My word for the year is Explore. Which I am really looking forward to seeing where it leads me. So many ways to explore.
One of my ideas for using my word in 2013, was that I explore words and language, so I am going to be doing a word (or phrase) of the week every Monday. I always enjoy words and thought it might be fun to find interesting words to inspire our week. So every Monday I will share a word that I find in my weekly readings. I don’t know exactly what I will choose each week, and it might not even be anything unusual or difficult, but I hope I can inspire you to learn some new words or pay attention to how words are used. Perhaps I’ll share a passage from a book, or a line from a poem, or a quote. At any rate, I hope you will find a way to use the word of the week in your journaling or art work or everyday life. 
This week’s word of the week is ‘gallimaufry’. I have to be honest, I don’t recall ever hearing this word before. But it popped up in the book I am reading right now The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. (And no, I never read it before and I never saw the movie. )
The passage from the book is this:
Every family had a few skeletons in their cupboards, but the Vanger family had an entire gallimaufry of them.
The definition from the American Heritage Dictionary is:
gal·li·mau·fry (gl
-mô
fr
)
NOUN:
pl.gal·li·mau·fries
- A jumble; a hodgepodge.
ETYMOLOGY:
French galimafrée, from Old French galimafree, sauce, ragout : probably galer, to make merry ; see gallant + mafrer, to gorge oneself (from Middle Dutch moffelen, to open one’s mouth wide, of imitative origin)
As with all new things learned, I am positive I will see or hear this word in numerous places this week. Is this a new word for you? Have you used it before? Will you try to use it this week?
Of course, the real question is ‘can you create art around this word’? Come to think of it, isn’t that the real question for everything?
Have a great week!
~Deb
Related articles
- Where is Lisbeth Salander’s home? A review of Millennium Tour in Stockholm (brandsandfilms.com)
- Jan 6: Expand Your Vocabulary (loristillman.wordpress.com)
- What will be your word for the year? (bluetwigstudio.wordpress.com)
You have a word for the year: explore. I’ve just written that I’ve a word for the year too! Mine’s ‘consolidate’. Good luck for 2013! (I thank God my word isn’t ‘gallimaufry’)!
Consolidate is a great word for the year. Many possibilities there.
Maybe next year I will pick a really obscure word (like gallimaufry) for my word of the year. That would be fun.
I’m reminded of a story: The Monkey’s Paw. Be careful what you wish for! Ann
Now I’m going to have to look up that story.
Oh me, oh my, before I get caught up in this interesting word ‘ Gallimaufry” I would like to thank you so much for my gift of Ephemera that I had rec’d from you. My apologies for not getting to you sooner, but it was a matter of the ‘Abcessed Tooth” All is cared for and someday be paid for too. HEHE.
I am so enthralled with this word. I love the way it rolls off my tougue. I have never heard of it either. It does remind me of my 11th grade English teacher, Howard Kelly. Rather than giving spelling and vocabulary tests, he would write a short story, with the twenty words we were supposed to be learning, for that week. Quite the challenge then and I do believe one I might like now. What do you think? You could turn these words you come up with and then form a type of artistic challenge, verbally and artistically.
Pleasure to have our paths meet again and I look forward to reading and participating in your blog’s; Adventures & Challenges.
Best Wishes to your New Year,
Marguerite W. Meara
Yes, a word story with new and unusual words would be quite fun and challenging. I’ll have to think about creating a challenge for such a thing. Thanks for visiting again!
This is definitely a new word for me. Now, to make something with this word in mind…hmmm…I’ll try.
Well let me know what you create with it. Because I am interested in seeing what everyone does with such a word.
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