I have a Word of the Day sent to my email every day, and don’t normally open the message as they aren’t often new words to me. Yesterday I got the word canicular. I wasn’t familiar with it so I clicked to read. It means “of or relating to the period between early July and early September when hot weather occurs in the northern hemisphere”.
So that would be “summer”.
I’m not sure I can think of a use for canicular. Apart from the sentence “I’m not sure I can think of a use for canicular”.
That might be the last time I use it unless I need a rhyme for funicular and have already used particular. That is, realistically speaking, an unlikely scenario. For several reasons.
I do have another new word if you want one – shitsuren. It’s Japanese and it means “broken heart”, “unrequited love” or “disappointed love”. It’s probably as useless as canicular, but much more fun to use. And if I ever write my Limerick cycle on the US Presidents, I will have a rhyme for Martin van Buren.
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‘canicular’ sounds vaguely medical to me… I’m probably thinking of canular… something I wish I knew less about!
Agreed. Dreadful things,
An interesting word but one that you couldn’t just drop in anywhere!
Yes, it will take some effort. 🙂
Both new to me too. Then again my Japanese vocabulary is very limited, so no particular surprise there then.
Yeah, canicular isn’t nearly as poetic as “dog days.” The definitions I found relate to dog and dog days….Merriam Webster. but then again, I googled the word.
Yes, when I scrolled down the email after posting this morning I noticed the dog connection. Interesting word after all…
You found uses for those words after all.
I thought of uses, but I haven’t actually used them yet. 🙂
Are they all equally esoteric? Dog’s dinner might be a suitable rhyme for canicular
Yes, that would work. Mostly they are quite ordinary words.- today’s word is “regardless”.
Ah