Ah, yes. When sung to the tune of the timeless melody in The Sound of Music, these words become even more special.
Words give us the ability to think more effectively.
Confucius once said, “Words are the voice of the heart.”
A word is a terrible thing to waste.
Words.
A few of my favorites…
Extraordinary—Exponentially better than the ordinary.
Quintessential—The highest and greatest of a particular genre.
Renaissance— A great revival of art, literature, and learning.
Breathtaking—Rarely (if ever) utilized. A singular essence of the highest beauty.
Magic—Wonder. Any extraordinary or mystical influence.
Sacramental—Pertaining to a visible sign of an inward grace.
Transcendental—Beyond our experience of phenomena, although not beyond potential knowledge.
What is your favorite word? Why?
87 responses to “These Are A Few Of My Favorite…Words”
Here comes my favourites…
Brobdingnagian
Abscond
tepid
And a lot more….:)
Worthy – having worth or value The One who is Lord of ALL creation is worthy of our praise.
Disarm – to deprive of means, reason, or disposition to be hostile There are a few very dear friends of mine who have the ability to disarm me and that makes them that much more endearing to me.
enthusiasm – something inspiring zeal or fervor It is the word that reminds me about how I need to live the life that I have been given. Live it with gusto! or enthusiasm
thoughtful – 1. given to or chosen or made with heedful anticipation of the needs and wants of others 2. characterized by careful reasoned thinking Both of these definitions describes my son, Michael.
I have two favorite words which have nothing to do with each other.
Faith and Food.
I walk in faith and need a new hobby other than eating!!
Two of my favorite words are
tintinnabulation- the ringing or sound of bells
During one Christmas season, my husband taught our daughter this word when she was three; it was her first six-syllable one. She is five now and still uses it properly.
susurrus – a soft murmuring or rustling sound; whisper
This one made its way into a song lyric: “Shall we dance you said and floated me away, the symphony a susurrus of forest glades….”
I love love LOVE words.
Thanks, Julie. Wow, I’m a lot older than your daughter and I can’t pronounce that word. It is beautiful!!
Two words that seem to pop up frequently in odd ways in my life are “epoch” and “winsome”. Though rarely used these days, once I hear them I inevitably hear them over and over for days!
Great post! I loved seeing everyone’s words!
James
@James Woosley, Yes, so fun to see everyone’s words. They are all extraordinary! Ha!
I love both your words.
Especially winsome. There is something warm about that word to me.
Thanks, James.
Extravagant – Abundant and profuse.
God’s love and compassion are extravagant.
@Sandra Heska King, Your word makes me know why Darrell Evans wrote his song. Yes.
My favorite word of the year has to be equanimity – the ability to stay calm, even-mannered, and even keel in the midst of stressful circumstances =) It’s what the Buddha preaches =)
@Henway, Great word!! Equanimity. Although I find it difficult to practice at times. Thanks, Henway.
Extemporaneous – carefully prepared but delivered without notes or text.
The style of preaching I find most effective!
@Erin, One of my favorite words to say, but I find it extremely hard to do well. Thanks, Erin.
my first favorite is intentional. because true, virtuous intentionality is so rare. I love discovering something that merits using the word.
and there was my second, discovery. I’m grateful for the fact that we can still, at any age, be awed by something new because there are always people interpreting and creating and innovating.
and that is my third, innovate. ‘create’ often intimidates me by its ‘make something new!!!’ credo. ‘Innovate’ somehow implies to me that everyday things have found a new, more beautiful place. I can be a part of that.
@kim, Ah, yes, Kim. I love this: “I’m grateful for the fact that we can still, at any age, be awed by something new because there are always people interpreting and creating and innovating.”
In the words of the immortal Satchel Paige: “If we didn’t know how old we are, how old would we be?”
Wow! I seriously can’t believe that Keith Jennings took my all time favorite word, serendipity. Now, I’m totally discombobulated…. ;-)
@Johnna Bigelow, You’re what? :)
I love this post! What a brilliant idea. I may borrow it, if you don’t mind.
My favorite word is “Beloved.” Meaning- “greatly loved; dear to the heart.”
@Meredith Dunn, Borrow away!! Thanks, Meredith. Your favorite word is beloved by me!
I think my favorite word is love. That may seem cheap and easy, but in truth, love is so profound in all of its depth and breadth of meaning that books have been written on the topic.
Consider the fact that, in other languages, it takes multiple words to express what, in English, is expressed by the single four letter word “love”. In greek, the word “phileo” means love, but it refers to the sort of love that exists between brothers or friends, a bonding experience that ties families together. The word “eros” also means love, but in meaning, it comes closer to our ideas of romantic love or desire that one might find in “lust”. In a family, a husband and wife hopefully have both eros and phileo love for one another, and phileo love for their parents, siblings, and children.
But Love takes on amazing new meaning when you consider yet another Greek word for it: “agapeo”. This is so deep and profound that, as humans we can only comprehend it in snapshots and glimpses. We only share it with others in that we allow ourselves to be used by the source of agapeo love to love them through us. This is the unconditional love that God offers, far greater than we can ask or imagine. Indeed, when you look up the passages in the New Testament that speak to what Love is, or that instruct us on how to love, it paints a portrait of God as Love, giving us a portrait of God that is unparalleled.
For me, the idea that my relationship with my husband includes all three flavors of love, that through him, I’ve learned to comprehend what Love really means, and all of the ways that Love has changed me dramatically… Love is easily my favorite word.
If I had to pick a second word, it might be lacuna. It means a gap, and in linguistic terms, it indicates a lack of a word where one should exist. That’s just sort of cool… there might not be a word for that, but there’s a word that means there’s no word for that. :D
@Heather Jackson, It seems a perfect day to quote the Beatles given the iTunes announcement— “All you need is love.”
Thanks,
Heather.
Timshel & Namaste
@Mandy, Wow! (to use a Spence word) I had to look both these up. Thanks, Mandy!
timshel–thou mayest, according to Setinbeck’s Chinese servant Lee in East of Eden.
namaste—a conventional Hindu expression on meeting or parting, used by the speaker usually while holding the palms together vertically in front of the bosom.
@Randy Elrod,
Yes, I love timshel from the book East of Eden. It’s a life-changing word meaning that at any given time we have the chance to choose life or death. It’s a word that offers hope and grace in the midst of my imperfections.
And namaste kind of goes along with it because namaste means “I bow to your true self.” Which would be that self you would choose to be if you could stop making mistakes. The self you are when you accept God’s grace and love. Namaste is an acknowledgment of a person’s full glorious potential.
Jesus is my favorite and very best Word. My Pastor said that the pronunciation in Hebrew would be “Hey-Sues”.
@Sue, Thanks, Sue!
HA!!! well played:)
@Spence Smith, Ah, yes.
Loquacious–for obvious reasons.
Serendipitous–when its not overused
Cab–yep. Because it paints a pic in my mind of a butter pat on wheels! In reality its a scary place to live…even for 5 blocks.
Acuity–a longing
Deluge–it sounds so French.
Succinct–an impressive skill
@patsy clairmont, Patsy, your words always DAZZLE me. I just love— “Loquacious–for obvious reasons.”
Mine is amazing… or incredible… or wow… or… or …. or…
@Spence Smith, or typo. :)
@Deb Barnett, Ouch. That’s not Spence’s fault—it is that darn Apple completion thing—or is it thong?
@Spence Smith, Wow! Spence!
Whenever someone asks me to “pick a favorite”… I can never narrow it down to one item, person, food, place or word. I mean, there are so many glorious things out there! How can I even begin to narrow it to one favorite?
But being the word lover that I am… I do admit to having a pension for “tion” words. Mainly, because they have roots – and I’m a big fan of the back-story. For example:
the root of “assumption” is “assume,”
the root of “consumption” is “consume,”
the root of “resumption” is “resume,”
the root of “presumption” is “presume.”
the root of “elation” is “elate”.
The root of “gumption” is… well… no, it’s not “gump”.
So, I suppose my favorite word right now would be “gumption”… mainly because its rootlessness has me perplexed.
@Deb Barnett, Your comment took quite a bit of “gumption!”
I’m so with you about picking a favorite.
With much appreciaTION for your comment.
Now, granted – they’re rather odd – but “hubris” and “vainglory” (which pretty much mean the same thing) are big faves of mine. They remind me of one of the best classes I ever took in college, tracing the history of the hero in literature, from ancient writings to modern times. Joseph Campbell’s “Hero With A Thousand Faces” became my go-to book for all things mythological for the rest of my college career . . . Does’t matter what you call it, excessive self-pride brings ya down every time.
@Judy McDonough, Ah, Judy, when you start talking Joseph Campbell, you are talking my language. Love, love, love “Hero With A Thousand Faces.”
Hubris—excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance.
Thanks, Judy!
Intentional…it has become part of who I am and how I go about the course of life
Penultimate…came across this in graduate school and it stuck. I don’t get to use it often and then I have to explain.
@Michael H Smith, Penultimate—next to the last. Thanks, Michael.
Poema. When Jesus was breaking bread with his followers during the last supper he said, “Do this in remembrance of me” ~ meaning, go make poetry in remembrance of me. Poema – his workmanship. Whenever it is now. I like being his poem. It changes how I see everything and everybody. When I remember.
@Kathleen Overby, “I like being his poem. It changes how I see everything and everybody. When I remember.”
I LOVE this, Kathleen. Beautiful word.
“Dirigible.”
@Matt Osborne, An airship. It’s worth going here just to hear this word: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Dirigible
Just listen to it a couple of times and you’ll see what I mean.
timshel–thou mayest, according to Setinbeck’s Chinese servant Lee in East of Eden. Maybe the most profound theological discussion outside of Russian literature.
@Ed Underwood, Ed, you just rocked my world!!
One of my favorite words….. TWITTERPATED from the classic woodland documentary, Bambi. While there is no actual definition to the word, the implied definition is the foolish and indescribable behavior exhibited by those who have found themselves in the enviable position of being highly cherished.
@Shelley Brandon, That has to be one of the greatest words in the universe!!
Some great words are already mentioned here. I’d like to submit:
Hope – Even saying that one little syllable gives the heart a little boost. (Plus, it’s my middle name.)
Cozy – It reminds me of warmth, softness. It describes an atmosphere where I’m happiest.
Precipice – Though I almost never use it, and it’s not a comfort word, it’s just so much better and more dramatic than “cliff” don’t you think?!
@Emily, I love the word cozy, and I have been on a precipice or two while mountain climbing that I wish I hadn’t—but the word rocks!! Thanks, Emily!
My favorite word is Woo Hoo. I love using it b/c it usually means something good is happening.
@Lynn Wittenburg, oh Lynn… it’s a wonder you beat me so badly in Words With Friends. :)
@Deb Barnett, Don’t hate on my word. It might be made up but it’s still great :-)
@Lynn Wittenburg, Lynn, i love Woo Hoo!! I use it often.
love words :)
vicissitude :: the quality or state of being changeable; mutability
pellucid :: easily understandable; transparent; clear
@carolynmejia, Wow. These two words are awesome!! Especially pellucid :: easily understandable; transparent; clear. Thanks, Carolyn.
In no particular order:
ergo
juxtaposition
quandary
exquisite
lavish
grace
@Clay, Ah yes, Clay, great words, especially —extraordinarily fine or admirable; consummate: exquisite weather.
Ohh this is my kind of post…I adore words.
Words I love at the moment…
conundrum….anything that puzzles.
ridiculous…. causing or worthy of ridicule or derision; absurd; preposterous
chara…it is gaelic for friend.
lovely…charmingly or exquisitely beautiful.
musings…absorbed in thought; meditative.
I really could go on ;)
And I loved reading the words from others…. I added a few more favorites!
@Christy, Yes, I LOVE the word conundrum. And I love the derivation of the word musings—muse.
Thanks,
Christy!
Serendipity. It’s a fortunate discovery made by accident (or so it appears).
What I love about this word is that 1) it embodies the fact that we’re not God and 2) it hints that God loves to surprise and delight us.
As a Christian creative, I love the idea that I’m not a creator (the one that makes something out of nothing). My job is to seek, discover and share what I serendipitously find. So the journey is as exciting to me as it is to those who “watch” as I wander and wonder among the seen and unseen of God’s creation.
PS: I love the word “extraordinary” too!
PPS: Isn’t it interesting that the most powerful words have the fewest syllables and letters: love, hate, sad, lost, dead, etc.?
@Keith Jennings, Yes, indeed. “Isn’t it interesting that the most powerful words have the fewest syllables and letters: love, hate, sad, lost, dead, etc.?”
Thanks, Keith.
Randy, I use Breathtaking a lot – precisely because I believe in the beauty of the present moment and consider God’s world to be breathtaking.
I also use ‘fabulous’ often – not sure if that is a Brit thing!!! Incidentally, ‘Marvelous’ used to be a favorite British word, but if you say it now you are considered rather pretentious.
Enthusiasm is a favorite word due to its core meaning ‘God within,’ what can be more meaningful than living with enthusiasm?
The word I try to use every day and provide to my students is: ‘Imagination.’ I believe we have far too many concepts that words create in our mind and this one word, imagination, challenges the status quo, stops us from being lazy and inattentive to fixed views.
Through concepts of words we are unable to perceive the subtleties of changing situations – Imagination asks us to look with new eyes and think for ourselves.
Thank you for always using your imagination in your posts and work.
@James Cohen, And thank you for leaving comments that add so much to the conversation.
Love this: “The word I try to use every day and provide to my students is: ‘Imagination.’ I believe we have far too many concepts that words create in our mind and this one word, imagination, challenges the status quo, stops us from being lazy and inattentive to fixed views.”
Hallelujah — This is one of those holy words that ought only be used in its truest form, when offering up praise to the Lord of Glory. When used in its proper context, I believe it is transcendent (to use one of your favorites).
@Eyvonne, Yes, transcendent AND I believe, universal. I once heardsomeone say that Hallelujah means the same thing in every language. I wonder if that is really true?
Thanks, Eyvonne.
I LOVE words!!!…Especially in writing!!!
Spectacular…is my favorite right now…Mainly because of the Jerry Seinfield show..But also it means grand, impressive, unusually great
Awesome…Which I use carefully…It’s a powerful word and when I use it I ask myself ..”am I really in awe of that?”…Mainly use that one in speaking of God’s greatness
Delightful…Simple, shear pleasure or joy
Sweet…It speaks for itself
Precisely…without vagueness
Scrumptious…Love this word..You can really draw it out when saying it…And I love it from the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang movie…”Truly Scrumptious” was the girls name…Great name ;)
I could really go on and on with responses to this one, Randy…What a fun post!!!
@Julie Kolb, Thanks, Julie. I bet you are a 7 on the Enneagram! My kind of words!
@Randy Elrod, Ha! Yes 7 and 2 are my high scores
@jaycaruso Twittered me and said,
“@GailHyatt I can’t even SAY the word you chose. :)” So I sent him here so he could listen to it pronounced:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/onomatopoeia
@Gail Hyatt, Ha! We were a minute apart! Nice.
I like the word epistemology. It may be the most important subject in the world. ;-)
Great idea for a post. Thanks.
@Michael Hyatt, Epistemology—a branch of philosophy that investigates the origin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge.
Thanks, Mike. I would love a dinner discussion around that word and thought!
Onomatopoeia–words that imitate the sound they denote. Words like crunch, splash and rumble. They are very poetic. I also love poems that are onomatopoeia
For example:
The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe
http://www.online-literature.com/poe/575/
@Gail Hyatt, Ohh, I love that word too (I used to teach Enghlish so….). I also love coagulate. I could just say it over and over and over. I just try not to think about what it means….
@Debbie, Ooooooh. Coagulate? I suppose it is a very good word for free bleeders.
@Debbie, I LOVE saying coagulate. Thanks for that one.
@Gail Hyatt, What a great word! And the poem was a gift to me this rainy Tuesday morning. Thanks, Gail.
@Randy Elrod, Gail just Tweeted that if you are like me and was trying to pronounce her word–give up–go here and it will say it for you. Much easier!!
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/onomatopoeia
@Gail Hyatt, My 7-year-old granddaughter taught me that word!
Transparency: To be fully honest, real, vulnerable and open.
@Chris Jeub, A very important, but very hard word. Thanks, Chris.
Nougat.
“Wow, this is good…here try some.”
“Yum. What is it.”
“It doesn’t have a name, I just invented it.”
“You should call it nougat.”
“Funny you said that, I was thinking the very same thing.”
@Compassion dave, I LOVE it!!!
A chewy or brittle candy containing almonds or other nuts and sometimes fruit.
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Delightful- a high degree of satisfaction
Joyful- filled with extreme delight in the Lord
Discerning- able to recognize and distinguish truth
and these two because of what they bring to my life and the way they share with others…
Messy- because all good things I love are!
abandon- because I love the visual it evokes when I teach children and broken hearted adults to simply leave that hurt, anger, abuse, past thoughts of themselves as lowly people in a lonely space far from where they are so they can embrace the beautiful person they have become.
home- because it can be wherever love is found.
@Sweetie Berry,
Sweetie-because your name (and words) always brings joy to me!
Thanks.