Thursday, July 30, 2009

Question: Your Favorite Word?

Humans categorize everything, it’s in our nature. We try to figure out our favorite books, our favorite movies, our favorite foods, even our favorite colors. But have you ever tried to figure out your favorite word? Maybe you should? It could come in useful. . . could be on the year-end test.

And how does one pick a favorite word? You tell us. Some words have really cool meanings, some just roll off the tongue. Some words bring us comfort, others are just plain fun. What’s your favorite word and why?

41 comments:

MegaTroll said...

I'm going with TROLL! :o)

Writer X said...

I don't have favorite words as much as words that irritate me. Whenever I hear the word "AWESOME," I want to scream, especially when someone says it six times in the same sentence. Then there are always the tried and true favorites that get botched. In no particular order, they are:

supposebly
irregardless
libary.

Ugh...

ScottDS said...

Writer X -

I know this isn't what the thread was about but you want to know one of my grammar pet peeves?

Okay, you have "should have" (and would, could, etc.) which we abbreviate into "should've," right? Unfortunately, some people (mostly younger people) seem to think the un-abbreviated form of "should've" is "should of" as in "I should of gone to the store today" simply because that's the way it sounds.

As for my favorite word, man that's a tough one. I'll have to come back to this!

Tennessee Jed said...

propinquity - a word meaning nearness or kinship. It's a nice word and I like how it sounds. Nothing pinks quite like propinquity.

Writer X said...

ScottDS, I think texting and too much bad TV are frying kids brains.

BevfromNYC said...

Since every word I write or say is like a precious golden nugget, it's so hard to choose...hmmm, I shall have to ponder...See, just golden!

CrispyRice said...

WriterX and Scott, as an ex-jr. high teacher, I can assure you that the "whole language" approach to reading and the "it's more important that kids feel good about themselves than that they learn facts" movement haven't done our youth any favors either.

As to my favorite word, hmmm... you've got me thinking, and I don't have an easy answer. I'll get back to ya, too!

AndrewPrice said...

Always got to break the rules, don't you people. Man, dealing with conservatives is like herding cats. . . ;-)

Writer X, If we were going to do bad grammar, I could fill up 100 articles. I'm sick of people (particularly supposed professionals (and sports announcers) dropping the "ly" on adverbs.

Jed, good word.

I like the sound of "poverty" -- don't know why. Something about the word just works for me. I also like the sound of "onomatopoeia" though I don't get to use it very much.

Writer X said...

Okay, Andrew. I'll play nice...Not sure if this is an actual word, but I've always liked
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious . Strange, but it's not in the dictionary.

AndrewPrice said...

Writer X, LOL! I hear that's a good word to use when things are atrocious.

Joel Farnham said...

antidisestablishmentarianism

This is my favorite word. My mom, when teaching, would use it to demonstrate how to break down words.

WriterX, irregardless, supposebly the libary has a new book for me. I have to get.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.:-)

This might take the sting out of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS75NtlH3gI

Writer X said...

Joel, that's awesome.

Joel Farnham said...

WriterX, Touche'.

Mike Kriskey said...

"Mississippi, lollipop, dwell, plop, simplicity, lilac, requiem, muddle, dwindle."

These are a few of my favorite words.

StanH said...

If I have to pick one: Melody -- there’s a special magic when perfected, and will lift your spirits through a great piece of music.

But since I’m no good with rules: Quintessential, winner, eureka, calliope, bard, renaissance, etc…

AndrewPrice said...

Stan, eureka! Excellent word, it really rolls off the tongue. I like saying that word.

Mike, I like simplicity, good word. I just sounds right.


Writer X, dude, totally cool. ;-P


Joel, antidisestablishmentarianism, that's got to be worth some kind award.

BevfromNYC said...

I demand a retraction from Joel Farnham - He stole my word!

Now I have to find another favorite word. Okay, my next favorite word(s are "please" and/or "thank you"

Pittsburgh Enigma said...

I'm fond of the word "disingenuous". I like to use it when I'm arguing with liberals, because it always applies to their positions in the form of a double standard or some hypocrisy.

On Writer X's subject of botched words, that reminds of classic Bush-isms like "misunderestimated".

Unknown said...

Andrew: Any one of a number of words which end in -ate. I regularly get the giggles 'cause they sound dirty. e.g. "His mom found out he masticates in his bedroom." Or "It's not nice to gesticulate in church!" And then there's "Watching porn inevitably leads young men to matriculate."

Unknown said...

WriterX: I have to add a word I hear constantly on TV: "vunnerable."

AndrewPrice said...

Lawhawk & Writer X, there is also the ever sickening "ex-scape" or "ex-cetera".

Joel Farnham said...

WriterX,

How about axed for asked?

Writer X said...

Joel, that's like nails on a chalkboard with me.

P.S. to Andrew: Is "Dude" gender-neutral?

ScottDS said...

Ugh... axed.

One I've heard lately is "mines" as in: "Is that your pencil?" "Yes, it's mines."

AndrewPrice said...

Writer X, I believe it is. I think "guys" is gender neutral now too, though "guy" is not.

We should axe ScottDS, he's younger and, hence, more hip.

Tennessee Jed said...

Joel - I hate to be a cretinous jerk (so I'll go ahead and be one anyway,) but is "irregardless" actually a legitimate word? It is actually a kind of double negative, so I think you probably meant "regardless."

Cheryl said...

My favorite word in the English language is Grace.
I'm so glad for it from God and if we offered it to one another more often this world would be a much better place.

However, I withhold any grace from people who say broke instead of broken, as in, "my arm is broke". Or from any idiot who says borrow when its lend, as in, "will you borrow me your car?"
My boss always says atypical when she means typical and doesn't even realize she's saying the exact opposite of what she really means.
And I hate when people say expresso instead of espresso.

Goldentrout said...

Okay this is tough. I have two favorite words- coffee, and fishing (thus 'trout).

And my pet peeves are the incorrect use of there, they're and their. I see it on other blogs continuously, and it drives me nuts.

I think I'll get a cup of coffee now.

Goldentrout said...

Or is it "continually?" And darn, I dropped a comma after "okay!"

StlDan said...

Logic, see how I did that.

Joel Farnham said...

TennesseeJed,

Check what WriterX wrote earlier.

It was designed to tease her.

:-)

AndrewPrice said...

Cheryl, Grace is a beautiful word.


StlDan, forget it man, you're trying to bring order to the "unorderable". ;-)


Goldentrout, Doing a lot of writing, I can understand why people make occasional mistakes. I can proofread something a dozen times and still miss a handful of typos and incorrect word usages. But you're right that too many people don't seem to know the difference, and that bugs me a lot.

ScottDS said...

Andrew - ha!!! Re: "guys" being gender-neutral, I honestly don't know. I'll go ahead and say yes it is.

DCAlleyKat said...

"Mom", it evokes everything that is warm, fuzzy, and smells like comfort and, well you get the picture...I also like "segue", but I'm just a segue kind of gal!

Suzie1 said...

Lamb.
Who could not like lamb.
All good thoughts come to mind: sweet, Spring, hugs.
Ahh.
Lamb, lamb, lamb.

Or mucus.

AndrewPrice said...

Suzie, I like lamb, but maybe not in the way you intend. Hmmmm. Meat is murder. . . tasty, tasty murder.


DCAlleyKat, seque, cool word!


Scott, don't tell me we can't rely on you for youth culture? If we can't rely on you, then we need to rely on Lawhawk and he talks fondly about being a youth during the Jefferson administration.

Monica said...

I find myself writing "rather" more than necessary, but there's just something I love about it. And I like "funner", which is not technically a word, but I'm determined to use it until they put it in the dictionary. Not to mention that "murderee" should be in there also. It would be so much simpler than saying "murder victim", which doesn't sound classy at all.

Unknown said...

Andrew: How old do you think I am? It was the Jackson administration. That Andrew was awesome, dude.

AndrewPrice said...

Monica, I like that. . . murderee. It has a ring to it!

Mike Kriskey said...

Monica, I don't think I've ever used the word "funner," but I'm a big fan of "funnily." I refuse to look it up, because if that's not a real word, I don't want to know about it.

Game Master Rob Adams said...

My favorite word is nomenclature

my least favorite word is captia..

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