The End of the Alphabet

Well that's it. I've reached the end of my ABC's. It's not a perfect list: I wasn't sure about Q, there aren't many X words to choose from, and Z is actually two words ... but it works for me. Every once in awhile I review my ABC's to see if they still resonate; and occasionally I'll swap in a new word for an old. If you make a list of your own ABC's, I don't think you'll find it was wasted time.

A sincere Thank You! to The Reader's Digest Great Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1975 Edition - Eleventh Printing for providing the definitions. I think the most challenging part of this whole exercise was finding a couple of minutes each day in my chaotic life to post to Scarred Bark. Perhaps I should swap in discipline for duty.

Anyway, I'll end this post with the beginnings of a joke I've never been able to finish: "A neologist, an etymologist, and a lexicographer walk into a bar ... "

Let me know if you figure out a punch line.

P.S. Irony: The spell checker in Blogger thinks that neologist is not a word.

Z is for Zero Hour

Zero Hour - n. The moment of undertaking something, a.k.a. "Go Time!"

Y is for Yearning

Yearning - n. A strong emotion of longing or desire, especially with tenderness.

X is for Xenophobia

Xenophobia - n. Hatred or distrust of foreigners or strangers.

W is for Wanderlust

Wanderlust - n. An impulse to travel; restlessness combined with a sense of adventure.

V is for Valor

Valor - n. Intrepid courage, especially in warfare; personal bravery.

U is for Unrelenting

Unrelenting - adj. Not diminishing, or not changing, in pace, effort, or speed.

T is for Trust

Trust - n. A confident reliance on the integrity, honesty, veracity, or justice of another; confidence; faith.

S is for Sincere

Sincere - adj. Being in reality as it is in appearance; real; genuine.

R is for Resolute

Resolute - adj. Having a fixed purpose; determined; constant; steady.

Q is for Quandary

Quandary - n. A state of hesitation or perplexity; predicament.

P is for Prudent

Prudent - adj. Exercising sound judgment; sagacious; judicious.

O is for Outstanding

Outstanding - adj. Standing out from others of its kind; prominent; excellent.

N is for Nationalism

Nationalism - n. The belief that among nations the common welfare is best served by independent rather than collective or cooperative action.

M is for Modesty

Modesty - n. Freedom from vanity or excessive pride.

L is for Liberty

Liberty - n. Freedom from oppression, tyranny, or the domination of a government not freely chosen.

K is for Kind

Kind - adj. Gentle and considerate in behavior.

J is for Just

Just - adj. Fair, evenhanded, and impartial in acting or judging.

I is for Independent

Independent - adj. Not subject to the authority of another; self-determining; free.

H is for Honest

Honest - adj. Not given to lying, cheating, stealing; acting honorably and justly.

G is for Generous

Generous - adj. Abundant and overflowing.

F is for Faith

Faith - n. Belief without need of certain proof.

E is for Efficient

Efficient - adj. Productive of results with a minimum of wasted effort.

D is for Duty

Duty - n. That which one is morally or legally bound to do.

C is for Courtesy

Courtesy - n. Habitual politeness; good manners.

B is for Brave

Brave - v.t. To meet or face with courage and fortitude.

A is for Altruism

Altruism - n. Selfless devotion to the welfare of others.

Now I Know my ABC's ...

Remember those ABC books they had in the library when you were a kid? You know the ones: A is for Apple, B is for Ball, C is for Cat. With the exception of that one by Dr. Seuss, they were all pretty much the same. The books were filled with colorfully illustrated nouns of one or two syllables easily recognized by children.

I've often wondered what an ABC book for adults would look like. With more than a million words in the English language, the possibilities are endless. Over the years, I actually compiled my own personal ABC's; and I've decided to post them to my blog during the month of February. Sorry, no illustrations!