11 classy insults with classical Greek and Latin roots
Next time you punk a ructabunde, don't be so excerebrose
Do you ever go on such an epic internet rant you just feel you've run out of words with which to hammer your enemies? Do you want to up your game without resorting to the tired tropes of excretion and sexual metaphors? Next time pull out these fancy insults and really class up the joint while you twist the dagger.
1. PEDICULOUS
Lice-infested. From Latin pediculus (louse).
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2. XANTHODONTOUS
Yellow-toothed. From Greek xanthos (yellow) and odont- (a combining form for tooth).
3. RUCTABUNDE
Gasbag. From Latin ructus (belch) and abundus (abundant).
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4. FLAGITIOUS
Thoroughly wicked, villainous. From Latin flagitium (shameful act).
5. QUISQUILIAN
Worthless, consisting of trash. From Latin quisquiliae (waste matter, rubbish).
6. FISSILINGUAL
Fork-tongued. From Latin fissus (split) and lingua (tongue).
7. QUIDNUNC
Busybody, gossip-monger. From Latin quid nunc? (what now?).
8. EXCEREBROSE
Brainless. From Latin ex (out, without) and cerebrum (brain).
9. FURFURACEOUS
Flaky, dandruff-covered. From Latin furfur (bran, chaff).
10. EXOPHTHALMIC
Bug-eyed. From Greek ex (out) and ophthalmos (eye).
11. MOROSOPH
A learned fool. From Greek moros (stupid) and sophos (wise).
Now go class up some comment sections, you pediculous, xanthodontous ructabundes. And you better not say anything bad about me, you flagitious, quisquilian, fissilingual quidnuncs. I've had enough of you excerebrose, furfuraceous, exophthalmic morosophs. Bye, poopy heads.
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Arika Okrent is editor-at-large at TheWeek.com and a frequent contributor to Mental Floss. She is the author of In the Land of Invented Languages, a history of the attempt to build a better language. She holds a doctorate in linguistics and a first-level certification in Klingon. Follow her on Twitter.
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