Do you ever come across a new word? (sentence, quote, words)

[gentlearts]

I consider myself a word person, and I don't encounter new words much anymore, but in the past 6 months, or so, I have had to look up two words, since I could not, even from the context, figure out what they meant.

My words were: charrette, and affray

How about you?

[tpk-nyc]

If you don’t come across a new word every now and then, you’re reading the wrong books (in my opinion).

[Cunucu Beach]

Kwak in the QOTD thread in the OT Forum comes up with words fairly frequently that I have never heard before.

[gentlearts]

Originally Posted by tpk-nyc

If you don’t come across a new word every now and then, you’re reading the wrong books (in my opinion).

So, what word has had you stumped lately?

[gentlearts]

Originally Posted by Cunucu Beach

Kwak in the QOTD thread in the OT Forum comes up with words fairly frequently that I have never heard before.

Like what?

[Cunucu Beach]

Here's a word from the "Words I Love" thread....

Umpqua

I have no idea if it's even a word.......

And here's one from a QOTD of a few days back......

truckle

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

I consider myself a word person, and I don't encounter new words much anymore, but in the past 6 months, or so, I have had to look up two words, since I could not, even from the context, figure out what they meant.

My words were: charrette, and affray

How about you?

Charrette I knew, affray I just looked up.

I know charrette because of my job, which includes preparing and editing a lot of engineering-related documents, and that's where I encounter most new words and phrases. I sometimes scribble words down in meetings to look up later. Currently I'm involved with a contract procurement that includes financing, something I'm not as familiar with as engineering.

My latest favorite is a phrase, "scour critical". In this case, "scour" means water erosion around the supports of a bridge. A scour critical bridge is in danger of losing support because of the erosion around the piers and abutments.

Another word that came up is "consists". A sentence containing that word would be "The trains are in consists of seven cars each."

[tpk-nyc]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

So, what word has had you stumped lately?

I recently had to look up degringolade: a rapid decline or deterioration (as in strength, position, or condition). It’s an evocative word.

I studied French, but I still had to look it up.

[Rob Allen]

Originally Posted by Cunucu Beach

Here's a word from the "Words I Love" thread....

Umpqua

I have no idea if it's even a word.......

Umpqua is the name of a river in western Oregon, and of a dairy/ice cream maker based in Roseburg, the largest town in the Umpqua River valley.

[Cunucu Beach]

Yes, now that I think of it, it does have a northwest America native sound to it--sort of like Sasquatch.