For today’s Weird Word Wednesday, let’s look at three words which I recently included in Pamela’s Prompts: kenspeckle, xerarch and zaftig.
Yesterday, we explored writing an abecedarius where you use every letter of the alphabet so your poem will be only a 26-word poem. You can’t add any words!
I’m certainly no poet, but here is my abecedarius about a Western Meadowlark:
A bird —
colorful, delicate, emblematic, foraging.
Grasslands high,
insects jampacked, kenspeckle —
lissome meadowlark
nesting, omnivorous, Panhandle, quintessential.
Raucously sings — Texas unabased
v-shaped, warbling, zerarch yellow zaftig.
Here’s what www.merriam-webster (unabridged edition) says about these weird words:
Pronunciation: [ ˈkenzˌpekəl ]
Part of speech: Adjective
Definition: Having a distinctive appearance. Language origin: Scandinavian and Norse
“Kenspeckle.” Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/kenspeckle. Accessed 6 Feb. 2022.
Pronunciation: [ ˈziˌrärk, ˈzēˌr- ]
Part of speech: Adjective
Definition: Developing in a dry place.
Language origin: Unknown
“Xerarch.” Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/xerarch. Accessed 6 Feb. 2022.
zaftig
Pronunciation: [ ˈzäf-tig ]
Part of speech: Adjective
Definition: Pleasingly plump.
Language origin: Yiddish, Middle High German, Old High German
“Zaftig.” Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/zaftig. Accessed 6 Feb. 2022.