I wrote a travel story a few years ago and found cause to use the word “verdure,” describing a rich growth of green vegetation.
I used to be partial to oxymoron. But the word became popular and the original, subtle meaning was utterly trashed. It’s now pretty much useless.
I like “huzzah.” It’s an old-school exclamation, related to “hurray!” I’m bringing it back. 
I’m surprised nobody got my Simpsons reference yet.
Ubiquitous meaning everywhere.
I also like esoteric but I see someone got there first.
I like to use the French phrase *Mise en place *(pronounced [miz ã plas], literally “putting in place”) meaning “everything in place”, as in set up. Used to describe having all your ingredients ready to go before cooking begins.
Velleity: the lowest level of volition.
As in, you’ve got something to do but lack the will to make yourself do it.
I’m having a velleity about finishing my project, I’d rather surf the web.
empyrean - the highest heaven, or heavenly
phlogiston - the element of fire believed to be released during combustion
Since The Simpsons have already been mentioned, I’m going to nip this one in the bud.
However titillating it might be to use, embiggen and cromulent are NOT valid words.
A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.
-Embiggens? I’ve never heard that word before I moved to Springfield.
-I don’t know why, it’s a perfectly cromulent word.
Wait a minute, Vorpal Blade is just going to let Arnold’s reference to “snickersnee” pass without comment?
(“The Vorpal Blade went snicker-snack / he left it dead, and with its head / he went gallumphing back…”)
Vespertilian - relating to, or resembling a bat (the flying creature, not the baseball tool)
As a teen, one bored afternoon, a friend and I went through the entire dictionary searching for the most obscure and silly word - this is what we found:
Gaberlunzie - A medieval Scots word for a licensed beggar.
Concatenation. Used for a series or chain of events, each of which is dependent upon or connected to the last.
Just now, looking to see why one coudn’t use cattle grid instead of fencing (nah, wouldn’t work), I learned the new word Skeuomorph: “a derivative object which retains ornamental design cues to structure that was necessary in the original”
I’d always wondered the purpose of that teeny little handle on the maple syrup bottle. If the cupboard was already chock full, or if you didn’t want a syrup stain on the shelf, you could dangle it with the coffee cups, or from your banana holder. But, it is merely a Skeuomorph, and I a
Ah yes, that reminds me:
Turdiform - like a thrush.
Embuggerance.
I am quite fond of the word virga which means precipitation which evaporates before it hits the ground.
We here in Calgary, AB, hear this word often on our weather reports; it is very dry here and often we have rain clouds which seem to leak and form veils in the sky, but no moisture ever reaches the ground. I does make for some lovely vistas, especially when the sun is low in the sky and seems to shine through the moisture veils.
Weltanschauung (Ger., worldview).
Pictures, please.
hh
I got to use two of my old standbys within the last two weeks, but they have eluded me, just now. The only one that comes to mind right now is ‘chiarascuro’ the visual artistic device that gives atmosphere by emphasizing shadows…kinda)