Crystal Clear Proofing: Vocabulary

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Vocabulary

Increase your vocabulary with not-very-common and/or not-frequently-used words.

Today's Weird Word is: noologist, and its pronunciation is: noo la jest.

Noologist is a noun meaning: the study of the human mind.

Who better to write a book about the mind than a noologist.

18 comments:

Christine DanekAugust 25, 2010 at 6:36:00 AM CDT
Thanks. I love your site for the great information.
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Old KittyAugust 25, 2010 at 6:48:00 AM CDT
Wow! That's a great word!! And thanks for the pronunciation too - I read it wrongly as in noo-oh-lo-gist!

Take care
x
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UnknownAugust 25, 2010 at 6:51:00 AM CDT
Christine: Aww...thank you1

Old Kitty: That's how I pronounced it too! Then when I checked the pronunciation I had to double-check it!
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Mason CanyonAugust 25, 2010 at 7:41:00 AM CDT
Great new word. It's always fun to see what new word you'll feature that I can add to my vocabulary, thanks.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress
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Carol KilgoreAugust 25, 2010 at 9:43:00 AM CDT
I love learning new words. This one is fun. I wonder if it's a noologist because we call our minds our noodles? Food for thought. Pardon the pun :)
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SouthpawAugust 25, 2010 at 9:55:00 AM CDT
Ooo, it that what we use our noodle?
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AnonymousAugust 25, 2010 at 10:12:00 AM CDT
CCP - Thanks! You are absolutely right about the value of using precise words, even if they aren't well-known. I like the word noologist just for that reason. I also like words such as cacophony, which is so much more precise and efficient than "a lot of loud noise."
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~Sia McKye~August 25, 2010 at 10:15:00 AM CDT
Definitely a great word. When I was a kid, I'd keep a weird words in my notebook and then figure ways to use them in writing or speaking. Made for some interesting reactions, lol! I remember using the word supine once, in a writing exercise. I actually had a teacher's assistant come back with, "this is not a word" and then something about making up stories and not words. Points off on the story. I got a dictionary out and showed her. Don't tell me it's not a word, sheesh.
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Elspeth FutcherAugust 25, 2010 at 10:46:00 AM CDT
What a wonderful word! I confess it's new to me, but I intend to drop in casually into conversations.
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UnknownAugust 25, 2010 at 11:55:00 AM CDT
Mason: My pleasure! I love weird/new words too!

Karen: A lot of these I get from a site called, "Luciferous Logolepsy," It's an awesome site full of obscure words!

Carol, Holly, Margot, Elspeth: It IS a neat word, isn't it? I try to find words you might be able to use in your writing...

Sia: GREAT story! I'd love to know what the teacher said when you showed her the word in the dictionary!
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Alex J. CavanaughAugust 25, 2010 at 1:02:00 PM CDT
That sounds like a career choice that will never be fulfilled!
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JournoMichAugust 25, 2010 at 1:46:00 PM CDT
So, psychologists study thoughts, and neurologists study the brain...So what is the mind? And why have I never met a nooligist?

Great word! Thanks, Crystal.

Michele
Emily Dickinson biographer on SouthernCityMysteries
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UnknownAugust 25, 2010 at 3:45:00 PM CDT
Alex: Right? Sure seems as though there would be a lot to it!

Michele: A little more information – Dictionary.com states that noology is: the science of intellectual phenomena.
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Elizabeth Spann CraigAugust 25, 2010 at 5:34:00 PM CDT
Love it! And I think my kids will love the way it sounds, even if the definition isn't quite as fun as the word!
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Creative ChroniclerAugust 25, 2010 at 5:43:00 PM CDT
Great word! May have to tease some people I know around here and call them noologist. Doesn't really apply to a person as a title but they won't know that and it will make them crazy...hehehe... ok feeling mischevious today. Can you tell?
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Hart JohnsonAugust 26, 2010 at 9:00:00 AM CDT
Hey, GREAT word! And I love noology... though I would only consider myself an amateur noologist. teehee
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UnknownAugust 26, 2010 at 9:52:00 AM CDT
Elizabeth: It IS a cool word, isn't it? And I agree, the definition is not nearly as fun as the word!

CC: You'll definitely start a few interesting conversations!

Hart: LOL! I think even noologists have to be amateurs, as well. There's a lot "to" the mind...

I wanted to let everyone know that I spent some time researching this word. It's pronunciation really BUGGED me! I kept thinking of the word, "zoologist," which is pronounced ZOO-AH-LO-GIST. In my opinion, noologist should be pronounced with the same inflection and emphasis on the "AH."

What I found is that there are conflicting *correct* pronunciations for this word, and NOO-AH-LO-GIST is one of them. So those of us who thought it should be pronounced that way, we can safely go around using that pronunciation!
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L. Diane WolfeAugust 27, 2010 at 8:12:00 AM CDT
I'll use it on Craig later and see if he knows it! Probably does - he's a walking dictionary.
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