# Words of which you thought you knew the meaning **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 31, 2010, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643 "2010-07-31T01:09:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drgnrdr07](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/71e660/32.png) [@drgnrdr07](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drgnrdr07)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/1 "2010-07-31T01:09:22Z")
Circumspect. I thought this word meant that something was shady or something that shouldn’t be trusted. Today I found out that it means cautious, prudent or discreet. What are some words that you thought you knew the meaning of until very recently? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/2 "2010-07-31T01:26:54Z")
Coven and convent. I’ve had them confused for years. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/3 "2010-07-31T01:54:07Z")
For a long time I thought a Concussion was just another word for a cut. ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/4 "2010-08-05T22:10:29Z")
enervate. It sounds like it means “to energize”, but really means just the opposite. "to deprive of force or strength; destroy the vigor of; weaken. " J. ---
**Author:** ![hammos1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@hammos1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammos1)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/5 "2010-08-06T15:59:51Z")
Lugubrious. I thought it meant animated and chatty- maybe I was thinking of loquacious. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/6 "2010-08-06T16:11:31Z")
Spendthrift–I used to think it meant thrifty, but it means the exact opposite. ---
**Author:** ![Add99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/977dab/32.png) [@Add99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Add99)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/7 "2010-08-07T17:18:52Z")
Scatological. I “know” what it means, but to me it means something like Scatterbrained. I have probably used it that way before. Ouch. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/8 "2010-08-07T18:02:29Z")
When I was very young, there was a sign at the grocery store across the street that said “Shoplifters will be prosecuted”. I thought that “prosecuted” was some kind of fancy word for “executed”, and wondered how the store was allowed to get away with such a strict punishment… ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/9 "2010-08-08T12:42:45Z")
Until yesterday, I thought [sari](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sari) and [sarong](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarong) were two words for the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/10 "2010-08-09T05:52:40Z")
I always thought that chartreuse was a kind of red. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/11 "2010-08-09T06:47:44Z")
Until last year the only context I’d ever heard the words **Decadence** and **Decadent** are food-related, and it always suggests richness. So imagine my surprise to find out that Decadance is a _bad_ thing, meaning decay. RadicalPi, for some uknown reason \*a lot \*of people mix up fuchsia (vivid purplely-pink) and chartreuse (sickly greenish yellow). ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/12 "2010-08-09T14:30:33Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > RadicalPi, for some uknown reason \*a lot \*of people mix up fuchsia (vivid purplely-pink) and chartreuse (sickly greenish yellow). My guess is that people confuse “chartreuse” (the color of a particular liqueur) with the vaguely similar sounding “cerise” (the fuchsiaesque color of cherries). ---
**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/13 "2010-08-09T14:54:49Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Until last year the only context I’d ever heard the words **Decadence** and **Decadent** are food-related, and it always suggests richness. So imagine my surprise to find out that Decadance is a _bad_ thing, meaning decay. > > RadicalPi, for some uknown reason \*a lot \*of people mix up fuchsia (vivid purplely-pink) and chartreuse (sickly greenish yellow). Fuchsia is purple? What’s the bluish one I’m thinking of then? ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/14 "2010-08-09T15:55:36Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > Until yesterday, I thought [sari](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sari) and [sarong](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarong) were two words for the same thing. Did you hear about the fashion designer who came up with a “Sari/Sarong number”? 😛 I was in my mid-20s when I discovered that “prostate” and “prostrate” were two different words. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/15 "2010-08-09T16:04:49Z")
> [@GHO57](#): > > Fuchsia is purple? What’s the bluish one I’m thinking of then? Periwinkle? ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/16 "2010-08-09T17:28:58Z")
> [@BobArrgh](#): > > > [@bibliophage](#): > > > > Until yesterday, I thought [sari](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sari) and [sarong](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarong) were two words for the same thing. > > Did you hear about the fashion designer who came up with a “Sari/Sarong number”? 😛 Yep, it was a uniform for Indian call-centre staff. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/17 "2010-08-09T23:00:04Z")
> [@drgnrdr07](#): > > Circumspect. I thought this word meant that something was shady or something that shouldn’t be trusted. Today I found out that it means cautious, prudent or discreet. I used to think this too; I suspect that, because “watchfulness” is one aspect of its meaning, people extrapolate that to those that are being shady or untrustworthy being careful not to be detected. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/18 "2010-08-09T23:09:13Z")
> [@GHO57](#): > > > [@elfkin477](#): > > > > Until last year the only context I’d ever heard the words **Decadence** and **Decadent** are food-related, and it always suggests richness. So imagine my surprise to find out that Decadance is a _bad_ thing, meaning decay. > > > > RadicalPi, for some uknown reason \*a lot \*of people mix up fuchsia (vivid purplely-pink) and chartreuse (sickly greenish yellow). > > Fuchsia is purple? What’s the bluish one I’m thinking of then? Cyan. ---
**Author:** ![RainGrowsBrite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@RainGrowsBrite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RainGrowsBrite)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/19 "2010-08-09T23:31:48Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > RadicalPi, for some uknown reason \*a lot \*of people mix up fuchsia (vivid purplely-pink) and chartreuse (sickly greenish yellow). This is me. Everytime I see Chartreuse I have to think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643/20 "2010-08-10T00:12:33Z")
I admit, until this thread I was thinking of Chartreuse being reddish too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-of-which-you-thought-you-knew-the-meaning/548643.md?page=2)