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bumbershoot

[ buhm-ber-shoot ] [ ˈbʌm bərˌʃut ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

noun

an umbrella.

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Why Dictionary.com chose bumbershoot

More about bumbershoot

  • First recorded in 1895–1900.
  • The stem, bumber-, is a facetious alteration of umbrella
  • The –shoot element is a respelling of the –chute element in parachute.
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EXAMPLES OF BUMBERSHOOT

  • The sudden rain shower caught her off guard, so she reached for her trusty bumbershoot.
  • The old man chuckled as he twirled his colorful bumbershoot on a sunny day.

You’ll chuckle at more facetious words like bumbershoot in our “Biggest Smile Wins” bracket! Vote now!

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Word of the day

jabberwocky

[ jab-er-wok-ee ] [ ˈdʒæb ərˌwɒk i ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

noun

a playful imitation of language consisting of invented, meaningless words; nonsense; gibberish.

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Why Dictionary.com chose jabberwocky

More about jabberwocky

  • Coined by Lewis Carroll in “Jabberwocky,” a poem in Through the Looking Glass (1871).
  • Explained by Carroll to mean “the result of much excited and voluble discussion.”
  • Formed from jabber and the Old English word wocer or wocor, “offspring, fruit.”
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EXAMPLES OF JABBERWOCKY

  • The children filled the playground with their delightful jabberwocky, creating a language only they could understand.
  • In her dreams, she often found herself wandering through a surreal landscape where creatures spoke in intricate jabberwocky.

The words in our “Biggest Smile Wins” bracket aren’t jabberwocky, but they sure are funny! Vote now!

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Word of the day

mellifluous

[ muh-lif-loo-uhs ] [ məˈlɪf lu əs ] Show IPA Phonetic Respelling

adjective

sweetly or smoothly flowing; sweet-sounding.

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Why Dictionary.com chose mellifluous

More about mellifluous

  • First recorded in 1375–1425.
  • Comes via Middle English from Late Latin mellifluus, which combines the stem of mel “honey” and –flu(ere) “to flow.”
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EXAMPLES OF MELLIFLUOUS

  • The mellifluous melody of the song filled the room, captivating everyone who listened.
  • The poet’s mellifluous verses painted a vivid and enchanting picture in the reader’s mind.

The words in our “Biggest Smile Wins” bracket are more funny-sounding than mellifluous… Vote now!

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