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Culture
What Does This Word Mean?
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Ten unusual English words with surprisingly specific meanings.
10 questions
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What does “petrichor” mean?
Answers to This Quiz
Spoilers inside
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What does “petrichor” mean?
Answer: The smell of rain on dry ground
The word was coined by two Australian scientists in 1964.
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What does “defenestration” mean?
Answer: Throwing someone out of a window
It comes from the Latin “fenestra”, meaning window.
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What does “laconic” mean?
Answer: Using very few words
Laconia was the region around Sparta, whose people were famous for short replies.
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What does “ubiquitous” mean?
Answer: Found everywhere
It comes from the Latin “ubique”, meaning everywhere.
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What does “halcyon” describe?
Answer: A calm, happy time
Halcyon days are peaceful ones, named after a mythical bird said to calm the sea.
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What does “serendipity” mean?
Answer: Finding something good by chance
Writer Horace Walpole coined the word in 1754.
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What does “ephemeral” mean?
Answer: Lasting a very short time
It comes from a Greek word meaning “lasting only a day”.
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What does “loquacious” mean?
Answer: Very talkative
It comes from the Latin “loqui”, meaning to speak.
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What does “quixotic” mean?
Answer: Idealistic but unrealistic
The word comes from Don Quixote, the dreamy hero of Cervantes’ novel.
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What does “sesquipedalian” mean?
Answer: Using long words
It comes from a Latin phrase meaning “a foot and a half long”, said of long words.
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