11 weird English words that you probably never knew existed

Metro

18-06-2025

Link is copied Comments Language is constantly evolving, and words that might once have been common in everyday usage have fallen from favour - while others we might never have thought of using have become popular. But however well-spoken we might consider ourselves to be, there are always going to be some words out there which confound even the most knowledgeable linguist. Read on for some of the most unusual words you're likely to come across in the dictionary - and just what they really mean (Picture: Getty Images) If you have any knowledge of Latin you might already be able to guess what this one means - 'fenestra is the Latin word for 'window' and 'defenestrate' takes that one step further - it's a verb which means simply 'to throw someone or something out of a window'. It does have a second definition however, which is a swift dismissal or expulsion, and is often used when someone in a political party or office loses their post abruptly. The most famous example of this came in 1618 when two imperial regents who were found guilty of violating religious freedoms were thrown from the window of Prague Castle and survived, sparking off a chain of events which led to the Thirty Years War in Europe (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto) If you're a fan of hitting the dancefloor whenever your favourite song comes on you might find it useful to know this one - it means to 'dance clumsily without any particular grace or skill but usually with enjoyment'. Which could mean dad dancing, throwing shapes after a couple of Proseccos...anything really. As far as using it in a sentence? Try 'I don't dance, I balter' (Picture: Getty Images) You'd be hard pressed to find a word as weird and fabulous as this - but it's got a pretty straightforward definition, as a snollygoster means quite simply 'an unscrupulous, untrustworthy person'. Merriam-Webster explains that the word came into the lexicon in the 1800s, and was particularly popular in the Deep South of America, where it was particularly used as a derogatory way of describing politicians. So if you hear it used at all around the time of the next election you'll know why (Picture: Getty Images) This one might sound a bit old-fashioned, but once again it's not overly complicated - it means to have 'careless or illegible handwriting' or, according to Merriam-Webster 'careless handwriting : a crude or illegible scrawl'. The word is actually derived from the French word 'griffonner' which means to make meaningless drawings and scribbles - so as well as messy handwriting it also covers those random notepad doodles you might make when talking on the phone or as a distraction (Picture: Getty Images) If you're one of those people who can't lift their head off the pillow the second the alarm goes off, then this one is for you, as it actually means 'the state of finding it hard to get up in the morning'. The Sleep Foundation says it is s 'closely associated with clinomania, which is an obsession with or profound desire for staying in bed' and, while it is not a standalone disorder, it could be a 'symptom of another condition' (Picture: Getty Images) This one is one a lot of you can no doubt identify with - taken from the Greek words for 'cat' and 'lover', it means 'a person who likes cats'. And if you don't like cats? Then you'd be known as an 'ailurophobe', which once again comes from the Greek word for 'cat', together with the word for 'fearing' or 'adverse to' (Picture: Getty Images) This one is a bit scientific - it's the word that refers to the dots you see in front of your eyes when you rub them. Merriam-Webster translates it thus: 'an impression of light that occurs without light entering the eye and is usually caused by stimulation of the retina (as by pressure on the eyeball when the lid is closed) or by excitation of neurons in the visual system (as by transcranial magnetic stimulation)' (Picture: Getty Images) If you're that person in the cinema with the overly noisy laugh then this word is for you, since it means 'to laugh loudly or immoderately'. The origins of cachinnate are unclear, but the Oxford English Dictionary has suggested it may have its origins in Latin, and it was first used in the writing of Thomas de Quincey in 1824 (Picture: Getty Images/Tetra images RF) Ever woken up and felt like one of your limbs has gone to sleep? Then it's possible you have a touch of parasthesia, which is defined as 'a sensation of pricking, tingling, or creeping on the skin that has no objective cause'. In some cases it can be caused by something as simple as pins and needles or the sensation of a dead arm or leg due to your sleeping position, due to temporary lack of blood flow. However it can also be a sign of something more serious, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, nerve injury or even a tumour. So if your symptoms persist or become chronic you should always get checked out by a health professional (Picture: Getty Images) You might have come across this one if you're an auntie or uncle - as it is a gender-neutral term which is used to refer to a sibling's child instead of 'niece' or 'nephew'. Merriam-Webster states that the term was first coined in the 1950s, but spent several decades in obscurity before becoming popular again in recent years - eventually entering the Collins Dictionary in 2012 (Picture: Getty Images) This one might sound a bit complicated - but actually it's a word used to describe someone who has been divorced five times. Sound a bit specific? Yep, we thought so too. The specific origins of this word are unclear, but given that 'penta' is a word of ancient Greek origin which means 'five', and 'apopemptic' is a separate word which according to Collins Dictionary means 'relating to departure' or 'parting address', suddenly it all starts to make sense (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto) This article was originally published in May 2024
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