Tag: Autonomy

Weird Words, Continued

Autotomy

Not “autonomy,” which means the right to self-govern, “autotomy” is a zoological noun that describes the bizarre defense mechanism of an animal in the wild (like a lizard) who detaches a part of its body to escape a predator. More specifically, Merriam-Webster defines autotomy as “reflex separation of a part (such as an appendage) from the body,” or “division of the body into two or more pieces.”

Borborygmus

A technical noun, “borborygmus” is a word that describes a certain embarrassing sound made in your gut. Cambridge Dictionary defines “borborygmus” as “a continuous low sound made by the movement of liquid and gas in the body.” Let’s be honest, the word sounds as weird as the noise it describes.

Catawampus

Also written as “cattywampus,” this unusual word has several meanings, including as a noun for “an imaginary, fierce wild animal.” More commonly, “catawampus” is used as an adjective that Dictionary.com defines as “something that’s askew or awry” (like a teenager’s bedroom) or something that is diagonally across from something else.

Curmudgeon

“Curmudgeon” is a fun way to call someone a cranky jerk. The Oxford Dictionary definition of this noun (which we swear was written about our great-aunt Alice) is “a bad-tempered person, especially an old one.” The thesaurus lists “sourpuss” and “grouch” as other amusing variations of the word.