Friday, June 16, 2023

100 Good Words

Wiktionary has an archive of non-English words of the day. I was bored one evening and started going through at random, pulling out some of my favorites. Might as well make a random table.

Since these are all trawled from Wiktionary, apply some salt as you deem necessary. Turns out if the language uses a non-latin alphabet it is very difficult to find an entry again after you lose the link so I might be missing some of the diacritics.

100 Good Words


    1. -pháka (v): 1) to serve food 2) to distribute, allot (Zulu)
    2. āghāya (n): n) killing, striking, stroke, blow (Prakit)
    3. ahava (n): 1) cold wind 2) weather-beaten skin (Finnish)
    4. ajatasten Tonava (n): "Danube of Thought"; person with many pointless thoughts (Finnish)
    5. àlmājirī (n): 1) student, often itinerant 2) beggar (Hausa)
    6. āltepētenāncoyoctli (n): small gate in a city wall (Classic Nahuatl)
    7. amiqui (v): to die of thirst; to be thirsty; to drown (Nahuatl)
    8. ana-baci (n): 1) mother and sister 2) a man's sense of honor (Azerbaijani)
    9. anniskelu (n): the serving of alcohol 2) saloon, pub (archaic) (Finnish)
    10. apenrots (n): 1) a rock on which monkeys live 2) a silly hierarchical environment (Dutch)
    11. armentum (n): draft animal suitable for a plow (Latin)
    12. åskblå (adj): dark grey-blue, as a thunderstorm sky (Swedish)
    13. atakanar (v): to fix, to repair 2) (reflexive) to dress up (Ladino)
    14. auzhandil (n): morning star, Venus (Gothic)
    15. avoda (v): 1) worship, service 2) work, job, labor (Hebrew)
    16. ayiq (adj): 1) sober 2) conscious, awake 3) vigilant (Azerbaijani)
    17. ayni (n): community work, mutual aid; solidarity (Quechua)
    18. bacōnālis (adj): fit for bacon (Latin)
    19. blāc (adj): pale, shining, white (Old English)
    20. boia (n): 1) executioner 2) hangman (game) 3) scoundrel, villain (Italian)
    21. borken (v): 1) to bark 2) to grumble or whine 3) to complain or insult (Middle English)
    22. bplòt-ɛ̀ɛk (v): to liberate from oppression, or servitude. Lit.”to remove the yoke” (Thai)
    23. buraxmaq (v): to let go; to release; to let; to leave; to publish; to let through (Azerbaijani)
    24. chronophage (adj): time-consuming (French)
    25. chumbo (n): 1) lead 2) shot, pellet 3) failure 4) rejection (Portugeuse)
    26. cindṑ (n): someone with six fingers on each hand (Hausa)
    27. csufnev (n): unflattering nickname based on a characteristic or event (Hungarian)
    28. dabbaja (v): 1) adorn, deck out, embellish 2) to express splendidly (Arabic)
    29. diskabresta (v): to lose self-control (Kabuverdianu)
    30. djodjomano'o (v): you (several creatures) shut your eyes (Tonkawa)
    31. dodo (n): 1) being a deep, rich red 2) fried plantain (Yoruba)
    32. dvärgalåt (n): petty, unmotivated criticism (Swedish)
    33. dygna (v): to stay awake for 24 hours (Swedish)
    34. dzjákuj (int): thank you, thanks (Belarusan)
    35. gaduji (adj/n): adj) all together n) collective labor (Cherokee)
    36. gadzinówka (n): local-language newspaper serving an occupying force (Polish)
    37. gallicinium (n): time of early morning when roosters crow (Latin)
    38. gatarî (n): 1) a multitude of cats 2) a long meow (Emilian)
    39. Gedankenwelt (n): the world of ideas (German)
    40. glodomór (n): one who is constantly hungry; one who is starving (Polish)
    41. hero hero (n): red, crimson (Rapa Nui)
    42. ḥina'iḏin (adv): then, at that time (Arabic)
    43. hoyreg (n): murder victim; corpse (Yiddish)
    44. hranrād (n): "whale road"; poetic kenning for the ocean (Old English)
    45. ikara (v): 1) to sit 2) to stay / remain 3) to dwell (Kikuyu)
    46. ixuxu (int): 1) battle cry or challenge 2) cry of joy or excitement (Asturian)
    47. jǐngdǐzhiwā (n): person of limited life experience; (Modern Standard Chinese)
    48. kagiroi (n): 1) heat haze (archaic) 2) the glow of dawn (archaic) (Japanese)
    49. karadaki (n): heating empty cookware (forgetting to fill the kettle, etc) (Japanese)
    50. kokolares (n): nonsense, balderdash, gibberish (German)
    51. krāntikāri (n): a revolutionary (Hindi)
    52. kulukulu (n): 1) the smell of raw meat or fish (Saetomense)
    53. kümütüdi (n): termite nest in which the placenta of a newborn is buried (Maquiritari)
    54. lankous (n): familial relationship to spouse's brother (Finnish)
    55. ling-lôot (v): "monkey-jumping"; to be overjoyed (Thai)
    56. lletraferit (adj/n): adj) well-read, bookish n) book-lover, "book-smitten" (Catalan)
    57. lodikor (adj): likely or tending to become fat (Basque)
    58. lyard (adj): having dappled grey and white spots (Middle English)
    59. madro (n): peace or silence after a meal (Danish)
    60. malandrar (v): 1) to get by at others' expense 2) to do nothing productive (Portuguese)
    61. malaya (int): expression of annoyance or unpleasant surprise (Asturian)
    62. manželée (n): married couple (Czech)
    63. marambaia (n): landlubber (Portuguese)
    64. matasanos (n): quack doctor (Spanish)
    65. māyā (n): 1) art, wisdom, inhuman/supernatural power (Vedic Sanskrit)
    66. mimochodem (adj): 1) by the way 2) en passant (Chess move) (Czech)
    67. mnkhwani (n): pumpkin-leaf relish (Chichewa)
    68. mokutō (n): 1) a silent prayer 2) to offer such (Japanese)
    69. nekás (n): 1) pile of corpses 2) line of soldiers 3) the dead (Ancient Greek)
    70. nunu (conj): now then, therefore, consequently (Gothic)
    71. nyan (v): to see vaguely (Abau)
    72. ouranóthen (adv): from heaven (Ancient Greek)
    73. panero (n): someone who loves bread (Spanish)
    74. pāngtuó (adj): 1) of rain, torrential 2) of tears, streaming, 3) vast, plentiful (Chinese)
    75. pāthnā (v): to press cakes out of dung (Hindi)
    76. pekoral (n): a text written in a pompous, grandiose, ridiculous style (Swedish)
    77. pócima (n): potion (Spanish)
    78. pruikentijd (n): "Wig Era" - humorous/informal/pejorative name for 18th century (Dutch)
    79. śaraṇārthi (n): 1) suppliant, petitioner 2) refugee (Sanskrit)
    80. sbarazzino (adj/n): adj) impish, cheeky, mischevous n) scamp, imp (Italian)
    81. sebu (n): used-media store (Brazilian Portuguese)
    82. shashimamishi (adv): haughtily, arrogantly (Swahili)
    83. shilah (n): 1) Elder sibling of opposite gender 2) maternal cousin (Navajo)
    84. sôtôrôkôm (adj): "hundred-fold" (Bengali)
    85. suppēdō (v): “I fart quietly” (Latin)
    86. tabanka (n): performance of theft of a saint (represented by a flag). (Kabuverdianu)
    87. ṭaqs (n): 1) weather, climate, forcast 2) religious rite (usually in plural) (Arabic)
    88. tausi (n): a grand, a thousand Euros (slang) (German)
    89. teōpixqui (n): priest, lit. “god-guarder” (Classical Nahuatl)
    90. thokar (n): 1) striking an object with the toe 2) loss, injury, damage (Gujurati)
    91. tlīlātl (n): abyss; deep water; ritual healing water of Ixtiliton (Classical Nahuatl)
    92. tsindn (v): to light, to kindle (Yiddish)
    93. ūhtcearu (n): pre-dawn anxiety (Old English)
    94. ungkeurida (v): 1) to crouch 2) to exist in a suppressed or hidden state. (Korean)
    95. valtr (adj): easily upset; unstable, unsteady (Icelandic)
    96. xalāsi (n): 1) railroad worker 2) dockyard worker 3) menial fisherman (Hindi)
    97. xìyǎn (n): most interesting part of an opera or film (Modern Standard Chinese)
    98. yibatha (n): a female marriage class / skin group (Gamilaraay)
    99. žāč̣ă (n): beard (Adyghe)
    100. zamordyzm (n): authoritarianism (informal, derogatory) (Polish)

5 comments:

  1. Borken is well on the comeback, which gladdens me.

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  2. Wow, the two Polish words #36 #100 are really good hints about Polish history and culture aren't they.

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  3. apenrots (n): 1) a rock on which monkeys live 2) a silly hierarchical environment (Dutch) - this gave me a hearty laugh. Excellent collection of words overall, but some reason this was a standout for me.

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  4. "ajatasten Tonava (n): "Danube of Thought"; person with many pointless thoughts (Finnish)" I feel called out. In Finnish.

    ReplyDelete