Fun English Words A-Z: Part Two

Here's the second half of my list of fun English words! See my previous hub for fun words starting with letters A through M.

Happy reading!

Nutate – To nod the head; to oscillate while rotating (like a planet); to move in a curving fashion (like a plant)

• If the Earth’s nutation changes suddenly, hold on to a tree trunk.

Ochlocracy – Government by mobs.

• Ancient Greek philosophers warned of three "bad" forms of government: ochlocracy, oligarchy and tyranny.

Paedarchy – Government by children.

• Paedarchy would likely grant giant tax subsidies to toy manufacturers and goldfish cracker companies.

Quadragenarian – A person between 40 and 49 years of age.

• When Blanche Devereaux claimed to be a quadragenarian, Sophia said, “You look like hell for your age.”

Ranarium – A place where frogs are kept.

• Freddy’s ranarium featured a small lily pond and a tiny island that we named Frogcatraz.

Sabbatarian – One who strictly keeps the Sabbath.

• Moishe's time as a sabbatarian ended when he joined the traveling circus.

Thelitis – Inflammation of the nipple.

• Marathon runners should use bandages to prevent thelitis.

Uranophobia – Fear of Heaven.

• Pat's uranophobia was traced to her fear of wide open spaces and her distaste for white clothing.

Vuvuzela – A plastic kazoo-like horn made famous by South African soccer fans.

• The incessant droning of vuvuzelas reminded me of an angry beehive.

Wimple – The head covering worn by a nun.

• Sister Mary failed to attract venture capital for her designer wimple company.

Xanthodont – One with yellow teeth.

• The Starbucks barista enjoyed free coffee and slowly became a xanthodont.

Yurt – A portable circular dwelling.

• Inspired by traditional nomadic tribes, the hippies built a community of yurts.

Zho – A male cross between a yak and a cow.

• The young zho sought therapy for his identity crisis.