I’m a bit of a bookworm, but I’m also a word addict. Back in highschool, I used to subscribe to the (sadly now gone) World Wide Words, which sent out a newsletter about unusual words or sayings every few weeks. I was that type of student. So I love a rare or unusual word, even a neologism (a new or invented word). I’ve definitely made a few blog posts about synonyms. A while back, I wrote a list of unusual words for bookworms to make Pinterest posts, but I haven’t had time to create graphics for them all so instead I thought a blog post would be the best place to share them. So, I hope you enjoy these 25 rare bookish words.
Aptronym. Noun. A name that fits someone in a very apt way. Synonym of euonym.
Bibliocholy. Adjective. The sense of loss felt upon finishing a good book.
Bibliophile. Noun. A lover or collector of books.
Bibliopole. Noun. A bookseller, especially one who specialises in rare or strange books.
Bibliotheca. Noun. A library or collection of books.
Colophon. Noun. The page that explains the place of publication and the printer’s name in a book.
Denouement. Noun. The resolution or final outcome of a dramatic plot in a novel.
Duology. Noun. A group of two related novels.
Editio princeps. Noun. The first printed edition of a book, especially a book that existed before printing presses.
Epistolary. Adjective. Being in the form of a letter; carried on by or composed of letters. An epistolary novel is presented as a series of letters.
Eutony. Noun. The pleasantness of the sound of a word.
Ex Libris. Noun. A label or inscription inside a book, indicating who used to own it (literally, “from the library”).
Exordium. Noun. The beginning or introduction to a book.
Inerarrable. Adjective. Something that is indescribable, beyond the power of words.
Librocubicularist. Noun. A person who reads in bed.
Logophile. Noun. A person who loves words.
Onomasticon. Noun. A book, list, or vocabulary of names, especially people’s names.
Paleography. Noun. The study of, especially ancient, methods of writing.
Pastiche. A literary work that imitates another author’s style.
Quartet. Noun. A group of four related novels.
Quintet. Noun. A group of five related novels.
Scriptorium. Noun. A room for writing books; in a monastery, the room set aside for copying & writing manuscripts.
Trilogy. Noun. A group of three related novels.
Tsundoku. Noun. Buying many books but never reading them.
Vellichor. Noun. The strange wistfulness of used bookstores.
Featured image: Reading, Berthe Morisot, 1873. Public domain, courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
