I was reading someone’s comment on a review, and I thought “THAT is a great word. More people should use that.” So I thought I’d make a list of words that seem to have fallen out of usage and perhaps we can have one of them forge a comeback.

The word in question was the terrific word:

Nincompoop

• Def: a fool or simpleton
• Origin: 1670-80, origin uncertain
• Forms of the word: nincompoopish; nincompoopery

Here are 14 more words that you don’t see often but I like.

Persnickety

• Def: Over-particular or fussy
  
• Origin: 1885–90;  orig. Scots,  variant of pernickety
• Forms of the word: persnicketiness

Passel

• Def: a group or lot of indeterminate number
• Origin: 1825–35;  alteration of parcel

Skedaddle

• Def: to run away hurriedly; flee
• Origin: 1860–65,  Americanism; compare dial. ( Scots,  N England) skedaddle to spill, scatter, skiddle  to move away quickly

Spiffy

• Def: spruce; smart; fine.
• Origin: 1855–60;  dial. spiff  well-dressed (origin uncertain)
• Forms of the word: spiffiness, spiffily and verb spiffing

Whimsy

• Def: a capricious idea or nothing; light fanciful humour; something quaint or unusual
• Origin: 1595–1605; whim

Dolt

• Def: a dull, stupid person; blockhead.
• Origin: 1535–45;  variant of obsolete dold  stupid, orig. past participle ofMiddle English dollen, dullen  to dull
• Forms of the word: doltish, doltishly, doltishness

Ennui

• Def: a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety orlack of interest; boredom
• Origin: 1660–70;  < French:  boredom; Old French enui – displeasure;

Calamity

• Def: a great misfortune or disaster
• Origin: 1375–1425; late Middle English calamite  < Middle French  < Latincalamitāt-  (stem of calamitās ), perhaps akin to incolumitās  safety

Rapscallion

• Def: a rascal; rogue; scamp.
• Origin: 1690–1700;  earlier rascallion,  based on rascal

Nifty

• Def: attractively stylish or smart; very good; fine; excellent:
• Origin: 1860–65,  Americanism; of obscure origin
• Forms of the word: niftily

Swoon

• Def: to faint; lose consciousness.
• Origin: 1250–1300;  (v.) Middle English swo ( w ) nen  to faint
• Forms of the word: swooningly

Thrice

• Def: three times, as in succession; on three occasions or in threeways.
• Origin: 1150–1200; Middle English thries,  equivalent to obsolete thrie  thrice (Old English thrīga

Lick (a smidgeon)

• Def: a small amount
• Origin: before 1000; Middle English; Old English liccian,  cognate with OldSaxon liccōn, Old High German leckōn;  akin to Go bilaigon, Latin lingere,Greek leíchein  to lick (up)

Swell

• Def: first-rate; fine
• Origin: before 900; Middle English swellen  (v.), Old English swellan;  cognatewith Dutch zwellen, German schwellen, Old Norse svella;  akin to Gothicufswalleins  pride

So share with me your favourite words and which ones you’d like to see make a come-back.

Just for fun, here is a paragraph using all 15 of my fave words.

Callum knew he had to skedaddle before Mark saw him. He’d been a dolt and didn’t have a lick of sense to think it would be a swell idea to approach a swoon-worthy guy like that on a Friday night. His nifty plan, to put on an air of ennui as he rapped thrice on Mark’s door, turned out to be a calamity when his nerves got to him, and he decided to vanish into the night like a rapscallion. He was a nincompoop, he could admit that. It had been a flight of whimsy to think that a spiffy new sweater would be enough to impress Mark and his passel of persnickety polo-loving friends. If he could get Mark alone… maybe. He’d have to work on that.

The polo playing thing came out of nowhere in my brain, but when I went to look for a pic, I found this guy, so must have been destiny.