New Words Suggested By Word Smarts Readers

Earlier this year, we published a list of terms coined by our very own staff members — words that we think are missing from the dictionary, but fulfill a unique need. At the end of that article, we encouraged readers to send in ideas of their own, and you answered that challenge in a major way. Based on your many wonderful suggestions, we’ve compiled a list of original terms conceived of by you — our Word Smarts readership. Let’s take a look at a few of those original recommendations.

Reader Anne P. told us her husband, Donald, coined the word “drismal.” It describes a state of being both dismal and drizzly, as on those gloomy and overcast days when it’s lightly misting outside. One example of how you might use the word is, “It’s so drismal out; let’s just stay inside.”

The word “hypertenuse” comes from our reader Mark P. It’s inspired by the extant word “hypotenuse,” which is the longest side of a right triangle. But according to Powell, this new term designates “a ‘long cut’ between two points that is longer than the straight-line distance.” For example, think of the street layout of a major city — while the shortest distance between two locations may be a straight line, you can’t just walk through buildings. Instead, you’ll probably end up walking around two longer perpendicular blocks (i.e., the hypertenuse).

Not to be confused with the snack brand Lunchables, “fridgables” refers to perishable items that need to be stored in the refrigerator (e.g., meats, cheeses, etc.). This comes to us from our reader Julia H., who tells us that whenever she gets a grocery delivery, she always puts her fridgables away before tackling the other nonperishable items.

The word “infanticipation” is a suggestion from reader and retired speech pathologist Ginny N. She relayed a story to us about one of her patients who was struggling to explain that his daughter was expecting a baby. That patient came up with the new word “infanticipation,” as in “the act of anticipating an infant.” Nagy described herself as being delighted by this suggestion, and we are too.

New construction builds have a reputation of leading to eyesores or shoddy structures. In that case, you could describe the project as a “destrelopment” — a portmanteau of the words “destroy” and “development.” This recommendation comes from Rich P., who adds that the person or group responsible for these projects is called a “destreloper.”

You’ve probably used a spatula to flip pancakes or turn over an omelette. But why not use the verb “spatulate” instead — an idea that comes to us from reader Tim B. He describes the word “spatulate” as a word useful for anything that may require a spatula in the kitchen. You can spatulate pancakes, omelettes, grilled cheese, and more.

Reader Miguel S. tells us that years ago he was a stay-at-home dad but wasn’t a big fan of the term. Instead he coined a new one: “houseband.” This simple alternative works for a full-time father who stays at home with their children, and for husbands who are maintaining a household without children, as well.

Some people can’t grow houseplants for the life of them. Those who can may want to start using the word “bushifluent.” Reader Teegie H. says this word can be used to “describe a healthy houseplant that is flourishing and really growing.”

Last but not least, we have the word “equimonious,” which comes to us from reader Gale R. It’s similar to “equanimous,” which means “calm and composed,” but it’s used a bit differently. According to Rawson, “equimonious” is used to describe a well-balanced and harmonious household. She used it to describe her friend Larry, who lives among three generations of family members who all get along well. Neither she nor Larry recognized the word when she first said it, but they came to agree that it should exist.