When I try and describe the function of language, I’m reminded, by the younger me who dreamt of attending Hogwarts, by the words of the late great Albus Dumbledore. ‘Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.’
I intend to cause no harm or remedy any such injuries. I simply plan on informing a passionate reader of fifteen great words to incorporate into writing, all of which I learnt from one source. After all, what fun is there in using a language as varied as English if we can’t harness its magic, in all its evil.
01 Mawkish – Adjective
sentimental in an exaggerated or false way.
02 Milksop – Informal Noun
a person who is indecisive and lacks courage.
03 Filicide – Noun
The act of killing a son or daughter by a parent.
04 Pernicious – Adjective
having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.
05 Insouciant – Adjective
showing a casual lack of concern.
06 Obscurantist – Noun
a person who deliberately prevents the facts or full details of something from becoming known.
07 Mountebanks – Noun
a person who deceives others, especially in order to trick them out of their money; a charlatan.
08 Kitsch – Noun or Adjective
to be in poor taste but appreciated in an ironic or knowing way.
09 Epithet – Noun
phrase expressing a quality or attribute regarded as characteristic of the person or thing mentioned.
10 Laity – Noun
ordinary people, as distinct from professionals or experts.
11 Ignominious – Adjective
deserving or causing public disgrace or shame.
12 Efficacious – Formal Adjective
(of something inanimate or abstract) successful in producing a desired or intended result; effective.
13 Vacuous – Adjective
having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless.
14 Parsimonious – Adjective
very unwilling to spend money or use resources.
15 Bellicose – Adjective
demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight.
