Full Version: Favourite Words
BBC NEWS STORY
The British Council has carried out a survey among non-native English speakers in 102 countries around the world to find out what their favourite English words are.
The link shows the top 100 words cited, but the top 20 are
Questions:
What is your favourite word in English, or any other language, and why?
Please choose at least one for meaning, and at least one for sound or "mouthfeel"
If it's a word likely to be unfamiliar, please define it in your post.
The British Council has carried out a survey among non-native English speakers in 102 countries around the world to find out what their favourite English words are.
The link shows the top 100 words cited, but the top 20 are
- Mother
- Passion
- Smile
- Love
- Eternity
- Fantastic
- Destiny
- Freedom
- Liberty
- Tranquility
- Peace
- Blossom
- Sunshine
- Sweetheart
- Gorgeous
- Cherish
- Enthusiasm
- Hope
- Grace
- Rainbow
Questions:
What is your favourite word in English, or any other language, and why?
Please choose at least one for meaning, and at least one for sound or "mouthfeel"
If it's a word likely to be unfamiliar, please define it in your post.
21. Sex
Ok...shoot me...I'm a closet perv, but it's still a favorite word...
Ok...shoot me...I'm a closet perv, but it's still a favorite word...
One of my favorite words? It's...egalitarian.
It means, "Affirming, promoting, or characterized by belief in equal political, economic, social, and civil rights for all people."
I'd love to live in a country that practices such a system. Maybe some day...
For meaning: Adoration
For "mouthfeel"
:Perspicacity (acuteness of discernment or perception)
For "mouthfeel"
:Perspicacity (acuteness of discernment or perception)
'Pancake'...
possibly 'monkey'
possibly 'monkey'
For meaning: liberty
For "mouthfeel": albeit, just say it...albeit, I love it. A close second is cupcake. Not sure why, I just like the sound...
CP
For "mouthfeel": albeit, just say it...albeit, I love it. A close second is cupcake. Not sure why, I just like the sound...
CP
floccinaucinihilipilification
Which is defined as: The action or habit of judging something to be worthless.
Pronounced: "Flaw'see naw'see'nee hilla'pilla' fi' ka shon"
Which is defined as: The action or habit of judging something to be worthless.
Pronounced: "Flaw'see naw'see'nee hilla'pilla' fi' ka shon"
For meaning, I guess I would go with Wisdom. I wish I had a lot more of it.
There are a lot of words that delight me with their sound.
Crepuscular -- relating to twilight
Egregious -- conspicuously bad
Syzygy -- three celestial bodies lined up in a row
There are a lot of words that delight me with their sound.
Crepuscular -- relating to twilight
Egregious -- conspicuously bad
Syzygy -- three celestial bodies lined up in a row
My favourite word... for meaning I suppose it would be:
Equilibrium (pl. equilibria or equilibriums) 1 a state of physical balance. 2 a state of mental or emotional equanimity. 3 a state in which the energy in a system is evenly distributed and forces, influences, &tc., balance each other. [Latin (as EQUI-libra 'balance')]
For the purely phonetic quality of the word however, I am very fond of Velocity I've always though 'Felocity' would make a great name for a girl
Equilibrium (pl. equilibria or equilibriums) 1 a state of physical balance. 2 a state of mental or emotional equanimity. 3 a state in which the energy in a system is evenly distributed and forces, influences, &tc., balance each other. [Latin (as EQUI-libra 'balance')]
For the purely phonetic quality of the word however, I am very fond of Velocity I've always though 'Felocity' would make a great name for a girl
"Breast," no, the kind you eat -- aw, nevermind.
Chocolate is fun to say and eat. Still pretty oral here. The spelling is messed up.
Dawn, both the sunrise and the name.
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius -- fun to sing.
"Orange" because nothing rhymes with it, and the word carries color, smell and taste, along with a few seeds.
"Scooter" in reference to Harleys and other big cruisers. If they laugh, they're cool. If not, just wannabees.
Snow. It sounds like what it is. Walrus ca-ca works too.
"Jeep" cuz I have one. It's shorter than "Mitsubishi" too, and sounds like what it is: a short, square four-wheeler. The new ones are rounded and don't deserve the name.
"Mo Coffee," former local minstrel who moved to Canada, and I'm gonna get me some.
"Whiskey," as in bad-bad whiskey, pronounced "whissssss-key." Hiss of the beast.
Mud, no better word for it.
Pine, which is exactly as it smells. You can do this for someone or something too. Amazing little thing.
Mix mud and pine together, and you get "stuck."
"Preamble" always brings a grin. Oh, so I get some ambling straight off, thanks!
Turkey, the country, cuz what were they thinking?
Greece, the country, cuz what were they thinking?
Where's the country "Dressing"?
Gravy? Spud? Milkenhoney?
Fungus is a word that makes me turn green, but it's still a good one.
Eh, I like the little ones better than the big ones in general. Also the strange ones, like colonel. It makes little sense! Kernal is much better but not commissioned. (How come some words spend letters like drunken colonels?)
Cat and kitten (spelling) has been a puzzle all along. Huh? English does not make *any* cents! It's like a crazy uncle that you just get accustomed to.
But I love it anyways. It is just so much chaos and makes jobs for anal-retentive types, and even programmers for spell-checkers! To think this was all done by accident -- makes me believe that evolution is not only possible but very, very likely. What else explains the platypus? Another good word!
French is less crazy, and English does have a lot of formerly French words due to a little conquest that went on in 1066. But French is French, and we're not supposed to like that any longer. There's a word for that -- but I'm trying to be polite. Actually, it's a couple of words, one of which has more uses and meanings than anything else in the English language. It is considerd vulgar, even obscene (more good words!), but nothing can hold a candle to it -- if that image of holding a candle to anything makes sense. Trying to see something better, burn it up, drip wax on it?
See, burn, drip, wax -- more favorites, nice and short. Paraffine sucks, too many "F"s and breaks the pronunciation rule. It's wax, okay? It feels waxy, unless you're waxing, then you got to wane to get back to where you were.
Chocolate is fun to say and eat. Still pretty oral here. The spelling is messed up.
Dawn, both the sunrise and the name.
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius -- fun to sing.
"Orange" because nothing rhymes with it, and the word carries color, smell and taste, along with a few seeds.
"Scooter" in reference to Harleys and other big cruisers. If they laugh, they're cool. If not, just wannabees.
Snow. It sounds like what it is. Walrus ca-ca works too.
"Jeep" cuz I have one. It's shorter than "Mitsubishi" too, and sounds like what it is: a short, square four-wheeler. The new ones are rounded and don't deserve the name.
"Mo Coffee," former local minstrel who moved to Canada, and I'm gonna get me some.
"Whiskey," as in bad-bad whiskey, pronounced "whissssss-key." Hiss of the beast.
Mud, no better word for it.
Pine, which is exactly as it smells. You can do this for someone or something too. Amazing little thing.
Mix mud and pine together, and you get "stuck."
"Preamble" always brings a grin. Oh, so I get some ambling straight off, thanks!
Turkey, the country, cuz what were they thinking?
Greece, the country, cuz what were they thinking?
Where's the country "Dressing"?
Gravy? Spud? Milkenhoney?
Fungus is a word that makes me turn green, but it's still a good one.
Eh, I like the little ones better than the big ones in general. Also the strange ones, like colonel. It makes little sense! Kernal is much better but not commissioned. (How come some words spend letters like drunken colonels?)
Cat and kitten (spelling) has been a puzzle all along. Huh? English does not make *any* cents! It's like a crazy uncle that you just get accustomed to.
But I love it anyways. It is just so much chaos and makes jobs for anal-retentive types, and even programmers for spell-checkers! To think this was all done by accident -- makes me believe that evolution is not only possible but very, very likely. What else explains the platypus? Another good word!
French is less crazy, and English does have a lot of formerly French words due to a little conquest that went on in 1066. But French is French, and we're not supposed to like that any longer. There's a word for that -- but I'm trying to be polite. Actually, it's a couple of words, one of which has more uses and meanings than anything else in the English language. It is considerd vulgar, even obscene (more good words!), but nothing can hold a candle to it -- if that image of holding a candle to anything makes sense. Trying to see something better, burn it up, drip wax on it?
See, burn, drip, wax -- more favorites, nice and short. Paraffine sucks, too many "F"s and breaks the pronunciation rule. It's wax, okay? It feels waxy, unless you're waxing, then you got to wane to get back to where you were.
For me, let's see...
"muffin" and "candycorn" in English, because I like the taste of the first one and the smell of the second of course! Yum!
"muffin" and "candycorn" in English, because I like the taste of the first one and the smell of the second of course! Yum!
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