Grandiloquent Dictionary, 3rd Edition

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C.S. Bird, \"Grandiloquent Dictionary, 3rd Edition\"

This is the result of an ongoing project to collect and distribute the most obscure and rare words in the English language (such as aprosexia, diurnation, galeanthropy, nidor or symmetrophobia). It also contains a few words which do not have equivalent words in English.

This version of the dictionary contains 2103 words, most with one line definitions, though it is constantly growing.


First published in electronic form in December 1998.
First published in paperback in June 1999.
Second Printing, January 2003 Third Printing, January 2006

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abacinate - To blind by putting a hot copper basin near someone's eyes
abcedarian - A person who teaches the alphabet
abderian - given to incessant or idiotic laughter
abecedarian - A person who is learning the alphabet
abishag - A child born to a married man's mistress
ablegate - A representative of the pope who assists in selecting cardinals
abligurition - Excessive spending on food and drink
ablutophobia - A fear of bathing
abnormous - Something which is misshapen
acarophobia - 1.A fear of insects
acarophobia - 2.A fear of mites
acarophobia - 3. A fear of small things, especially bugs
acathasia - The habit of sitting down
accidia - A feeling of being unable to think or act due to excessive sadness
accipitrine - having a nose like a hawk's beak
accoucheur - A man who assists in delivering babies, usually at home
accubation - The practice of eating or drinking while lying down
accubitus - Sharing a bed for sleeping only
aceldama - A blood soaked battle eld
acerbophobia - See acerophobia
acerophobia - The fear of sourness
achluophobia - A fear of darkness or of the night
acosmist - One who believes that nothing exists
acouasm - A buzzing or a ringing of the ears
acoucheuse - A midwife, or other person who assists in delivering babies
acousticophobia - A fear of noise
acrasia - Acting against one's own judgment, or lacking self control
acrocephalic - Having a pointy head
acronycal - Occurring at sunset
acronyx - An ingrown ngernail or toenail
adelphepothia - An incestuous desire for one's sister
adelphirexia - An incestuous desire for one's nephew
adelphithymia - An incestuous desire for one's niece
adhocracy - Rulership by committees and task forces
adiabolist - One who does not believe in the existence of a Devil
adoxography - Skilled writing about an unimportant subject
aelurophobia - See ailurophobia
aeolist - A pompous windy bore who pretends to have inspiration
aeroacrophobia - See aerophobia
aeromancy - Divination using the air
aerophobia - 1. A fear of air
aerophobia - 2. A fear of flying
aesthete - One who obsessively pursues or admires beauty
afflatus - A divine inspiration leading to creativity
aunters - In a messy or disordered state
aforcing - Adding rice or grains to a dish to serve more people
agalaxy - Unable to produce milk
agamous - The state of being unmarried
agapetae - early church women who lived with celibate men
agathocacological - Composed of both good and evil
agelast - A person who never laughs
agenhina - A guest at an inn, who is considered to be one of the family
agerasia - The state of looking younger than one really is
ageustia - The lack of a sense of taste, either literally or in opinions
aginate - To sell small items
aginator - A merchant who sells only small items
agiotage - Speculation in the stock market
agist - A fee charged to private landowners for public services, or the re-
quirement that private land be used for public services
aglet - The plastic or metal tip on the end of shoelaces
agogic - Pertaining to the making of wax models
agonous - Engaged in deadly combat
agoraphobia - A fear of open places
agra e - The wire that holds the cork in a bottle of champagne
agrapha - The collective name for phrases which are often quoted and at-
tributed to someone who never said them.
agrizoophobia - A fear of wild animals
agroof - at on your face
agyiophobia - The fear of streets or crossing the street
ai - A South American three toed sloth
aichmophobia - A fear of pointed or sharp objects
aichmorhabdophobia - A fear of being beaten with a pointed stick
aichurophobia - The fear of being touched by a pointed object
ailuromancy - Divination by studying a cat's jump
ailurophobia - A fear of cats
albophobia - The fear of white people
albuminuriaphobia - A fear of kidney disease
alcedama - A blood soaked eld or a battle eld
alectromantia - A process in which a rooster is asked a question, and then a single grain is placed on each letter of the alphabet and the order of his eating determined the answer
alectryomancy - Magic using corn
alektorophobia - A fear of chickens
aleuromancy - Divination using flour
algerining - Prowling around with the intent to commit burglary
algology - The study of seaweed or marine algae
algophobia - A fear of pain
alieniloquent - Speaking discursively or straying from one's point
alliaceous - Smelling like garlic or onions
alliumphobia - A fear of garlic
allodoxaphobia - A fear of other people's opinions
allotheism - The worship of strange gods
alopeciaphobia - A fear of going bald
alopecist - A person who claims to prevent baldness
alphamegamia - The marriage between a young woman and an older man
alphitomancy - Divination using barley meal
alterocentric - Someone whose life revolves around other people
altiloquent - Speaking pompously or in a high own manner
altitonant - Thundering from above or on high
altophobia - A fear of heights or high places
alychiphobia - The fear of failure
alytarch - A referee, or person who enforces game rules
amathophobia - A fear of dust
amaut - A fur lined hood on the back of a women's parka, usually used for carrying an infant.
amaxophobia - A fear of riding in automobiles
ambeer - The spittle produced when chewing tobacco
ambiguphobia - A fear of being misunderstood
ambulomancy - Divination by walking
ambulophobia - The fear of walking
amentia - temporary insanity or a dazed trance
amomaxiaphobia - A fear of making love in an automobile
ampherotokous - Having both male and female o spring
amphigory - A poem that seems profound but is really complete nonsense
amphigory - A seemingly profound poem which is actually nonsense
amrita - A drink which bestows immortality in Hindu mythology
amychophobia - A fear of being scratched
anabatic - Related to wind currents, especially rising winds
anablepophobia - A fear of looking at high places
anacardic - Pertaining to a cashew nut
anadipsia - excessive thirst
anagapesis - The feeling when one no longer loves someone they once did
anasarkas - A condition in which a person is so swollen that they appear to have no muscles
anaxiphillia - The act of falling in love with the wrong person
anconeal - Related to the elbow
androcracy - A government consisting of men
androlepsia - A kidnapping by a foreign government for political gain
androphobia - A fear of men
anemophobia - The fear of wind
angelocracy - Rulership by angels
anginophobia - A fear of choking or su ocating
anile - Resembling a doddering old-woman, although usually used to imply loss of mental ability
anililagnia - An attraction to older women
anklyosis - The sti ness of immobility of a joint
ankylophobia - A fear of joint immobility
anoegenetic - Not producing new work or original knowledge
anonymuncle - A petty anonymous writer
anopisthographic - Having writing only upon one side
anserine - Like a goose
antapology - A response to an apology, usually attacking the justi cation included in the apology
antedeluvian - Very old or ancient, or pertaining to the era before Noah's flood
anteric - Pertaining to revenge against a former lover or a lover who betrays
anthomancy - Divination using flowers
anthophobia - A fear of flowers
anthracomancy - Divination using burning coals
anthrophobia - The fear of people
anthropoglot - Any animal, such as a parrot, which is capable of copying human speech
anthropolatry - Worship of a human as thought they were a god
anthropomancy - Magic or divination using people, or foretelling the future using the entrails of a sacri ced person
anthropopathy - Ascribing human feelings or traits to God or to the gods
anthropophobia - See anthrophobia
anthroposcopy - The art of determining personality or character from physical features
anthropotheism - The belief that gods began as humans and are human in nature
antinomian - Rejecting the authority of moral or religious law
antiscian - A person who lives on the other of the world from you
antisocordist - One who speaks against laziness and stupidity
antlophobia - A fear of floods or flooding
antonomasia - The practice of using trademarked names as generic terms
anuptaphobia - The fear of staying unmarried
anxiolytic - Serving to reduce tension or stress
apanthropia - A fear of people
apeirophobia - A fear of in nity
aphephobia - The fear of touching or being touched
apikoros - A Jewish person who does not follow Jewish law
apiophobia - A fear of bees
apocalocyntosis - The act of being turned into a pumpkin
apocatastasis - The belief that all people will be saved by God
apodyopsis - The act of mentally undressing someone
aporia - The feeling you have when your problems cannot be solved
apotheosis - The elevation of a mortal to deity
apricate - To spend time basking in the sunshine
aproneer - A merchant or shopkeeper
aprosexia - The inability to concentrate
aptronym - An appropriate name for someone or something
aquabib - An individual who only drinks water
aquaphobia - The fear of water
arachibutyrophagia - The act of eating peanut butter
arachibutyrophillia - The love of peanut butter
arachibutyrophobia - Fear of peanut butter
arachnivorous - Eating spiders
arachnophobia - The fear of spiders
arctophilist - A collector of teddy bears
arietate - To strike with a battering ram or to butt like a ram
aristology - The science of dining
aristophren - A person possesing a superior intellect
arithmophobia - A fear of numbers
armomancy - Divination involving the shoulder blades of animals
arrhenophobia - A fear of male o spring
arrhenotokous - Having only male o spring
arsle - To move backwards or to retreat rapidly
ascian - A person who has no shadow
aspergillum - A device for sprinkling holy water, usually a perforated sphere
aspersorium - A basin for holy water
assanka - The number ten to the sixty-third power
astereognosis - The loss of the ability to recognize shapes by touch
asthenic - Being lean and frail
asthenophobia - The fear of weakness
astragalomancy - Divination using dice
astrapophobia - The fear of thunder and lightning
astrophobia - The fear of stars
ataxiophobia - A fear of disorder
atelophobia - A fear of defects or imperfections
atephobia - A fear of rivers
atychiphobia - A fear of failure
aubade - A love song which is sung at dawn
augury - Divination using bird's flight
aulophobia - A fear of utes
aureate - Pertaining to the fancy or
owery words used by poets
aurophobia - A fear of gold
austromancy - Divination using the wind
autodeist - One who believes they are a god
autodidact - A person who has taught themselves
autodysomophobia - A fear of one's own body odour
autohagiographer - A person who speaks or writes in a smug way about their life and accomplishments
autolatry - The worship of one's self
autology - The study of oneself
automysophobia - A fear of being dirty
autotheist - One who worships themselves
autotonsorialist - A person who cuts their own hair
autovoxiphillia - Love of one's own voice
aval - Pertaining to grand parents
avenage - Oats paid to a landlord when the tenant could not pay the rent
avenage - Oats that were paid to landlords in lieu of rent by the poor
avering - When a poor person removes all of their clothing to increase sympathy while begging
averruncator - A long stick with shears for cutting high branches
avetrol - An illegitimate child
aviatophobia - A fear of flying
ayurnamat - The philosophy that there is no point in worrying about events that cannot be changed