Wondrous Words Wednesday
Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where you can share new words that you’ve encountered or spotlight words you love. Feel free to get creative! If you want to play along, grab the button, write a post and come back and add your link to Mr. Linky! It’s a good thing I have a Word-a-Day calendar because I had to rely on it again this week.
1. cumshaw – “I never heard her ask for any cumshaw that weighed less than a ton and which required fewer than a dozen enlisted men and two trucks to move.” — James A. Michener, Los Angeles Times, October 19, 1986
Cumshaw is a noun that means a present or gratuity; also: a bribe or payoff. It’s from a word that means “grateful thanks” in the dialect of Xiamen, a port in southeast China. Sailors hearing the word thought it meant “handout,” and have given it their own meaning.
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2. gloze – “It does seem that he went out of his way to conceal or gloze over certain aspects of his career, his military exploits in particular.” –Eleanor Perenyi, GreenThoughts
Gloze is synonymous with gloss, so it should be pretty easy to remember. It’s a verb that means to mask the true nature of: give a deceptively attractive appearance to.
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3. conglobate– “Jack alternately conglobated and flattened a bit of clay as he talked to his pottery class.”
Conglobate is a verb that means to form into a round compact mass. Etymologists think it might have originated as a blend of globe and blob. You can hear its pronunciation here.
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Have you come across any new words lately?
You always seem to bring to my notice some important words. Thanks.
Did not know any of the three! Thanks for hosting.
Three wonderful new words for me too.
All new to me!!
These are all really good words. Cumshaw is particularly interesting.
I think I heard of cumshaw before.
I think I’ve heard gloze but never seen it written. I thought it was a regionalism. Cool! Thanks!
Nice!
I’m finding tons of Britishisms in the PGWodehouse I’m reading. Writing a post on them would take too long!
I am really starting to think that I need to get a Word-a-Day Calendar, as most of these are words that I would never come across anywhere else, and have never heard before. I think Melissa would be particularly fond of conglobate, as she has become a pretty good little sculptress, and is always conglobating clay nowadays!
Some fascinating words! My favorite of yours today is definitely congoblate, love the sound although I’m not sure I’ll use it. Before I read what gloze meant I thought about gloss over so that makes sense. I think I’m going to get a Word-of-the-Day calendar next year!
I participated today and posted a few words on my blog. I hope you like them!
I think I need a Word-a-Day calendar. These are all new to me and great words – its nice to have some “new word” reading when my current pile is just using familiar phrases.
I like gloze. But I’m not sure how to pronounce it.
Great words, Kathy! Gloze I took note of a week or so ago on my word calendar.
Interesting words again this week, thanks for sharing.
Good words, all new to me. I have to get a Word-of-the-day calendar.
I think I may have been able to decipher the meanings of gloze and conglobate, but cumshaw is a new one. A word a day calendar is a great idea – thanks for sharing these words!
I loved seeing the origins, especially the story behind cumshaw.
Lovely words; interesting origins. And I really like how ‘gloze’ and ‘globulate’ feel in the mouth.
oops, I mean conglobate but globulate sounds like it should be a word too!
Oops again! I seem to have linked to last week’s post so I have added an additional link to Mr. Linky which will take you to my post about ‘tanker desks’\ sorry about that!http://chapter1-take1.blogspot.com/2012/04/wondrous-words-wednesday-tanker-desk.htm
I like those word calendars. They always have the most interesting words, like today’s.
I wonder why anyone felt the need for gloze, given there is gloss!
Hi Kathy,
All three are new words to me. I love the idea of ‘conglobating’, although I am not sure about being able to bring it into nonchalantly into general conversation!
I really must search out a ‘word a day’ book, it sounds like good fun to browse through.
Thanks as always for hosting,
Yvonne
More new words for me this week. I should try to start using some of these in conversation!
All are new to me!!
Why oh why do I keep forgetting to write words down for WWW?
All new to me. I do like gloze, though, and I think I could actually use it.
Every week I’m astounded by just how many words out there I don’t know.
I love the word gloze…it kind of describes me…lol…
Weird and new to me
Those are crazy words to me!! LOL!
Interesting words. If I were to guess at the meaning of “conglobate”, I admit, I would have said to spit!
Love your words today Kathy! I think I could definitely remember gloze.
Three words I did not know!
I think cumshaw is my favorite!