Beautiful English Words

The Latin word "calx" meaning lime, and "vorare" meaning to devour, combine to create this word which means "to erode or feed off of limestone".

The running water has had a calcivorous effect on the cliffside.

From the Latin term "incandesco" which translates to "glows when heated". Today, incandescent can mean to shine brightly to project intense emotions as well as to glow from high temperatures. Someone who is passionate and innovative may be referred to as incandescent, but many people have heard this word only when referring to lightbulbs. Another beautiful word with similar meaning to incandescent is "flourescent".

The incandescent Christmas display was won an award for best decoration.

This word refers to uniqueness or singularity. This word has been adopted by many businesses and organizations to refer to the desire to act as one, or to come together to form a single unit that acts together. Those who are "loners" or "hermits" can be said to greatly value unicity.

She prefers unicity over spending time in a crowded place.

Adapted from the Latin word "lacrimosus" which means tearful, this word can mean sorrowful and sad as well. Something causing one to cry or weep can be referred to as lachrymose, as well as the person experiencing tearfulness.

The widow was lachrymose at the funeral.

Established from the Italian word "zucca" which means gourd. Zucchetto are skullcaps worn by Catholic clergy, and they are colored differently depending on the position of the clergyman. For example, the Pope's zucchetto is white, while a priest's zucchetto is black.

The Bishop ran frantically after his zucchetto when the wind blew it off of his head.

Derived from the Latin words "vanus" and "loquentia", which mean vain and talk, respectively. Vaniloquence means foolish and vain speaking. One might be said to practice vaniloquence if they are often bragging and boasting, or often talking about subjects that are taboo or inappropriate.

The vaniloquence of the young man interrupted the professor's lectures almost daily.

The roots for this word mean "sun" and "attraction". Heliophilous is a term used for objects, usually plants, which need or can tolerate a high level of direct sunlight, or things that are attracted to the sun. Usually these plants cannot grow their best if they are shaded. The opposite word, heliophobous, means fear of the sun and refers most often to plants that need or do well in shaded areas.

These flowers are heliophilous; please do not place them in the shade.

From the Latin "sphaera" which means ball or globe. Spheres are three-dimensional figures that are round and can be dissected into circles at any point. Many words derived from sphere are pleasant sounding as well, including atmosphere, hemisphere, and spherical.

My child has learned the difference between a sphere and a cube.

A nemesis is a word used to refer to an enemy, a villain, or one who brings on the destruction of another. This word was adopted from the name Nemesis who is the Greek goddess of vengeance. The goddess Nemesis greatly targeted the arrogant, which may be why many super hero stories refer to the villains as a nemesis. The villains often accuse super heroes of being arrogant.

The Joker is my favorite nemesis of Batman.

An aria is a vocal solo that is often accompanied by an orchestra in an opera. It was derived from the Latin and Greek words for "air". This makes sense, as it takes a singer quite a lot of air in order to sing an aria. This word is so beautiful that is has been adapted into a name sometimes used for girls.

The way she sang the aria brought tears to my eyes.