Oh my word!

Those of you who possess eyes might have noticed that there is a “word of the week” at the foot of this column.

I put a lot of thought into, and spend far too much time, choosing this word.

I firmly believe that The Courier’s word of the week should be a little-known word. But it must also be a word that deserves to be added to our vocabularies. I hold a (probably forlorn) hope that one or two might find a place in everyday conversation.

I hasten to add that many of them haven’t previously been familiar to me. I’m attempting to improve my own vocabulary as we go. I have a notebook to collect interesting words I hear or read over the course of the week. I look up definitions and weigh their possibilities for advancement to my “to be used” file.

These words shouldn’t be technical or scientific terms. There’s little point trying to add tryptophan (an amino acid) to my vocabulary because I’d rarely find cause to use it. Nor should the words be eight syllables long. Heteroscedasticity (a collection of random variables) has a certain attraction, but is too unwieldy for everyday use.

Some words I’m not sure about. I quite like ommatidium, segments making up the eye of an insect. I’ll keep my eye on it. The same can be said of nutation (a rocking or swaying motion) and duumvir (each of two officials holding a joint office).

I’ll often throw in an old Scots word like kempie (a bold person or champion) as I find these words interesting.

But what I like best are terms for quite ordinary things. Words like ullage, the space in a bottle that isn’t filled with liquid. Or caruncle, the pink bit at the inside corner of your eye. And syzygy, which refers to a pair of connected or corresponding things.

Zarf is a prime candidate. It is the piece of cardboard round a cup to stop you burning your hand on a take-away coffee or soup. And aglet, the hard bit at the end of a shoelace.

Best of all are words for things you see a hundred times a day, but never knew they had a name. Tittle, for instance, the dot of a lower case i or j.

Old words, rare words, Scots words, even technical words, are fascinating. I hope I’ll never become too old to stop adding to my vocabulary.

Steve Finan in defence of the English language