Wayne State University seeks to revive neglected, worthy words

Light pole flags for Wayne State University in Detroit's Midtown. (WDIV)

DETROIT – A Detroit university thinks it knows the cure for anhedonia: rescuing words that have fallen out of linguistic favor.

Wayne State University on Wednesday released its annual Word Warriors list. It includes “anhedonia,” which means inability to feel pleasure.

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Other “worthy” words it wants to see back in circulation include “fubsy,” which means fat and squat, “salubrious,” meaning healthy, and “anechdoche,” defined as a conversation in which everyone is talking but no one is listening.

The list, in its 10th year, consists of submissions from the university and the public.

Northern Michigan’s Lake Superior State University on Monday released its 44th annual List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness. The 18 chosen from public submissions include “in the books,” ″wheelhouse” and “collusion.”


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