Word of the Day - Exogenous

As a long-time logophile (lover of words) I've been itching to do this for a while.

You agree with me, right? Words are fascinating. Where would you or I be without them? They are the most versatile tools; they can be paintbrushes or knives. They can be sharp; they can soothe. They might be what separates us from animals. They can have an intriguing history.

I've always loved words. Reading, writing, word games, wordplay. Make them rhyme, play with alliteration, look up new or long words in the dictionary. At school, "large vocabulary" was a staple phrase on my report.

What makes a word stand out?

Sometimes one just jumps off the page at me and makes me smile. Sometimes because I don't know what it means, and I like that in a word. Other times, it might be hard to pronounce. That commends respect, I feel. Sometimes, I do know what it means - but it's obscure, or long. I'm drawn to words that are tricky to read or spell, or hard to pronounce.

Sometimes, a word sounds poetic, evocative, or funny. Maybe it's an onomatopoeia. (For the record, I love the word onomatopoeia.)

Or I might like it because it has an interesting back-story, like a superhero in a comic book. (Or a villain, just saying.) Could be it's just a high scoring word in Scrabble.

And then we've got meanings. Sometimes, I like what it means. Some words don't just mean two or more things - sometimes you can come across a word that is its own antonym - the opposite of itself. Oversight. Buckle. Dust. I especially like Cleave. In case you don't know (and sorry if you do) the word for that kind of word is contranym.

Just take a second to consider that - even words have words to describe them. There is a word for everything, and if you can't find one in English, look at another language - German is a good one. When the Germans don't have a word for something, they bolt together existing ones into Frankenwords. I like that. It shows ingenuity and gumption.

My question to you: What do you like in a word?

I don't know how often I will do this. I have a few in the bank at the moment. Just because it's a Word of the Day doesn't mean it has to happen every day. Maybe some days don't get a word. Sucks to be those days, I guess. Maybe I'll collate several and post less often. Who knows.

Often, I'll use words I find when reading pieces by other Vocal writers, but not always.

If I have to stop and go and look up what the word means, it's almost guaranteed that it will make it to my word of the day list.

Word of the Day - Exogenous

I stumbled across it reading "Vocal, you are such a tool" by Lilly Cooper

The most valuable tools a writer has is their imagination and curiosity. Everything else, skills and experience, will follow. Of course, the exogenous tools we have access to help us along with gaining that skill and experience.

Why I like it: It's a very fancy-sounding word that almost (but not quite) rhymes with sausages. Let me tell you, it is extremely hard for a word to do that and be fancy, and yet this one manages it.

If you are unfamiliar with this beaut, Google says,

Dictionary

Definitions from Oxford Languages ·

exogenous

/ɛkˈsɒdʒɪnəs,ɪkˈsɒdʒɪnəs/

adjective

having an external cause or origin.

"technological changes exogenous to the oil industry"

BIOLOGY

growing or originating from outside an organism.

"an exogenous hormone"

PSYCHIATRY

(of a disease or symptom) attributable to an agent or organism outside the body.

"exogenous depression"

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There you have it - having an external cause or origin.

Go forth and use it!

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Thank you for reading! Leave me a comment so I can easily reciprocate. Give me your little black heart, and I'll love you forever.

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