THESAURUS OF RARE,
DIFFICULT, SPECIALISED, AND DIALECT WORDS
1 of 2, 2 of 4, 4 of 8… - bipartient
abandon (in time of danger) - jetsam
abating at intervals - remittent
abdication - demission
abdominal
- ventral
(opp. dorsal)
ability to please (the
opposite sex, in general)- ophelimity
ability to store a charge of electricity - capacitance
able to live in
different conditions - facultative
abnormal excitement - erethism
aborigine - autochthon
abound, overflow - exuberate
about to bring forth young - parturient
abrasive - abradant
abscess, ulcer - imposthume
absence of purpose in
nature- dysteleology
absolute power - autarchy
absolve, vindicate - exculpate
abstinent - abstemious
abundance, rich harvest
- foison
abuse, revile - miscall,
vituperate
abyss; (pit; insatiable person) - abysm;
(barathrum)
academic introduction to a
subject - isagoge
accept as one’s own - nostrificate
accepted ultimately - antilegomenic
accessory, appertaining - appurtenant
accident in a nuclear
reactor - blowdown
accost, to - abord
accuse, (charge) - bewray,
(inculpate)
accuse, impeach - apel
ache (to) - warch,
wark
achieved, one who has not - manqué
acquisition - acquest,
acquist
acquit - exonerate
acrobat - posturist,
posture-maker
act according to expediency - temporise
active - birkie,
wacken, on the rouk
active - frim,
lish, sprack, upstrigolous,
active, morbidly so - sthenic
actor, stage-player - histrion
acuteness, sharpness - acuity,
acumen
add at the end - subjoin
addicted to drink - bibulous
addition - additament
additional, supplementary
- bolt-on
administer (remedies); use/apply - adhibit
admit, permit to enter - intromit
adolescent girl - bobbysoxer
adorn (o.s.), to - adonise
adventure - aunter
adventurer to
æ - aesc
(pron. ‘ash’)
affected language - marivaudage
affected simplicity - simplism
affected terms - concetti
affected/pompous expression - pseudery
affectedly delicate - niminy-piminy
afraid - frit,
freckened, gallied, gliffed
ageing, growing old - senescent
agency which impels to effort - conation
agile and wiry; flexible - withy
agree, ready to - assentaneous
agreeableness of sound - euphony
agreeing in opinion - consentient
agreeing, consistent - consentaneous
agreeing, suitable - congruent
agreement - cording
agreement in function - analogy
agreement in origin - homology
aid, help - aidance
air, or sky - ambient
alarm-bell - tocsin
alchemist’s furnace - athanor
alcoholic - dipsomaniac
all-creating - omnific
alleviation - allayment,
lygement
alligator (S. American) - cayman
all-night vigil (eccles.) - pernoctation
allot quarters to troops - canton
all-protecting - all-bielding
allurement, coquetry - agacerie
almshouse - beadhouse
alone - solus
aloof - abeigh
altogether; all at a gulp - holus-bolus
ambiguous, obscure - oracular
ambiguously constructed - amphibolous
ambulance - blood-wagon
amount a cask lacks of
being full - ullage
analyse (sentence) - parse
anatomy: hard parts of the body - osteology
anatomy: soft parts of the body - sarcology
ancestor (earliest) - primogenitor
ancestor, forefather - progenitor
anchor, small - killock
angle, making no - agonic
angler; angling - piscator;
the gentle craft
angry - iracundious
animal living in another’s home - inquiline
animal, young fatted - fatling
animate, encourage - inspirit
ankle - tarsus
ankle-bone, pert. to - talar
annex - mediatise
announce - annunciate
annoy - fash
annul; annulment - abrogate;
rescission
anodyne - analgesic
anoint; give extreme unction to - anele
anointing - inunction
anomalous, irregular - anomalistic
anonymous works - adespota
answering alternately - amoebaean
antelope - addax,
blesbok, bongo, bubal,
antelope - duiker,
gemsbok, gnu, gysbok,
antelope - inyala,
izard, klipspringer
antelope - koodoo,
reebok
antelope (Indian) - blackbuck
antelope, steppe - saiga
anthrax - malignant
pustule
anthrax - wool-sorter’s
disease
anti-aircraft gun - Bofors
gun
antidote - alexipharmic,
alexipharmakon
antidote (supposed)
to poisons - bezoar
antiquated - crusted
ants, pert. to - formic
anxiety, reducing - anxiolytic
anxiety; to burden, harass - cark
apelike - pithecoid,
simian, simious
ape-man - pithecanthrope
apoplectic disease of
cattle - black
quarter
appealed against, not to be - inappellable
appear above ground - braird
appease hunger temp.- stay
one’s stomach
appetite, sth. to whet the - antepast
apple-green, pale - chartreuse
apples, rel. to - pomaceous
apply (seal), to - appose
apposite - in
point
approach - appropinquate
approval - approbation
apron - barm-cloth
Arab mantle with hood - burnous
Arabwoman black outer garment- aba(ya)
arch slightly - camber
archaic (would-be) language - tushery
arched - fornicate
archer - toxophilite
aristocracy - upper
ten
armour for forearm - vambrace
armour, full suit of - panoply
armpit - oxter
arms, bearing - armigerous
arranged on one side only (bot.) - secund
array, in full - in
full fig
arrow-shaped - sagittal
artifice, to use - finesse
artificial, melodramatic - stagy
artistic skill, displaying - daedal
ascent; military advance - anabasis
asexual - agamic,
-ous
ashen-grey - cinereous
ashes, pert. to - cinerary
ask - spere
assail, oppose - oppugn
assay, to - cupel
assembly/council, eccl. court - consistory
assent (obsequious) - assentation
associate together - consociate
assume as true - posit
assume without proof - postulate
astringent - styptic
at first sight;
offhand - at
first blush
at once - bedene,
bainly
atrocious - piacular
attached by the whole length to - adnate
attached, annexed, consequent- appendant
attached, esp. to the soil - adscript
attendant (on magician) - famulus
attracting, drawing (towards) - attrahent
attractive to opposite sex - epigamic
attractive, desirable - appetible
auburn, rich - titian
auction (to) - roup
augur, to - auspicate
auk, the little - rotch(e)
aurora borealis - merry
dancers
autocrat - cham
avenge - wrake
aversion to food - sitophobia
avert, prevent - obviate
avert, ward off - forfend
avoid - evitate
awake, to; to rouse - abrade
awl-shaped - subulate
axe-shaped - securiform
baboon, large, ferocious - mandrill
baby - lakan
back, pert. to - dorsal
back; private - postern
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