I just started reading one of the books I bought while I was at Barnes & Nobles last week. It's called "Poplollies & Bellibones: A Celebration Of Lost Words" and it's a very interesting collection of words that are no longer used by the general population. Some I can understand why they went out of style, like "feat" (meaning a lock of hair) but easily confused with "feet" (meaning the things at the end of your legs.) Others are kind of ugly sounding words, like "ilimp" a synonym for "happen" so can see why they are no longer used.
One word I would like to reintroduce to the world, though, is a very pretty French-based word: "chantpleure." It means "to weep and sing at the same time" and since I can't think of another word that means the same thing, I'm not sure why it was ever disused to begin with. Curiouser still, I don't know why musical theatre critics, or any type of music critic, haven't brought it back. It's such a specific meaning, and such a lovely word, I shall be attempting to use it in my writing and I encourage you to do the same. I'm hoping Brooke will chantpleure on American Idol this week, that will make it easy to slip it in, especially since I doubt I'll have a use for it in my reviews of the new albums by the Snoods or Madonna. Maybe if I review the new US release Robyn's album I can make it fit. But I'd rather introduce it organically than shoehorn it in. It's not like "that's hot" or "bootylicious" it's a more sensitive word.
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