Word for something that is not well known

According to what you say «The second problem was published in a book about 70 years ago, but since then, little attention has been given to it.» primarily means that the problem was forgotten about, though it may have seemed quite important.

It doesn’t say that it should be a well-known problem or that its importance was underestimated. Based on your sentence, a possible word could be «trivialized» or «neglected».

The problem appeared to be unimportant, insignificant at that time; it was a trivial problem, one of little value or importance. Little light was made of this problem. Or it was a neglected problem and little attention was payed to it.

Other possible variants are: ignored, underestimated, underrated, undervalued, understated, underreckoned,treated lightly,depreciated

I personally tend to «underestimated», and «trivialized» or «neglected».

A very good option would be to use two words in a row!

• «The second problem was neglected and underrated (underestimated, undervalued)» which means that there wasn’t enough attention payed to it and its importance was underestimated.

Language isn’t just a medium of communicating your thoughts, feelings, and ideas. It’s a whole different world in itself. Language shapes our perception, personality, and passion.

There’s a word for almost every feeling that you feel. There’s a word for almost everything that you see. There’s a word for almost everything you can think of. Every word for sure carries a certain beauty and uniqueness describing really incredible things. 

More than a million words are there in the English language. Many of them have faded, many of them aren’t much used. And nearly 171,476 words are commonly used in the current scenario. The infrequently used words belong to psychology, biology, medicine, astronomy, and other fields. They remain in a state of vernacular obscurity because of their extraordinary specificity. 

Neither heard nor spoken on a regular basis, these are 25 fascinating rare words that are a delightful addition to your vocabulary and also appealing to the senses and the English language.

1. Tmesis (tuh-mee-sis)

An unusual word with an unusual meaning, ‘tmesis’ is the only word in English that begins with ‘tm-’. 

What it means: Insertion of one or more words to make a compound word

Etymology: The word ‘tmesis’ originates from the Greek tmesis «a cutting», related to temnein which means «to cut».

Example sentences: 

• ‘to’ inserted in ‘update’ makes for ‘up-to-date’
• ‘so’ inserted in the middle of ‘whatever’ makes for ‘whatsoever’
• ‘Whole’ inserted in the ‘another’ makes for ‘a whole nother’

2. Syzygy (siz-i-jee)

The word ‘syzygy’ is as rare, beautiful and unique as is its astronomical occurrence. This is the only word in all of English to have three Y’s. 

Moreover, other than astronomy, it has different meanings in poetry, genetics, psychology, medicine, mathematics, zoology and astronomy. Bonus fact is that it’s also one of the high-scoring Scrabble words.

Different meanings in different fields:

1. Astronomy: An alignment of three celestial bodies more commonly the Sun, Earth, and Moon akin to an eclipse.
2. Genetics: The pairing of chromosomes in meiosis.
3. Mathematics: A relation between generators of a module.
4. Medicine: The fusion of some or all organs.
5. Poetry (in classical prosody): The combination of two metrical feet into a single unit.
6. Psychology: A quintessential pairing of contrasexual opposites which symbolizes the communication of the conscious and unconscious minds.
7. Zoology: The association of two protozoans for the purpose of asexual exchange of genetic material. 

Etymology: The word derives via late Latin from Greek suzugia «yoke of animals, pair, union of two, conjunction» from suzugos «to yoke together». It is the compound form of syn «together» + zygon «yoke». 

Example sentences: 

• The moon is at syzygy when full.
• The planets were aligned in syzygy.  (3.1)

3. Hydroxyzine (hahy-drok-suh-zeen)

Hydroxyzine is the only word to have X, Y, Z back-to-back and in-order. The first known use of this medicine was back in 1956. It can help you relieve tension, irritability and anxiety.

Meaning: A tranquilizing drug used to cure anxiety and motion sickness.

Etymology: hydroxy- + (pipera)zine

Example sentence: Do not use Hydroxyzine for alcohol withdrawal!

4. Philodox (FIL-uh-doks)

‘Phil-’ is the root word used to define love for something and ‘dox’ means beliefs and praise. So someone who loves his own opinions is a philodox.

What it means: A dogmatic person who loves his or her own opinions.

Etymology: From Middle French philodoxe, from Ancient Greek (philódoxos, “opinion-loving”). It is a compound of (phílo-, “philo”) + (dóxa, “glory; opinion”).

Example sentence: Once again, it was a joy to see and meet those that really make a difference in the security market, believe me, life isn’t short of philodox characters… (Security News Desk)

5. Dextrosinistral (deks-tro-sin-is-tral)

Lefties or left-handed people are often asked (and sometimes forced) to switch their handedness and become a right hander. Those who’re trained to become one are called ‘dextrosinistral’.

Meanings:

1. Moving or extending from right to left

2. A natural left-handed person trained to use the right hand (3.2)

Etymology: (dextro- +‎ sinistral) From the Latin ‘dexter’ meaning right and ‘sinister’ meaning left.

Example Sentence: The maximum deformation was mostly in the dextrosinistral direction.

6. Lalochezia (lah-loh-KEY-zee-uh)

When you’re in a state of extreme anger and spew filthy or indecent words from your mouth, the emotional relief you gain by doing that is called lalochezia.  

Meaning: Emotional relief gained using expletives or abusive language (3.3)

Etymology: From the Greek ‘lalia’ meaning speech and ‘chezo’ meaning to relieve oneself.

Example Sentence: But you can build up a tolerance to lalochezia—the more you swear, the less it helps. (Greatist) 

7. Gargalesthesia (gar-guhl-es-thee-zee-yah)

It’s the sensation you feel when your sensitive areas are ticked really hard and repeatedly.

Meaning: The sensation caused by being tickled.

Etymology: A compound of the Greek ‘gargalos’ meaning itching and ‘aesthesia’ or ‘esthesia’ meaning ability to perceive sensations.

Example sentence: Gargalesthesia has been known to cause death when prolonged.

8. Factotum (fak-toh-tuh m)

A factotum is someone who possesses diverse traits and serves different responsibilities. And that makes him/her jack of all trades.

Meanings:

1. A person having many diverse activities or responsibilities.
2. A general servant.
3. A jack of all trades.
4. An individual employed to do all kinds of duties.

Etymology: From the Latin ‘facere’ meaning to do and ‘totum’ meaning everything. (3.4)

Example sentence: By day three, it was the department’s triumph and I was a factotum. (Jack Kerley, THE HUNDREDTH MAN)

9. Charientism (ka-ri-yent-izm)

When you’re having a group chat and don’t understand whether something was a quip or a disdain, it’s charientism. It is an artfully concealed insult.

Meaning: A figure of speech wherein an insult is disguised as or softened by a jest.

Etymology: From Ancient Greek (kharientismós)

Example sentence: I’d offer up a charientism but I’m not polite enough to bother masking my dislike for people.

10. Manque (man-que, ma-nq-ue)

When you feel unfulfilled or frustrated for not living up to a certain expectation or ambition, it’s called manque.

Meaning: would-be; unfulfilled realizing an ambition or capability due to the vagary of circumstance, some inherent flaw, or an often uncertain constitutional lacking of some kind.

Etymology: From French manqué (to lack)

Example sentence: The manager is an actor manqué.

11. Floccinaucinihilipilification (FLOK-si-now-sin-ih-HILL-ip-il-IF-i-CAY-shun)

Damn hard to pronounce, this 29-letter-long word happens to be one of the longest words in the English language. With the meaning ‘categorizing something as valueless, the humorously paradoxical fact about the word is that it is quite a useless word in itself; which is hardly used anywhere except as an example of a long word. 

Meaning: the action or habit of estimating something as worthless (3.5)

Etymology: From a combination of four Latin words: flocci, nauci, nihili, pili (meaning ‘hold at little value’) 

Example sentence: Floccinaucinihilipilification is one of a number of very long words that occur very rarely in genuine use.

12. Nudiustertian (noo-dee-uhs-TUR-shuhn)

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word ‘nudiustertian’ has been mentioned only in the very popular work ‘The Simple Cobbler of Aggawam in America’ written by Nathaniel Ward. 

Meaning: very recent,  the day before yesterday 

Etymology: From Latin ‘nudius tertius’, from phrase nunc dies tertius est meaning ‘today is the third day’. (3.6)

Example sentence: When I hear a‥Gentledame inquire‥what [is] the nudiustertian fashion of the Court; I mean the very newest. (The Simple Cobbler of Aggawam in America)

13. Pandiculation (pan-dik-oo-lay-shun)

Whenever you feel drowsy or weary, just stretch your limbs and neck and accompany it with yawning. This simple and effective movement is called pandiculation. It helps to reboot your brain’s sensation and also restores complete muscle function. 

Meaning:  yawning and stretching (as when first waking up)

Etymology: From Latin pandiculari, from pendere to stretch

Example sentence: Instances of pandiculation in the audience suggests the show isn’t going well.

14. Valetudinarian (val-i-too-duh-NAYR-ee-uhn)

Someone who is constantly obsessed about his or her health is called a valetudinarian. It is used as both a noun and an adjective. 

Meaning: a sickly or weak person, especially one who is constantly and morbidly concerned with his or her health

Etymology: The word comes from Latin valētūdinārius, from valetudo (“state of health, health, ill health”), from valere (“to be strong or well”) 

Example sentences:

1. A «valetudinarian» is a 10-dollar word for someone who is sickly.

2. The valetudinarian habit of discussing his health had grown on Rose…

15. Schadenfreude (shah-den-froydah)

When someone feels malicious enjoyment from observing someone else’s misfortune, that feeling is schadenfreude. 

It is the synonym of another rare word ‘epicaricacy’. This word became popular in English in the late 20th century. Its usage was seen in an episode of ‘The Simpsons’.

Meaning: satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else’s misfortune malicious enjoyment derived from observing someone else’s misfortune

Etymology: The word was borrowed from German Schadenfreude (“joy in the misfortune of others”), from Schaden (“damage, harm, mishap”), and Freude (“joy”).

Example sentence: And Mr. Henry’s arrival suggests the schadenfreude is over.

16. Chthonic (thon-ik)

What dwells beneath the earth’s surface is chthonic. 

Meaning: of or characteristic of the mythological underworld, subterranean (3.7)

Etymology: From Ancient Greek khthonios (of the earth), from khthōn, earth 

Example sentence: The young pantheon had remanded their elders to the role of smoldering, chthonic gods……

17. Hwyl (HU il)

That’s a stirring and motivational energy that one experiences when he/she is all pumped up and determined to achieve a particular goal or ambition.

Meaning: emotional fervor (as in the recitation of poetry), a melodic chanting style of Welsh preaching.

Etymology: Welsh

Example sentence: We will never lack hwyl on the second Gwlad of an international day anthem…..

18. Lethologica (Leth-Oh-LOGE-ikuh)

If you are unable to recall the exact word for something, you have a lethologica. 

Meaning: the inability to remember the accurate word for something

Etymology: Carl Jung coined this word from the Ancient Greek lḗthē meaning forgetfulness and lógos meaning word.

Example sentence: You might have trouble recalling that lethologica is the inability to remember a word.

19. Overmorrow (oh-vuhr-MOR-oh)

The day that is two days ahead of today is ‘overmorrow’. 

Meaning: the day after tomorrow.

Etymology: The word comes from Middle English overmorwe. It is a compound of over + morwe (“morrow”).

Example sentence: ‘Does overmorrow work for you?’

20. Velleity (vuh-LEE-i-tee)

A mere wish with no strong desire to act is called ‘velleity’. 

Meanings: 

1. The weakest degree of desire or volition.

2. A slight wish with no effort to act.

Etymology: From Medieval Latin velleitās, from Latin velle (“to wish or will”).  (3.8)

Example sentence: He felt cast out … divorced from the caprices and the velleities of childhood.

21. Sesquipedalian (ses-kwi-pi-DAYL-yuhn)

A word that is one and a half feet long is called ‘sesquipedalian’.

Meanings:

1. Given to or characterized by the use of long words, long-winded.

2. Having many syllables; polysyllabic. (3.9)

Etymology: The word came into existence in the mid 17th century, 1656 to be precise. It originated from Latin sesquipedalis ‘a foot and a half long,’ from sesqui- (see sesqui-) + pes, ped- ‘foot’.

Example sentence: Anne, that ridiculously sesquipedalian word you just gutturally uttered is a perfect example of why Germans don’t play Scrabble.

22. Borborygmus (bor-buh-RIG-muhs)

Being an onomatopoeic word, the word ‘borborygmus’ imitates the annoying, loud gurglings made by the stomach. Chances are you’ve never heard of this word unless you’re a gastroenterologist.

Meaning: rumbling or gurgling sound caused in intestines and stomach by moving fluid or gas (3.10)

Etymology: Originated in the early 18th century, the word was originated from modern Latin, from Greek borborygmos, from borboryzein (to rumble)

Example sentence: Unfortunately sir the other guests are trying to listen to the singer but your borborygmi (plural) are so loud they are interrupting the performance.

23. Doohickey (duːhɪki)

Open your childhood treasure of toys, and you’ll discover so many objects & gadgets whose name you wouldn’t know or recall. Those gadgets are doohickeys.

Meaning: a small object or gadget, especially one whose name the speaker doesn’t know or can’t recall.

Etymology: The word’s origin lies in the 20th century. It is a blend of doodad and hickey.

Example sentence: This garage is filled with electronic parts and other valuable doohickeys.

24. Higgler (higgl-ůr)

Someone who goes around selling small items is known as a higgler.

Meanings: 

1. a person who travels around selling small items; a pedlar.
2. a person who haggles or negotiates for lower prices.

Etymology: probably an alteration of haggle

Example sentence: But while she still lived and prospered as a higgler we had to find another helper to fill.

25. Contronym (KAHN-troh-NIM)

Also known as contranym or autoantonym, a contronym is a word with two meanings having opposite meanings. For e.g. sanction (meaning both ‘a penalty for disobeying a law’ and ‘official permission or approval for an action’).

Meaning: a word with two opposite meanings

Etymology: a combination of contra- and -onym, on the pattern of synonym and antonym

Example sentence: The word contronym is a recently coined neologism.

Do you also know a rare word in English or any other language? If you do, then do tell us the word with its meaning in the comments section below!

Synonyms

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• #1

I’m proof-reading a text in which I’ve found the following phrase: «The novels for which Austen is most well known….«


Having been taught that the comparison of the adjective «good» is «good, better, best,» I am sorely tempted to correct «most well known» to «best-known.» But there seems to be considerable acceptance of «most well known.»

Your opinions?

Thanks in advance.

• #2

I think both ways are ok. Personally, I would say best known also but I think «most well known» is also acceptable. (I wouldn’t use a hyphen with best known though unless it was preceding the noun. For example, his best-known novels. Or, he is best known for the novels…..)

• #3

Thanks, Driven. You’re right about the hyphen, of course.

• #4

Since I’ve had the doctrine of being parsimonious with words drilled into me at a relatively early age, «most well known» would fall victim immediately to my red pencil.

• #5

The two constructions seem about equally common and equally acceptable to me. Presumably the phrase ‘well known’ is reinterpreted as an adjective ‘well-known’ (which I’d hyphenate on the grounds it was now a single word). As a phrase containing an adverb, the adverb is inflected; as an adjective it takes ‘more’.

You get the same thing with complexes of ‘high’: ‘most high-profile’ = ‘highest-profile’. Oddly, for me at least ‘high quality’ isn’t an adjective; I can only say ‘highest quality’, not ‘most high-quality’. I’m not aware of any complexes of ‘well’ where there’s any difference in acceptability.

• #6

I would be comfortable with both best known and with most adjectival phrase.I read well known (with no need for a hyphen when it does not come before a noun, and with a hyphen required when it does) as an adverb followed by the adjective it modifies; most modifies the combined adverb +adjective.

Ultimately it is a question of stylistic preference, as the meanings of the alternative terms are the same.

• #7

Thanks to all. Much appreciated.

• #8

I think the acceptance is because the «well known» is seen as different from just «known».

Algebraically, if I might : Most (well known) is different from (Most well) known. The latter cries out for «best» while the most of the former sits quite happily on its own.

• #9

Interesting and useful analysis, Julian. Thanks.

• #10

Drifting back to a starting point…

Having been taught that the comparison of the adjective «good» is «good, better, best,» I am sorely tempted to correct «most well known» to «best-known.»

I wonder if this is pertinent. Do we say «good» known? Isn’t it more useful to think of our options as —

least known>>>known>>more known>> most or best known ?

Of course we can say better known, so that confuses things a little. English is not algebraic, even if we sometimes benefit from trying algebraic analysis.

• #11

I wonder if this is pertinent. Do we say «good» known?

Cuchu, I think it is pertinent D) because not only do we say good-better-best, we also say well-better-best….

That said, I agree with Julian and with you: it depends whether we’re thinking of most (well-known) or (most-well) known = best-known.

• #12

Indeed. I should have put it «well-better-best» in the first place.

• #13

There is also the difference between

— most well-known writers (as in, say, «Most well-known writers are not wealthy»)

and

— best-known writers (as in, say, «He is one of the country’s best-known writers»)

• #14

Michael Swan (he’s got a very got grammar) says:
compound adjectives:

well-known

better-known or more known best-known or most well-known
the same happens with

good-looking

but there is a text which goes like this:
For almost 17 years Jane has worked as one of the Tower of London’s Yeoman Warders, ______ known to tourist as Beefeather.
answers:
more
better (the teacher’s book says this is the correct one)
there is no hyphen and I do not understand why

more

can’t be the answer too.
If we can say

better-known

or

more known

, why does the teacher’s book say that the answer is

better

and not

more

?

Last edited: Feb 5, 2013

• #15

No, we can’t say ‘more known’. The discussion above is about ‘more well-known’. In the positive degree, with no comparison:

The Beefeaters are well known.
The Beefeaters are much known.

Now form the comparative degree of those two sentences. ‘Much’ becomes ‘more’ in the second one, and is still ungrammatical, for the same reason:

The Beefeaters are more known than the Swiss Guards.

For the first one, there are two ways of making the comparative of ‘well known’, and they are both grammatical:

The Beefeaters are better known than the Swiss Guards. [(‘more’ + ‘well’) + ‘known’ — because we say ‘better’ for ‘more well’]
The Beefeaters are more well known than the Swiss Guards. [‘more’ + (‘well’ + ‘known’) — as if ‘well-known’ is a new adjective]

• #16

well-known

better-known or more known best-known or most well-known

I think that this is saying that if something is even more «known» than (well-known or better-known) then it’s (best-known or most well-known), i.e. «more known» is not part of the list but part of the text explaining the list. Compare this to: (a little bit red) pink or rose (more red) carmine or crimson. «More red» is not a color.

• #17

I’m proof-reading a text in which I’ve found the following phrase: «The novels for which Austen is most well known….«


Having been taught that the comparison of the adjective «good» is «good, better, best,» I am sorely tempted to correct «most well known» to «best-known.» But there seems to be considerable acceptance of «most well known.»

Your opinions?

Thanks in advance.

best known

• #18

Since I’ve had the doctrine of being parsimonious with words drilled into me at a relatively early age, «most well known» would fall victim immediately to my red pencil.

I would agree. Most well known sounds like something Dell Boy would say; rather like, «It’s my most favourite, Rodney». I’d favour best known (hyphenated, or not depending on exact useage).