Monday, November 11, 2013

On Words, especially Obsolete

I found this on an old bookshelf in what used to be a schoolroom and is now my kitchen. Just think of all the possibilities. 


In case you can't tell from the picture, it's a Webster's Dictionary, Unabridged.

This was the first page I flipped open to...



The last word on page 777 is: "gloppen: to be terrified or distressed. Obsolete."




I think gloppen should be revived as a word used for sensory-overload in special kiddos. I need a word like this. Think how much shorter it would be to say "I'm sorry he screamed at you, he was feeling gloppen" instead of "he was feeling terrified and distressed by too much sensory input and since his brain was flooded he could not remember the appropriate response to create some space to stop all the stimuli."

Unfortunately, I don't think this will happen since Gloppen is also a place in Norway and a last name, according to Google.

But I have more than a thousand pages, so I'm sure I will eventually discover something. I am a verbivore, I need words as much as I need food. This is why I cannot actually do a "Wordless Wednesday" post. :)




No comments:

Post a Comment