What’s in a word?

Words are used to write poetry and prose; lyrics and litanies. Words are used to convey ideas and build worlds. Love and trust have deep roots in words.

But. 

Words are a double-edged sword.

Words can be formed to express loathing. They can be vicious and lacerating. In the wrong hands, words are abusive; are used to tear people and ideas down. 

I’ve used words nefariously countless times. Sarcastic and acerbic words being my modus operandi when I am mad. 

I’ve been told I have a way with words, and unfortunately that transfers to malicious intentions as well. But I’m not going to lament about past misdeeds; instead, I want to write about my love for words.

Versatile and malleable, words can mean different things depending on the context. Some words have numerous definitions like run and pretend. Others only have one meaning, but the definition is specific to the point of admiration like debauchery and sagacious.

But powerful words do not have to be three or four syllables. Some of my favorite words are only two syllables: kvetch, zeitgeist, inane. Still others are only one syllable: schlep, deft, trite. (In case you are wondering, these one and two syllable words came straight from my favorites list on my Merriam-Webster dictionary app.)

Speaking of the Merriam-Webster app, it is my favorite. I use it daily, and I paid extra for the thesaurus, which is equally helpful. The app also has word games to help teach you new SAT words. The games are free, and I strongly recommend the app for everything it has to offer.

I know a lot of words, and I have learned how to spell most of them, but forget about me pronouncing them correctly. Words like superfluous and magnanimity always trip me up. I write a lot smarter than I speak. I stick to one and two syllable words when I speak, else I make a fool of myself.

My favorite form of words are when they are used to create books. I saw a picture once that said books are all just different combinations of twenty-six letters. Isn’t that amazing to think about?

I have a friend whose vocabulary is more expansive than mine, and she is one of my favorite people with whom to converse. We sometimes send each other words of the day, which are words that randomly pop into our heads that day. She often sends me words I’ve never seen before.

My words of the day are typically words I can half pronounce and half spell; sometimes I have to look them up on Google because I’m not sure how to spell it, which makes it hard to glean results from my dictionary app. 

I relish learning new words, and I particularly like it when authors use certain words in their book(s) enough for me to learn them. Obviously it’s tiresome if they overuse a word, but authors like George R.R. Martin use big words masterfully. 

Words are a gift in themselves, and people who know how to wield them appropriately are a gift to the rest of us.