<word origin and root formation>
Abderian: pertaining to foolish or excessive laughter [from Abderian, from Abdera (town in Thrace where Democritus, the Laughing Philosopher, lived) + -ian]
Acapnotic: someone who doesn’t smoke; a non-smoker [Gk. a (“not”) + –capno, –kapnós (“smoke”)] 🚭
Acataleptic: incomprehensible; one who suspends judgment as a matter of principle believing certainty is impossible [Gk. akatálēptos, (“incomprehensible”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + –katalambánō, (“I seize”)]
Accolent: dwelling near by; neighbouring [ac + -colo (“to move”; “to revolve around” 🔜 “to sojourn”; “to dwell”) + -ent]
Aceldama: field, or scene, of bloodshed [Gk. akeldamákh (“field of blood”). Originally from Aramaic] 🩸
Acephalist: an individual who acknowledges no head or superior [Gk. aképhalos (“headless”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + kephalḗ (“head”) + -ist]
Acousma: ringing or buzzing noise in head; illusory auditory perception of strange nonverbal sounds [Gk. ákou(sma) (“something heard”)]
Acrologic: Of or pertaining to initials or acronyms [Fr. acrologique, from acrologie from Gk. acr (“high”; “extreme”; “tip”) + -ique (“-ic”)
Acronychal: occurring at nightfall [ákronux, (“nightfall”)] 🌃
Acyrology: incorrect diction; imprecise or improper use of a word [Gk. akurología), ἀ- (a-, “not”) + –kuros, (“authority”) + –logia, (“speech”)]
Adiabolist: person denying existence of the Devil [a + -diabol + -ism from French diabolique, from Latin diabolicus]
Adumbral: dark; shadowy [L. ad (“to”;”toward”) + Sp. –umbral (“doorstep”; “threshold”)]
Afreet: (also spelt Ifrit) (Arabian mythology) an evil spirit or giant monster; a powerful type of demon in Islamic culture [possibly from Arab. afara, (“to rub with dust” or “to roll into dust”)]
Agastopia: admiring a particular part of someone’s body (OU) 👁️ 👁️
Agonist: one that is engaged in a struggle (as in “antagonist”) [Gk. agōnistḗs, (“combatant”; “champion”)]
Airmonger: someone who is attracted to visionary ideas and projects; quixotic, a hopeless visionary [air + L. –mangō (“dealer”; “trader”)]
Aischrolatreia: worship of filth, dirt, smut; cult of obscenity [Gk. aischros (“shameful”; “ugly”), from aischos (“disgrace”) + -latreia (“latry”)]
Allagrugous: grim and ghastly; sour; woebegone [Scot. Gaelic. origin uncertain]
Allision: intentional collision, especially of ships [Late L. allision-, allisio, from Latin allisus (allidere (“to strike against”) from ad- + -lidere, from laedere (“to hurt”) + -ion] 🚢 🛳️
Allochthonous: Originating in a place other than where it is found (esp in geology); foreign [Gk. állos (“other”) + –khthṓn (“earth”; “ground”)] (cf. Autochthonous: native to the place where it is found; indigenous)
Altivolent: flying high [L. altus (“high”; “deep”) + –volō (“I fly”)] ✈️
Ambisinister: unskilled or clumsy with both hands [L. ambi (“both”; “around”) + sinister (“on the left side; unfavourably located)] 🙌
Amphigean: found or occuring throughout the world; across all geographic zones [Gk. amphí, (“on both sides”) + –geō (“earth”)] 🌍
Anabiosis: return to life after seeming death; a state of suspended animation [Gk. aná (“again”) + -biōsis, from –bioun (“to live”), from -bios (“life”)]
Antibasilican: opposed to the principle of monarchy [anti (“-against”) + –basilike (“royal”; “kingly”)] 👑
Apanthropy: dislike of being in the company of other people; love of solitude [Gk. apó (“from”; “away from”) + –ánthrōpos, (“human”)]
Apaetesis: a matter put aside in anger to be taken-up later (OU)
Aurulent: gold-coloured [L. aurulentus (“golden”)]
Autoangelist: one who does his own communicating [self + -angelist(?)]
Autothaumaturgist: someone who pretends to be notable or feigns an air of mystery about him or herself [Gk. auto (“self”) + –thaumaturgist (“performer of miracles; a magician”)]
Key: OU = origin unknown
Note: some of the sources I have drawn on in the Redux A–Z, in addition to those previously acknowledged in the original Logolept’s Diet, include Peter Bowler, The Superior Person’s Great Big Book of Words (1996) and ‘Luciferous Logolepsy’ (arcane.org/)
Throughout the Logolept’s Diet I have, with a handful of exceptions, steered a course well clear of lexicon-invasive words based on those multitudinous suffixes, the -cracy words, -mania words, -phile words and -phobia words. But, having just waded thru the AB of ‘Cry Havoc’ by Capt. Simon Mann, I am very tempted to add “Acronym-mania” to the LD for A, so frequently does the author invoke it in this acronym-heavy book.
It comes as a shock that “Argosy” didn’t get a guernsey in either Logolept’s Diet I or in the Supplement for A’s — it was entirely an erroneous oversight, to put an extra dab of “taut” on the “-ology”! Argosy is a very worthy inclusion to the Diet, if only for its fascinating and unexpected etymology, courtesy of John Ayto’s ‘Word Origins’. The word comes to English not thru a seemingly obvious link to the storied Jason and the Argonauts tale and their epic ship, the ARGO, but from the Italian “ragusea”, meaning “vessel from Ragusa” (modern-day Dubrovnik on the Dalmatian Coast). “Ragusea” eventually evolved into the word “Argosy”.
Ambersand ~ NOT sand comprising particles of hard yellow-orange-brownish translucent fossil resin or a brand name thereof, BUT the humble &, the sign/symbol for “and”. Deriving from the Latin shorthand for “et”. Coincidentally, in Old English “&” was 2️⃣7️⃣th letter of the alphabet.