Jan 21: Poole’s word is quidditative, what he calls “a silly word to describe a silly kind of pedantic argument,” and guess what? It does sound silly and it’s too twisty to use, but hey, doesn’t it sound great? My word? I came across ichor, technically an “acrid, watery discharge from an ulcer or wound,” which is glorious enough, but check out the alternative definition: “an ethereal fluid flowing in the veins of the gods.” I can imagine a character, high on achievement, contemplating the ichor pulsing in his body.
Jan 22: Poole’s lucubration meant (the word is no longer in use) to “work by means of artificial light,” i.e. at night, and given my insomnia, and habit of rising in the depths of night to get some work in, I’m proud to be known for my lucubration. My word is scuffle, a word that sounds like it means but is not used much anymore. Do nuclear power plant workers scuffle?
Source: A Word for Every Day of the Year by Steven Poole.