A.Word.A.Day --metagrobolize

A.Word.A.Day

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Nov 12, 2018

This week’s theme
Ridiculous words

This week’s words
metagrobolize
quaquaversal
whigmaleerie
bamboozle
flapdoodle

A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

“Did you just make that up?” you might ask on seeing any of the words this week. Sure, they are all made-up words, but we didn’t coin them. Someone did, though we don’t know who, when, or where. We know why or at least we can guess it: they coined a word to fill a gap in the language or just to have fun.

The words featured this week may sound funny, even ridiculous. They may even have an unusual spelling or pronunciation, but don’t let that stop you from using them. They are all real words -- they have been part of the English language for hundreds of years.

metagrobolize

PRONUNCIATION:

(me-tuh-GRAHB-uh-lyz)

MEANING:

verb tr.: To puzzle or to mystify.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Middle French matagraboliser. Earliest documented use: 1635.

USAGE:

“Can you bottle anti-commercial sentiment for commercial purposes? Should you? These are questions the Professor might call completely metagrobolizing.”
Jeff Belle; ODP Shakes Up; EContent (Wilton, Connecticut); Feb/Mar 2001.

See more usage examples of metagrobolize in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Patience is also a form of action. -Auguste Rodin, sculptor (12 Nov 1840-1917)

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