Ninety percent of everything we write uses only 7,000 words, and each year hundreds of words disappear from the English language. One organization, Save the Words, is working to retain those “lost” words – words that no one ever uses or even knew existed. Like “secability”: the capability of being cut; “vacivity”: emptiness; or simpler ones like “starrify”: to decorate with stars.
Here’s how you can do your part. Adopt a word, promising to use that word as often as possible in everyday life. The website offers some tips for slipping words into board meetings, emails and Scramble. You could name your dog something more inventive than Rover or Max. How about “Lardlet” (a small piece of bacon used to enrich meat)?
Sign up to receive a word a day, and help bring back terms like “tremefy” (to cause to shake or tremble).