At a recent writer’s conference, the presenter asked us to write down five of our favorite words. This is a challenge best done quickly without a lot of overthinking. So quick, right now – what are five of YOUR favorite words? You’ve got one minute.

…Tick, tick, tick, tick… Time’s up!

Here are the five I came up with – and why.

1. Lugubrious
Sure, its synonyms are “mournful, gloomy, forlorn, and woebegone” (another similarly great word!). But lugubrious is a pleasure to pronounce – especially if you prolong that second syllable with your nose up high and a little pinchy.

It’s hard to take the word seriously. It begs to be used ironically, with one’s limp hand on one’s forehead just before swooning from the vapors. It brings to mind the solemnly hilarious illustrations of Edward Gorey  whose intricate Victorian illustrations are familiar to PBS “Mystery!” viewers. If I only had $122.93, I’d purchase his rare book aptly named The Lugubrious Library.  Someday, when you’re feeling lugubrious, just think about the sound and feel of that word and you’ll start cheering up.

2. Astonish (astonished, astonishing, etc.)

The gasp, the wide eyes, the dropped jaw! This word (in its various guises), uncluttered by negative connotations, is so full of promise, so ripe with possibilities. That which seems impossible, unimaginable – demonstrated before our eyes.

What on the spectrum from “Tillman, the skateboarding bulldog” to the resurrected Jesus does it take to astonish us these days? Have we become we too cynical  to be open to astonishment? Ponder other fun words relating to astonishment here.

3. Lavish

Over-the top; no-expense spared; something sumptuously rich; elaborate or luxurious; unboundedly generous – like a Halloween bag filled with full size (not “bite-size”) candy bars; the colors and details in Pre-Raphaelite stained glass; the feast for the returning prodigal son; the promises associated with the temple.

4. Kumquat
I don’t actually like kumquats the fruit, although they are pretty. What I really love is the short, stout, click-clack sound of the word itself. I discovered the word in 4th grade and my best friend, knowing my affection for the word, gave me some for Christmas. I was disappointed that the taste of the fruit didn’t live up to the delight of the sound of its name. A kumquat by any other name would still not taste great to me.

5. Snart –
This is a bit of a trick since it’s a Swedish word, not an English one. I discovered this word when visiting my Swedish cousins in 1997. I couldn’t speak the language, but I noticed the clipped, little word popping up in many conversations. It means “soon.”

We will go to the market snart.

We will eat herring snart.

We will sleep snart.

Out of any context, “snart” sounded enjoyably porcine. Unlike the lilting cadence of un-understood Swedish, this word sounded like happy, unexpected little snorts punctuating pleasant conversations. I quickly adopted it, and it now peppers our “family language”.

I’ll be back snart.

Email me snart.

The hot dogs will be ready snart.

I love it for its sound, its flexibility and the fond family connections it connotes. (Our use of this word is NOT to be mistaken for the Urban Dictionary’s indelicate but not obscene definition of it!)

What are some of your favorite words?

Are they favorites because of their meaning, their sound, the memories they recall?

Or, Mom or Dad, do you prefer them for their palindromic structure?

Does your family make up or borrow words, too?

Hit me with your faves.