These Are A Few Of My Favorite…Words

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?

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87 Responses to “These Are A Few Of My Favorite…Words”

  1. Sweetie Berry November 16, 2010 at 07:18

    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.

  2. Compassion dave November 16, 2010 at 07:35

    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´s last blog post ..Ten Minutes with Jerry

  3. Chris Jeub November 16, 2010 at 07:39

    Transparency: To be fully honest, real, vulnerable and open.
    Chris Jeub´s last blog post ..Noah’s 10-Point Buck with Video

  4. Gail Hyatt November 16, 2010 at 07:44

    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´s last blog post ..Why I’m Hiking a 10K on Lookout Mountain

  5. Michael Hyatt November 16, 2010 at 07:58

    I like the word epistemology. It may be the most important subject in the world. ;-)

    Great idea for a post. Thanks.
    Michael Hyatt´s last blog post ..Interview with Anne Jackson- Part 1

  6. Gail Hyatt November 16, 2010 at 08:01

    @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´s last blog post ..Why I’m Hiking a 10K on Lookout Mountain

  7. Julie Kolb November 16, 2010 at 08:05

    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!!!

  8. Eyvonne November 16, 2010 at 08:20

    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).

  9. James Cohen November 16, 2010 at 08:31

    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.

    • Randy Elrod November 16, 2010 at 12:50

      @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.”

  10. Keith Jennings November 16, 2010 at 08:37

    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´s last blog post ..The Art of Creativity A Cheat Sheet for Anyone Feeling Uncreative

  11. Christy November 16, 2010 at 08:51

    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!

  12. Clay November 16, 2010 at 13:05

    In no particular order:

    ergo
    juxtaposition
    quandary
    exquisite
    lavish
    grace

  13. carolynmejia November 16, 2010 at 13:05

    love words :)

    vicissitude :: the quality or state of being changeable; mutability
    pellucid :: easily understandable; transparent; clear

  14. Lynn Wittenburg November 16, 2010 at 13:09

    My favorite word is Woo Hoo. I love using it b/c it usually means something good is happening.

  15. Emily November 16, 2010 at 13:10

    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?!

  16. Shelley Brandon November 16, 2010 at 13:17

    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.

  17. Ed Underwood November 16, 2010 at 14:05

    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´s last blog post ..Fearful Deliverance!

  19. Kathleen Overby November 16, 2010 at 16:48

    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´s last blog post ..Making Rope

  20. Michael H Smith November 16, 2010 at 16:56

    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.

  21. Judy McDonough November 16, 2010 at 17:07

    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.

  22. Deb Barnett November 16, 2010 at 17:08

    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´s last blog post ..Moisturize… Moisturize… Moisturize…

  23. Spence Smith November 16, 2010 at 17:10

    Mine is amazing… or incredible… or wow… or… or …. or…
    Spence Smith´s last blog post ..Don&8217t Let The Play Get In The Way Of The Game

  24. patsy clairmont November 16, 2010 at 17:13

    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

  26. Sue November 16, 2010 at 17:59

    Jesus is my favorite and very best Word. My Pastor said that the pronunciation in Hebrew would be “Hey-Sues”.

  27. Mandy November 16, 2010 at 18:08

    Timshel & Namaste
    Mandy´s last blog post ..The Art Museum and My Chip

    • Randy Elrod November 16, 2010 at 22:33

      @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.

      • Mandy November 17, 2010 at 05:15

        @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.

  28. Heather Jackson November 16, 2010 at 18:30

    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

  29. Meredith Dunn November 16, 2010 at 18:45

    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.”

  30. Johnna Bigelow November 16, 2010 at 19:33

    Wow! I seriously can’t believe that Keith Jennings took my all time favorite word, serendipity. Now, I’m totally discombobulated…. ;-)

  31. kim November 16, 2010 at 21:13

    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´s last blog post ..the power of story the power of curiosity

    • Randy Elrod November 16, 2010 at 22:37

      @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?”

  32. Erin November 16, 2010 at 21:14

    Extemporaneous – carefully prepared but delivered without notes or text.

    The style of preaching I find most effective!

  33. Henway November 16, 2010 at 22:15

    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´s last blog post ..Dieting Stories

  34. Sandra Heska King November 16, 2010 at 23:27

    Extravagant – Abundant and profuse.

    God’s love and compassion are extravagant.
    Sandra Heska King´s last blog post ..On the Shore of Old Hickory Lake

  35. James Woosley November 17, 2010 at 00:22

    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

  36. Julie H November 18, 2010 at 00:45

    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.

  37. Norma Burroughs November 18, 2010 at 19:43

    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!!

  38. Catherine November 18, 2010 at 21:01

    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.

  39. James Fulton November 19, 2010 at 14:07

    Here comes my favourites…

    Brobdingnagian

    Abscond

    tepid

    And a lot more….:)
    James Fulton´s last blog post ..Rimadyl For Dogs Review

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