Words that Might Come in Handy

We often stumble upon things that we use but we don’t know how they are called. Some words seem unusual because we thought there isn’t a particular term for certain objects or phenomena. Luckily, the following words are easy to memorize and you can brag to your friends that you know what they’re called.

The following words might come in handy for day to day life, but they’re also fascinating for voracious readers or very important for translators that really appreciate the beauty of linguistics and of words, in general. Some words are borrowed from different languages, so it might be a little tricky to pronounce them.

Aglet

What exactly is an aglet? An aglet is the plastic coating on a shoelace. Now, each time you’ll be tying your shoelaces, you’ll smile because you’ll remember this word.

Crapulence

If you have eaten or drunk too much, that sick feeling you get actually has a name. No, it’s not “I made the wrong decision”, it’s crapulence. It also sounds funny, so you’ll definitely memorize this word with ease.

Overmorrow

Even if it is not included in the dictionary yet, overmorrow is often used by people. It designates the day after tomorrow.

Barm

If you love beer, you’re definitely acquainted with the foam of the beer, too. It is actually called a barm. So the next time your bartender pours you a drink, tell him to be careful with that barm. He might not understand you, though.

Aphtongs

Linguists are certainly familiar with this word. Aphtongs are the silent letters in a word; the letters that aren’t pronounced.

The Box Tent

When we order pizza, we don’t really care how the table in the middle of the pizza box is called. It’s called a box tent and it holds the pizza together.

Cornicione

Good news for pizza fans. Cornicione is the outer part of the pizza crust. Yummy; it sounds delicious, too.

Petrichor

If you love the distinct smell that seems to hover in the air after the rain, find out that there’s also a name for this smell. It’s called petrichor and we definitely love it.

Vocable

If you love music, you must have often heard words like “na na na” and “la la la”. They don’t actually mean anything and they’re not words either. They’re vocables and a lot of singers haven’t even heard of this term.

Punt

If you like drinking wine, you should know this word. A punt designates the bottom of a wine bottle.

Keeper

It’s nothing related to sports or relationships. The word actually refers to the loop on the belt that keeps the end in place after it has passed through the buckle. Pretty neat, isn’t it?

Nurdle

It’s hard to guess this word. A nurdle is a tiny dab of toothpaste. You’ll be smiling each time you’ll brush your teeth when thinking of this word.

Lemniscate

The fashion trends have overused this symbol. A lemniscate is actually the infinity symbol.