Magnoon (adj) (Aus/NZ)
mag-noon
Mad or eccentric.
Late 19th century from Egyptian Arabic majnūn ‘possessed’, a word encountered by British troops during the Siege of Khartoum and subsequently widely used by Australian troops during the First World War.
Example sentences
“He’s gone a little magnoon with age.”
Fulgurate (verb) gul-guyr-ayt To flash and dart like lightning. 1670–80; Latin fulgurātus, past participle of fulgurāre to flash, glitter, lighten, derivative of fulgur flash of lightning (more…)
Eustress (noun) yoo-stres Physical, mental, or emotional tension that is caused by something positive or is psychologically or physically beneficial. First recorded in 1965–70 and comes from the Greek prefix…
Heterogeneous (adj) het-er-oh-jeen-yus Different in kind; unlike; incongruous. Composed of parts of different kinds; having widely dissimilar elements or constituents 1615–25; Medieval Latin (more…)
Hodgepodge (adj) hodj-podj A random mixture; a jumble. First recorded in 1615–25; variant of hotchpotch (more…)
Primordial (adj) pry-mawd-ee-al constituting a beginning; giving origin to something derived or developed; original. First recorded around 1350–1400 and comes via Middle English from the Late Latin word prīmōrdiālis, meaning…
Comity (noun) kom-it-ee Mutual courtesy; civility. First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin cōmitās, equivalent to cōm(is) “affable” + -itās -ity (more…)
Zetetic (adj) zet-et-ik proceeding by inquiry or investigation. First recorded in 1650–60 and comes via the New Latin word zētēticus, from Greek zētētikós, “inclined to investigate or inquire.” (more…)
Kinkeeping (noun) kin-keep-ing The labour involved in maintaining and enhancing family ties, including organizing social occasions, remembering birthdays, sending gifts, etc. First recorded in 1975–80. Formed from the words kin,…
Quango (noun) kwan-go (especially in the United Kingdom) a semipublic advisory and administrative body supported by the government and having most of its members appointed by the government. First recorded…