Language is always a topic of conversation at our office. We love words (no surprise there), but there are certain words that we love more than others. My favorite word is antidisestablishmentarianism because I love the way it sounds and I love that it’s a double negative. Antidisestablishmentarianism was a political ideology that opposed the withdrawal of state support from the Church of England in nineteenth-century Britain. The history of it makes me love it even more!
Here are some other great picks from the PSG staff.
- Annette: defenestration
The word refers to throwing someone/something out of a window or a position of power. “I like the way defenestration sounds and I also love the fact that we have a word for the specific action of throwing something out a window.” - Colleen: her kids’ names
She says, “I got to pick them out—with my wife’s help, of course—and they make me the most happy in the world.” - Don: tintinnabulation
Tintinnabulation is the sound of a bell ringing; “I love winter and it makes me think of sleigh bells.” - Jamaica: penumbra
A penumbra is a partial shadow, somewhere between full shadow and full light. Jamaica says, “I like the word because it makes me think of ambiguous and liminal ideas and spaces.” - Kate: chortle
Chortle is Kate’s favorite word because it’s fun to say and she loves actually hearing someone chortle. “It’s the rarest and most genuine type of laugh. Anyone who chortles is good with me.” - Nora: petrichor
This word refers to the smell of the earth after it rains. Nora says, “I like the sound of the word, but I also love the smell that it’s describing.”
What’s your favorite word?
