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I’ve written posts in the Wrap before about coining new words, if you recall my Default Song post, for example. Recently, in one of my novel-writing classes, I had a student who kept using the word download in a sci-fi novel set in the far future. I said to her: “It’s the future; the word download is so 2003, why not invent your own word for downloading information from the ether; why not invent your own language the way Madelaine L’Engle did in her classic, A Wrinkle in Time (if you’re not familiar with the novel, time travel was made possible by wrinkling through space.)
This got me thinking about coining new words again, which made me think: hey, I bet our loyal Word Wrap readers have a whole pantload of words their heads just waiting to be coined. So let’s see how creative you are. I’ll send the top three new words over to Wordspy and maybe you’ll even make history for an authentic, new coinage. Now, I can’t promise the good folk over at Wordspy will list your word without an official citation, but then again they might! And if this post gets spread around the net long enough, someone’s sure to cite your hot, new word, I’d say. So what are you waiting for? Show the world your very own word.
I’ll start the coinage rolling with egrex: \ee-grex\ vb 1. to exert oneself with such physical force that the veins in one’s forehead, neck and arms show through the surface of the skin. 2. The absolute hardest one can push or pull at/on an object. [e.g. He egrexed, but alas, the closet door would not budge.]
Comments (35)
Comment
But, what is the etymology of egrex? A real word should have some philological background.
posted by Bassman on 6-22-2007 at 5:55 am
crapoganda - the politically biased news articles people print out and leave in the bathroom.
posted by Yerg on 6-22-2007 at 6:13 am
I make up words to make my kids laugh… “Ripsnoggle” is a favorite and can be anything, a verb, noun, adjective, etc “stinkfinkel”, “flugelbinder” and “fartrocket” are also favorites… Of course, I have no etomology or definitions, just funny sounding words.
posted by Bill on 6-22-2007 at 6:48 am
Not original with me, but I give you “igry”–vicarious social embarrassment, sort of a reverse schadenfreude.
Plus, it helps out with that stupid “There are three words in the English language that end in -gry-” nonpuzzle.
posted by Rosebud on 6-22-2007 at 7:18 am
fantabulous - better than fantastic and more than fabulous. It’s “fantabulous”!
posted by pairodimes on 6-22-2007 at 7:40 am
funge: \ph-oo-nge\ from the Italian word fungo (mushroom). Use may be from Sicilian origin.
adj.: testa di funge 1. a person who lays about lazily. 2. a stubborn person.
verb: fung-ing 1. to lay about lazily. ex: Person 1: “What are you up to?” Person 2: “Just funging (fungin’)”.
noun: 1. comfortable clothes. Sweats. Ex: Let me throw on some funge before I go for a run.
posted by Nina on 6-22-2007 at 8:14 am
Vaxi- a van taxi
Winlet- the opening on an envelope that allows the address to be seen from inside
Hayoe- the fence that borders some indian reservations
All acceptable words when playing Scrabble with my friends. Been using these words for the last 15 years.
posted by Sam on 6-22-2007 at 8:23 am
My wife accidentely creates words by smooshing two closly related words together. We call ‘em Jennyisms.
Some Examples:
Vangrant: Violent and Angry
Fessy: Filthy and Messy
Fuhly: Funny and Silly
posted by Jason! on 6-22-2007 at 8:54 am
My entry is an acronym, along the lines of “snafu.”
It is: aboc. Pronounced (ay - bok). It stands for “A Bunch Of Crap.”
So useful.
I hope this word is not considered aboc.
posted by Gray Hunter on 6-22-2007 at 9:22 am
One of my best friends has parents from Denmark. When we roomed together in college, I realized there are not any derogatory terms for people from Scandanavia. As a result, I made up my own:
Dank - someone from Denmark
Nork - someone from Norway
Swank - Sweden
Scank - just a general scandanavian
Fink - Finks are from Finland, right?
Of course, I hope you realize these derogatory names are only in good fun…
posted by Scott from Cincy on 6-22-2007 at 10:24 am
When my oldest daughter was about three, she coined the word “snergle” to stand for anything that gets sprinkled on food, i.e. those crunchy canned chow mein noodles for Chinese, or candy sprinkles on ice cream, sort of like garnish, only tending toward something of a contrasting texture, especially. “Do you want snergles on that?” In my family when I was a kid, if someone “borrowed” something from their sibling or parent, instead of using the word “steal” or “take,” it was “gleeped.” “Hey, you gleeped my pencil! Give it back!” Neologisms are fun! I have a ton of them (and no, we don’t get to use them in Scrabble, unfortunately).
posted by Dolly on 6-22-2007 at 10:33 am
About three years ago, my daughter, out of the blue, came up with “catastrophobia” (an unnatural fear of catastrophes, of course). Google returns nothing on it. Not bad for an 8-year-old…
posted by Jim on 6-22-2007 at 10:36 am
This is a word my husband and I coined on a rather long road trip. You can only imagine our state of mind at the time.
Tired-silly: adjective 1. fatigued often to the point of lacking seriousness. 2. drained of strength and energy resulting in a state of extreme happiness and joviality. [e.g. James could only be described as tired-silly. Being allowed to stay up considerably past his bedtime, he was giggling uncontrollably at the simple antics of his brother.]
posted by Laura on 6-22-2007 at 10:45 am
I work in the computer industry. So this is mine. I’m sure someone else has used it. But it’s not easily found if you do a search on the word.
Misquery — to return/receive the wrong results from a query/question.
Mis–
PREFIX: 1. Bad; badly; wrong; wrongly: misconduct. 2. Failure; lack: misfire. 3. Used as an intensive: misdoubt.
Query– question: a request for information
2. doubt: a doubt or criticism
posted by EllaBlue on 6-22-2007 at 11:25 am
I was texting one day in Word, and tried to express joy by typing ‘Huzzah!’ What came out was ‘Guyaa!’ I liked it so much, I exclaim it now when I want to rejoice.
posted by Johnny Cat on 6-22-2007 at 11:32 am
Ok, David, sorry to burst your bubble, but “egrex” should clearly mean “to withdraw in an annoying manner,” being a combination of the words “egress” and “vex.”
Nina, I believe you are correct about the Sicilian origins of the word “funge” - my boyfriend picked up the phrase “funge face” (foon-ja face - to describe a scrunched up face of displeasure) from his Sicilian grandfather.
posted by Anne on 6-22-2007 at 11:51 am
Singalongable: adj, a songs ease of other people singing along with it. Ex: the Killers last album, Hot Fuss, was much more singalongable than their new one, Sam’s Town.
Decampification: the process of returning to normal life and behavior after a period of time spent camping. This is especially nessesary for camp counselor at the end of a session.
posted by Amy on 6-22-2007 at 12:21 pm
I once introduced a bride and her father out to the dancefloor at one of our friends weddings by saying:
“And now, it’s time for the customonial dance from the father of and the bride.”
It was the perfect blend of customary and ceremonial that produced a large amount of laughter, and teasing for many weeks. What’s worse, since I was in the wedding band (my band played the reception for our friends) and we were recording the performance to give to them, it was all caught on tape. sheesh!
posted by nick on 6-22-2007 at 1:13 pm
Every now and then my brother comes up with a word and tries to spread it around. After the failure a few years ago of chillaxing (a combination or chilling and relaxing), he’s hoping for better results with threequel, the third movie in a trilogy (i.e. This is the summer of the threequel). Feel free to use it, I’m sure he’d be happy.
posted by cousin on 6-22-2007 at 2:04 pm
BASW - Born after Star Wars - seems that kids these days are different somehow.
Netonym - acronyms based on popular internet slang - ex. ROTFLMAO, LOL
Cartoos - tattoos of cartoon characters
posted by Terry on 6-22-2007 at 2:24 pm
My friend and I have found that math tests “ennervousate” us…they make us nervous
posted by leofishy on 6-22-2007 at 3:05 pm
Sort of the reverse of the “download” problem — When writing fantasy (medieval times, more or less) I frown to use modern measurement terms like “foot” or “mile” and especially nothing metric–thus when an hour passes, my characters have lived one more ‘clockturn.’ Not very creative, but original, as far as I know =P
posted by Courtney on 6-22-2007 at 4:15 pm
My dad is French, so there are many words we used growing up that I discovered later on were not actually words, but combinations of French and English words…
Mouge(moo-zh uh) a combination of move and bouger(to move in French). It just kind of meant to move over, like if someone was hogging the whole couch and you wanted them to scoot over, you’d say, “mouge.”
And I also use the expression, “tough noogies” instead of tough luck, because it’s more fun to say.
posted by greenstrawberries on 6-22-2007 at 8:55 pm
sarmon: a collection of war tales or adventures.
The sarmon of Corporal Wilson has recently been published by “sarmons R us”
posted by james woodrow on 6-22-2007 at 9:56 pm
as for egrex - sounds a lot like the French pronunciation of the letter X. Actually when you say your French abc’s that’s almost exactly how you pronounce it…
posted by Jessica on 6-22-2007 at 10:26 pm
Hey, I like that new def for egrex.
Instead of cartoo, I like tattoon. I hate to disappoint your brother, cousin, but threequel, has been used for a few years now.
At six syllables, and instantly comprehendable, decampification is great!
Jim, your 8 year old is brilliant.
There’re bound to be words slagging scandies, just not in English. (Do you think a group of Scandanavians is called a scandal?)
posted by Bassman on 6-23-2007 at 10:12 am
When I was little I referred to a large dark cloudbank as “ominacing”, a rather clear mix of “ominous” and “menacing”. My brain then filed it away as a real word, and I still occasionally use it.
posted by Aemi on 6-23-2007 at 4:25 pm
choi-xi-ety (choy-ZIE-ety) noun.
1.Anxiety or apprehension that results from having too many choices.
Ex: After spending weeks researching her new laptop purchase, Stella realized she was immobilized by choixiety.
posted by Anad on 6-24-2007 at 7:40 am
poo-ty (POO-tee) noun.
1. A person intent on ruining another’s happiness; a “party pooper”. (a mangling of the words “party” and “pooper”.
Ex: We’ll have a great time—stop being such a pooty!!!
posted by Techsplorer on 6-24-2007 at 11:57 pm
grumption (N) righteous indignation lacking empowerment.
Rather a combination of gumption and grumpy. Used when I’ve been wronged and am therefore grumpy, but don’t have the gumption to defend myself.
As in I am supposed to drive the company car tomorrow, but they mis-filed the insurance paperwork, have informed me I shall have to find an alternate means of transportation and I don’t have the grumption to tell them it’s 2:30 and they have until 5 today to fix it.
posted by Liz on 6-25-2007 at 3:49 am
ingrediate: to consume ingredients that normally make up complex dishes seperately in order to bypass the fabrication sequence, out of laziness.
“Honey, don’t you want a REAL sandwich insead of just ingredienating, like that in front to the computer?”
Also Jessica, I think you were thinking og the letter “Y” in french. it’s pronounced “EE-GREH-K”, “X” would be pronounced “YKS”
posted by Frank S Besner on 6-25-2007 at 9:13 am
Last summer, while pontificating on the latin phrase “non sequitor”, I came up with the adjective “non sequitious” as in “We were not talking about the price of tea in China. You are being non-sequitious again!” I thought I came up with something new only to be disappointed when “A Word A Day” highlighted the word “sequitious”.
posted by KJ on 6-25-2007 at 2:55 pm
A long time ago, in a writing class, we were given the assignment of coining a new word. When we later recited our words to the class, I was surprised to find that I was the only one to come up with a “real” word.
In my case, I’ve always found the word “extraterrestrial” not only to be a tongue-twister, but too darn long as well. This was before Steven Spielberg came up with simply “E.T.”.
I coined the word “exogaean”: “exo”, a prefix for “outside of” and “gaea” from the Greek Earth goddess. Made sense to me.
I don’t remember what my grade was, though.
posted by Cliff Sees on 6-25-2007 at 8:19 pm
Too late to enter another one? I am submitting it on behalf of my parents, who just came up with it the other day. The word is homonaction. It’s when you coincidentally say a word, and at the same time do an action that is a homonym of that word. For example, you say “There are a whole lot of people in this park,” and accidentally step in a hole at the exact moment you said the word “whole.” Clever, eh?
posted by Molly on 6-29-2007 at 7:27 am
Cookipocker - pronounced (Cookie-pock-er) n. “my lady parts”
Other girls called thier’s a suzy or coochie or just plain vagina.
Mine was a cookiepocker
posted by Janet on 6-29-2007 at 9:41 am