ELEVATE YOUR VOCABULARY

10 Unusual English Words You Can Add To Your Vocabulary

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The English language is considered one of the easiest to learn. That doesn’t mean it is not rich or hasn’t enough words to describe the complexities of the modern world in depth. However, people don’t often make the most of the vast vocabulary our language has to offer. It’s time to start using words like "frabjous," or "abstruse!" That is why we have put together a list of 10 words that are not so commonly used but will surely help elevate your speech! Are you ready? Let’s go!

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Have you ever experienced something that is both fabulous and joyous at the same time? You probably feel that the words you have to describe such situations are never enough. You need a more powerful word, like "frabjous."

Many words have been created in literary works. Frabjous, an adjective, is one of them. Lewis Carrol first coined it in Through the Looking Glass to describe something wonderful and superb in an informal way. Frabjous, isn't it?

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Being a friend or being friendly are not the same thing, those two letters at the end are charged with meaning. In the case of the latter, there’s a verb you can use.

The word "hobnob" comes from Middle English and its meaning has changed and evolved. Today, "hobnob" means to associate with people in a very friendly way, for example: "She always hobnobs with celebrities."

Curious enough, it also has an archaic meaning: drinking together. It makes sense, isn’t that how most friendly relationships begin?

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The early bird catches the worm, that’s how the saying goes. Well, maybe you don’t get a worm, but you could get some elevenses.

This word was first recorded in the 1840s, and it has always been used in its plural form to refer to a midmorning refreshment.

Now, can you imagine how it was formed? That’s right, it is a pluralized form of "eleven," meaning the time when these refreshments are usually taken, at eleven o’clock.

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The modern world is getting more and more complex and the reasons to laugh and smile are harder to find- at least for the agelasts. Are you one of them?

An agelast, you might get from context, is a person who never laughs. The term comes from the Greek word agélastos which means grave or gloomy. This makes sense since being around people who never laugh can feel like it lasts an age, don’t you think?

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Time is our most precious possession and it is, at the same time, so easily wasted! Thankfully, we have many words to describe procrastination, and "lollygag" is one of them.

This word is a slang word from the 19th century and it has an alternative spelling which is "lallygag." The verb describes the action of wasting time.

As is often the case with many words, it used to have a second meaning related to affection display, but that fell out of use and now only the original meaning remains.

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This word may sound like "poetic," hence from the heart or romantic. But it is actually quite the opposite. Noetic derives from a Greek adjective that means "intellectual." In this sense, this adjective today describes things related to, or based on the intellect.

You might be familiar with it because in California there is the Institute of Noetic Sciences which is devoted to the study of, you guessed it, the mind!

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Have you ever been in a position in which you had to choose between two options, going back and forth from one option to another, analyzing the pros and cons, and feeling the decision was impossible to make? You were oscillating between the options then.

This word comes from the Latin oscillatus which means to swing, like a pendulum, or to come and go between two points, usually opposites. It is quite unfair how unusual this word is considering how common that scenario is, don’t you think?

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Trying to elevate one’s language takes great effort, after all, some words are too difficult to understand or comprehend, they are simply too abstruse. Here’s the explanation: the word "abstruse" describes things that are difficult to understand.

It derives from the Latin verb trudere which means "to push away." This Latin verb gave rise to many English words that include this meaning, but the "thrust" meaning in "abstruse" has fallen out of use and only one remains. See? It means hard to comprehend, but it isn’t so!

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If you know a person who is always criticizing and judging, someone who has an opinion on everything, you’ve met an ultracrepidarian, a word coming from Latin, and first recorded in the early 1800s.

This word describes a person who judges and gives advice or opinions outside the area of expertise. Specific as it is in meaning, it is quite versatile since it can be both an adjective, like in "an ultracrepidarian boss," and a noun, for example: "I know many ultracrepidarians."

Image: Artem Beliaikin

After great pain, there is always something that helps us overcome it, and that something has a name: dolorifuge. This term refers to an activity or thing that helps you boost your spirits.

Dolorifuges take all kinds of shapes and it depends, of course, on what you like or what brings happiness to your life.

Similar to the first word on this list, it was coined by a writer. In this case, the word was created by the English novelist Thomas Hardy, in Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Have you heard this word before?

Danger decoded

A virus with a 90 percent fatality rate and other shocking truths

Most people have heard of viruses like Ebola or dengue, but few know how these got their names, where they first appeared, or whether science has found ways to stop them. One virus has claimed up to 90 percent of those infected, while another may be hiding closer to home than expected. These are the deadliest viruses in the world, and what you need to know about them.

Marburg virus is not very well-known, but it is probably one of the deadliest viruses identified. Despite its reputation and its 90% fatality rate, it’s extremely rare.

Marburg was first recognized in 1968 after laboratory workers in the German cities of Marburg and Frankfurt, along with Belgrade in what was then Yugoslavia, became seriously ill while handling African green monkeys for medical research. The virus, named after the city where investigators first identified the outbreak, causes a severe form of hemorrhagic fever that leads to sudden illness, intense weakness, and bleeding inside and out. The fatality rate can reach 90 percent, and there’s still no widely approved cure, although supportive hospital care greatly improves survival, and several vaccines remain in clinical testing.

Many people first learned about Ebola through dramatic news reports in the 1990s, and again during the Large West African outbreak a decade ago. However, the virus had been discovered in 1976, during simultaneous outbreaks in what are now the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.

The virus was named after the Ebola River, in an attempt by researchers to spare residents from lifelong stigma. Researchers believe fruit bats serve as the virus’s natural host, with occasional transmission to humans through infected wildlife before spreading between people. Outbreaks often start in remote areas, then move outward when people travel for work or health care. There are several species, but the Zaire strain has caused the deadliest outbreaks. Today, there’s no universal cure, but an effective vaccine protects against the Zaire strain, and antiviral treatments have significantly improved survival when patients receive care quickly.

Cleaning out an old garage or shed is a common thing for many; however, few realize it can carry an unexpected risk. Hantavirus refers to a family of viruses that naturally infect rodents and can spread to people when dust contaminated with rodent droppings becomes airborne.

The disease first drew worldwide attention following the Korean War in the early 1950s, when soldiers developed Korean Hemorrhagic Fever. The virus, isolated and discovered as "Ebola" by doctor Ho Wang Lee in the 1970s, was named after South Korea’s Hantan River, where many of those cases occurred. In the U.S., a deadly outbreak in the Four Corners region during 1993 introduced Americans to Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome. There’s no currently approved vaccine or specific cure, making prevention through rodent control and careful cleaning the best defense.

Every few years, headlines warn about bird flu, and with good reason. Bird flu, or avian influenza, is one of the strains of influenza, and some of them can be deadly. H5N1, the best-known strain, has a high fatality rate, yet it rarely infects people.

Even if the first reports of the virus date back to 1878, the first human infections occurred in Hong Kong in 1977, when animal-to-human transmission led to 18 human infections and six deaths. Although H5N1 has a high fatality rate among infected people, human infections remain rare because they usually require close contact with sick poultry. Scientists named the strain using the virus’s H and N surface proteins, a system used for all influenza viruses. Several vaccines have been developed for emergency cases, and antiviral medication can reduce the severity of the illness if given early.

Most people never think twice about a mouse running through a barn or pantry, but in parts of West Africa, rodents can spread a disease that has challenged doctors for decades.

The Lassa virus was first identified in 1969 after two missionary nurses died from a mysterious illness in the town of Lassa, Nigeria, which gave the virus its name. Scientists later discovered that the multimammate rat is its natural host, shedding the virus in urine and droppings that can contaminate food and household surfaces. In some cases, the infection can cause mild symptoms or none at all, while others progress to severe fever and organ damage. Several vaccines are being tested, but none are yet licensed. Doctors often use an antiviral drug called ribavirin in severe cases, especially when the treatment begins early.

A simple fever during harvest season might not sound alarming, but in parts of Argentina, it has long been treated with extra caution. Junin virus, named after the city where it was first discovered in 1958, causes Argentine hemorrhagic fever.

Scientists traced the first outbreaks among agricultural workers exposed to infected field mice, and while early symptoms may resemble the flu, the illness can later cause severe damage, neurological problems, and dangerously low blood pressure. Researchers made remarkable progress by developing an effective vaccine called Candid #1, which has dramatically reduced cases in high-risk areas. Early treatment with immune plasma from recovered patients has also improved survival.

A tick bite is usually nothing to worry about, but in some parts of the world, it can carry a virus that demands immediate medical attention.

Crimea-Congo hemorrhagic fever was first described in soldiers and farmers in Crimea in 1944. Years later, scientists discovered that the same virus had been identified in the Congo, leading to the combined name still used today. The disease spreads mainly through Hyalomma ticks or contact with infected animal blood, making farmers, vets, and slaughterhouse workers especially vulnerable. Symptoms often begin with fever and muscle ache before progressing to bleeding in severe cases. No licensed vaccine is widely available, and treatment relies mainly on supportive hospital care while researchers continue searching for better therapies.

The remote grasslands of Bolivia may seem an unlikely place for a dangerous virus to emerge, yet that is exactly what happened in the early 1960s.

Machupo virus was discovered after an outbreak of Bolivian hemorrhagic fever near the Machupo River in the Beni Department of Bolivia. Dr. Karl Johnson found that a native field mouse serves as the virus's natural reservoir, allowing it to circulate in rural communities. Named after the river, the virus causes high fever, weakness, and bleeding that can become life-threatening without prompt care. Person-to-person transmission has also been documented, making outbreaks especially challenging to contain. Considering there’s no approved vaccine, supportive treatment and careful infection control have proved the best defense against this deadly virus.

For people who enjoy hiking or spending time outdoors, tick bites are always worth avoiding. In the forests of Karnataka, India, they can occasionally spread Kyasanur Forest Disease, named after the place and first identified in 1957, after monkeys began dying in the region.

It is carried mainly by ticks, while monkeys act as important warning signs because outbreaks among them often appear before human cases. Those infected usually experience high fever, severe headaches, muscle pain, and, in some cases, bleeding complications. India has developed a vaccine for people living in high-risk areas, although repeated booster doses are needed, and avoiding tick bites remains the most effective protection.

Going on a holiday to tropical places usually includes getting vaccinated against dengue fever on the checklist. While the disease has been recognized for centuries, the name’s origin remains a mystery. It’s believed to come from a Swahili expression describing the sudden, cramp-like pain caused by the illness.

In the 1940s, the virus itself was recognized as a mosquito-borne infection that was becoming a growing global concern. Today, dengue is found across much of Latin America, Southeast Asia, and other tropical regions where billions of people live at risk. Most patients recover after several uncomfortable days of fever, rash, and severe joint pain. Vaccines are now available in certain countries for specific groups of people, while mosquito control and insect repellent remain the best protection.