# What's your favorite word, and why? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 3, 2013, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683 "2013-04-03T00:28:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/41 "2013-04-03T17:09:15Z")
> [@PurpleClogs](#): > > Plethora. Who doesn’t like a plethora of just about anything. Well, a plethora of piñatas is always nice… ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/42 "2013-04-03T17:28:36Z")
Sterquilinian = pertaining to a dunghill Used more often than one might think, as it can be worked into political arguments quite easily. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/43 "2013-04-03T18:00:20Z")
empyrean - the highest heaven ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/44 "2013-04-03T18:04:17Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > Callipygian. > > It’s such an interesting concept… Bathycolpian is a good word to team with callipygian, in my experience. Madame Pepperwinkle is both, fortunately for me. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/45 "2013-04-03T18:09:11Z")
Oh my. I must incorporate that into my vocabulary at once. Since I didn’t realize that **SCAdian** beat me to callipygian, I shall now vote for borborygmus. It’s actually rather odd; I noticed myself being borborygmic all the time when I was a kid, but not so much now. Maybe I just don’t pay attention any more. ---
**Author:** ![Goosie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@Goosie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Goosie)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/46 "2013-04-03T18:25:44Z")
“Gasbags” is a pretty good word, especially if you can say it several times in succession, in a weird tone of voice, flapping your arms once in awhile with occasional fits of laughter. People will stare and often turn away, pretending not to notice, but what the heck, “gasbags” is a good word that can unite people in their view of the person saying it. Saying “gasbags” brings people together!! ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/47 "2013-04-03T18:38:44Z")
Oh, while not a word but rather a phrase, “intergluteal cleft” is also a good one. ---
**Author:** ![beatlejuice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a8b319/32.png) [@beatlejuice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beatlejuice)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/48 "2013-04-03T18:53:41Z")
Homage…which I say omage both to irritate some people and sound impressive to others. ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/49 "2013-04-03T19:25:22Z")
> [@beatlejuice](#): > > Homage…which I say omage both to irritate some people and sound impressive to others. Wait, I thought that’s how it’s supposed to be pronounced. What should I be saying, “hom-age”? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/50 "2013-04-03T19:32:07Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > My favorite word is the French term “degrafeuse”. “agrafeuse” is the French word for stapler, so a degrafeuse is an unstapler. It’s so much more elegant than the English “staple remover”. This is awesome! I must remember to use this. **kayT** posted my favorite word, defenestration, so I’ll add my second favorite. Qat Fun to annoy people with in Scrabble or Words with Friends. I once scored over 100 points on WwF with “qats” hooked to “za” and hit a triple word score. My sister refused to play against me after that. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Minnie\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Minnie\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minnie_Luna)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/51 "2013-04-03T19:45:42Z")
Pumpernickel–I just recently learned that it translates to “Devil’s Fart” or “fart demon”. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/52 "2013-04-03T20:35:48Z")
[Hurple](http://blog.inkyfool.com/2012/11/hurple.html). It expresses an action not covered by any other word, and it rhymes with purple. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/53 "2013-04-03T20:44:11Z")
> [@Spiff](#): > > Sterquilinian = pertaining to a dunghill I dig it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/54 "2013-04-03T20:52:53Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > [Hurple](http://blog.inkyfool.com/2012/11/hurple.html). It expresses an action not covered by any other word, and it rhymes with purple. I love this, both word and definition! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/55 "2013-04-03T21:00:58Z")
> [@Ms.Pumpkin](#): > > Wait, I thought that’s how it’s supposed to be pronounced. What should I be saying, “hom-age”? Do you say oh-MAHJE ? I say HA-mudge. (representations approximate) ---
**Author:** ![HipGnosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/76d3ee/32.png) [@HipGnosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HipGnosis)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/56 "2013-04-03T21:02:06Z")
For years my fav was facetious, because I often find it’s use facetious. For a while it was doppleganger. Now it’s gnosis ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/57 "2013-04-03T21:35:16Z")
_Prodigious_. I love the way the character (Quentin) in October Sky said it. Often. ---
**Author:** ![60wag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/7ba0ec/32.png) [@60wag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/60wag)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/58 "2013-04-03T22:05:10Z")
Heteroskedasticity - not for the meaning but for the way it sounds. And for a title of a paper: Continuous Record Asymptotics for Rolling Sample Variance Estimators ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/59 "2013-04-03T23:05:48Z")
This was my college entrance essay. I wrote “work” because physics defines it as “force applied over a distance” which encapsulates both the importance of effort and staying power as necessary to get “work” done. My actual favorite word is either brobdingnagian or portmanteau but I couldn’t spin a coherent essay out of either. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683/60 "2013-04-03T23:46:37Z")
Trousers, an inherently funny word and has great mouth feel. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-word-and-why/654683.md?page=4)