This article continues the exploration of fresh words and expressions collected during journeys into the intricate realms of literature and media, shared for your enjoyment and knowledge. While these terms might be new to me, you may be familiar with some or all, in which case, feel free to reflect on my lack of awareness—a continuous source of learning. Challenge yourself to see how many you recognize!

Epicormic — An adjective describing a shoot or branch that emerges from a previously dormant bud on a tree's trunk or limb. This term was noted on a sign at Westonbirt Arboretum.

Autotoxicity — Another sign at the arboretum featured this term, which refers to a biological phenomenon where a species suppresses the growth or reproduction of its own members by releasing chemicals into the environment. In this context, it indicates how sycamore seedlings eliminate other seedlings of the same species to enhance their survival. The arboretum is actively planting new trees to replace many ash trees that have succumbed to a disease known as "ash dieback."

Nunchaku — A weapon composed of two sticks connected by a short cord, chain, or rawhide. This term appeared in a news article. For more information on the weapon, check out this article:

Excited delirium (ED) and Acute Behavioural Disturbance (ABD) — These controversial terms, which carry troubling racial connotations, are alarmingly used by police in the UK:

Aposematism — This term refers to the use of bright colors to signal toxicity or danger. I encountered this word while researching survival strategies in nature.

Parthenogenesis — From the same research, this term denotes a mode of reproduction that occurs without fertilization (asexual reproduction).

Sclerophyllous leaves — Referring to tough, resilient leaves that deter herbivory (found in certain plant species). This term was also part of my research.

Viviparity — This term describes the process of giving birth to live offspring rather than laying eggs, encountered during the same research.

Velleity — Representing the lowest level of volition or a mere inclination. I came across this word in an insightful article by Ben Ulansey:

A Proustian moment — A sensory experience that evokes a flood of memories, often from long ago or seemingly forgotten. This phrase was mentioned in an interview with writer Phillip Pullman regarding advice he would give to his younger self.

Felo-de-se — A Latin term denoting an individual who dies by suicide or as a consequence of committing a malicious act. This term was mentioned in the same interview.

Aphantasia — The inability to visualize people in one’s "mind’s eye." More about this condition can be found in the following article:

Carnauba — A wax used in candies to prevent melting, in pills to enhance swallowability, and as a thickener in cosmetics like lipstick and mascara.

Eponym — A term for a person after whom something, such as a discovery or place, is named, for example, diesel, sandwich, or mackintosh, as noted in the BBC show "Mastermind."

Anulus — Referring to the space between concentric circles, also discussed in the same show.

The subsequent terms are sourced from the remarkable “The Bastard of Istanbul” by Elif Shafak, a captivating novel that explores the cultural fusion of a city where East meets West, modernity clashes with tradition, and religion encounters secularism:

Simit — Also known as rosquilla, this is a circular bread typically coated with sesame seeds, prevalent in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and the Middle East, particularly in Armenia, Turkey, and the Balkans.

Mellifluous — An adjective describing a sound that is sweetly smooth and pleasant to hear.

Mordant — An adjective, especially regarding humor, indicating a sharp or critical quality; biting.

Saturnine — An adjective suggesting a gloomy disposition, often related to a person or their demeanor.

Jicama — A crisp, white-fleshed edible tuber from the yam bean, commonly used in Mexican cuisine.

Janissary — An elite infantry member of the Ottoman Sultan’s household troops, recognized as the first modern standing army, possibly the first infantry force globally to use firearms, established under Sultans Orhan or Murad I and disbanded by Mahmud II in 1826.

Nef — A noun describing an ornate table centerpiece shaped like a ship used to hold items like napkins and condiments.

Interstice — A noun denoting a small intervening space.

Boutonnière (French) — A floral decoration, typically a single flower or bud, worn on a suit lapel.

Hebephrenic schizophrenia — Also referred to as ‘disorganized schizophrenia,’ this type typically manifests between the ages of 15–25, characterized by disorganized behavior and thought patterns, along with fleeting delusions and hallucinations.

Fictive — An adjective referring to something born of the imagination or related to fictional writing, often seen as synonymous with fictitious.

I hope you found this collection enjoyable, and please feel free to share your favorite terms in the comments.

As always, thank you for reading.

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Previous articles from The Word Collector:

Part 53 — Findom and Biblioklepting

Part 52 — Bump the Lamp with a Drabble Dabble

Part 51 — Blitzscaling Rishession

Part 50 — A Gallimaufry of Particitrousers

Part 49 — Kvetching, habit stacking, and loud budgeting

Part 48: Flex Your Rizz Bruv

Part 47: Bikeshedding Navvy Gravvy

Part 46: Astraphobic Badonkadonk

Part 45: Ergophobic Humdudgeon

Part 44 — Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobic Longiloquence

Part 43 — Stravaiging Shiznit

Part 42 — Model Collapse And Dezinformatsiya

Part 41 — A Flapdoodle of rapid unscheduled disassembly

Part 40 — Mulesing, Merkins, Quislings, Tallywags And Refoulment

Part 39 — Blowing off the hinky cobwebs

Part 38 — A Dreich Case Of Psychoterratic Solastalgia

Part 37 — A Cockamamie Collection Of Highkey Zhuzh

Part 36 — Keggers, Kerning, Çay and Crickets

Part 35 — Murmuring judges and anhedonia

Part 34 — A-quomodocunquizing-borborygmus

Part 33 — Going Monk Mode In Taumata­whakatangihanga­koauau­o­tamatea­turi­pukaka­piki­maunga­horo­nuku­pokai­whenua­ki­tana­tahu

Part 32 — Turpitudinous Tourons

Part 31 — Hurkle durkle, medicanes and misophonia

Part 30 — Immortal earworms

Part 29 — Government on the RAAC

Part 28 –Saved by a deus ex machina

Part 27 — Pre-Lapsarian Yakers

Part 26 — Fegans, Jorts, Rababs And Scotch Bonnets

Part 25 — Fissiparous Hegemony

Part 24 — Lollygag And Booktok

Part 23 — Patronymics And Samovars

Part 22 — Medium Is No Chronofage If YRMIRY

Part 21 — Everything Is Eellogofusciouhipoppokunurious

Part 20 — Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia And The Matthew Effect

Part 19 — A Nappuccino And Some Typo-Squatting

Part 18 — Yeeting Detritovres

Part 17 — An Inverted Pyramid Of Piffle On The Bed Of Procrustes

Part 16 — Having The Jones And Partisan Acrimony

Part 15 — Spycops In The Boondocks

Part 14 — Harlots, Stochastic Parrots, And The Devil’s Cufflinks

Part 13 — The Things We Make Exceptional

Part 12 — “Semper Fidelis” And Semantic Symbiosis

Part 11 — Heliophobic Hikikomori

Part 10 — Lenticular Clouds And Peque Peques

Part 9 — Big Red Boots And Nepo Babies

Part 8 — A Patina Of Smilies

Part 7 — Atavistic frou frou

Part 6-Mouth Breathers And Pearl Clutchers

Part 5 — The Lexophile’s Latest List

Part 4 — Revenge of the word collector

Part 3- An Etymological Extravaganza

Part 2- Return Of The Word Collector

Part 1 — A Moment In The Sun