reading dictionaries and encyclopedias “for fun”.
Hmm, I think I had better quit swearing, and start using my extensive vocabulary more elegantly.
A few of the words have been in dictionary.com’s word of the day within the last six months.
Yeah, me too. But, really. Who couldn’t know what uxoricide means? I checked that one, because it’s pretty unambiguous. I have a rough idea of opsimath and the others from Greek – but the possibility of a specialized use in English bound me to leave such words unchecked.
I think some people are cheating on here – or else there are some really ueber nerds who spend most of their time reading primarily in the English language.
41 600. I am not surprised to find out my vocabulary is large but I am impressed to find I am one of the higher scores here. Of course I basically have not STOPPEd reading since age of 4, and I did spend time reading dictionaries and encyclopedias “for fun”.
Hmm, I think I had better quit swearing, and start using my extensive vocabulary more elegantly.
A few of the words have been in dictionary.com’s word of the day within the last six months.
You’ve been here since 2006, and you are just figuring out that we are primarily a popultion of geeks and dweebs? Mind you, we’re not all literature geeks, but there are a fair few of us.
nerd[SIZE=3] [nurd] Show IPA/nɜrd/ a geekisany smart person with an obsessive interest, a **nerd **is the samebut also lacks social grace, and a **dweeb **is a mega-nerd[/SIZE]
To be clear, by “checked” I mean included as a known word, not googled. Obviously I know what “uxoricide” means – anyone familiar with the common word “uxorious” should as well.
Yeah, I know you all are a bunch of nerds – I’m at a disadvantage in that I spend equal parts of time hacking through books in other languages as English. So suck on that, you English-lit types. Damned English majors with your “old English.” To me, that’s a damned fine beer. I do know old French, though, or at least used to – not as hard as old English, though. Nerds! Ueber nerds!
I checked that one, because it’s pretty unambiguous. I have a rough idea of opsimath and the others from Greek – but the possibility of a specialized use in English bound me to leave such words unchecked.
Damned English majors with your “old English.” To me, that’s a damned fine beer. I do know old French, though, or at least used to – not as hard as old English, though. Nerds! Ueber nerds!