Words David Foster Wallace Circled in his Dictionary Revision as of Tuesday, 13 January 2026 at 18:47 UTC

Cached from here.

• [Ablative absolute](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/Ablative absolute)
• Ablaut
• Abulia
• Acephalous
• ACTH
• Adit
• Adumbrate
• Agrapha
• Ailanthus
• Aleatory
• Alfresco
• Algolagnia
• Alpestrine
• Ament
• Anecdotage
• Androsterone
• [Anemone fish](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/Anemone fish)
• Anneal
• Antiphon
• Antipode
• Apathetic
• Apercu
• aphagia
• Aphotic
• Apocarpous
• Appoggiatura
• Aquavit
• Arc-boutant
• [Archimedean screw](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/Archimedean screw)
• Archine
• Arcuate
• Argon
• Armamentarium
• Arrière-ban
• Arris
• Ascites
• Asco-
• Aspheric
• Astrolabe
• Athabasca/Athabaska
• Atony
• Auscultate
• Autolysis
• Azygous
• BAL
• Banderole/banderol
• Banquette
• Bathyscaph
• Benthos
• Bespoke
• Bialy
• Bibulous
• Bisque
• [Bonded warehouse](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/Bonded warehouse)
• Bregma
• Cachexia
• Cachinnate
• Cairngorm
• Caisson
• Calenture
• Caliposis
• Caparison
• Carbinol
• Carpophagous
• Cartouche/cartouch
• Cassis
• Catachresis
• castellated
• Catarrhine
• Catastasis
• Cecum
• Cete
• Chalcedony
• chatelain
• Chatoyant
• Chthonic
• Citronella
• Clastic
• Clavate
• [Climbing irons](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/Climbing irons)
• Clinometer
• Clinquant
• Cobnut
• Coir
• [Collective bargaining](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/Collective bargaining)
• Conchoidal
• Condonation
• Confluence
• Contredanse
• Corporation
• corvée
• corvine
• coryphaeus
• couvad
• coxcomb
• crasis
• cunctation
• curettage
• deadeye
• debouch
• decalcomania
• decrepitate
• deforce
• delectation
• delft
• deliration
• delitescence
• demotic
• demulcent
• deracinate
• descant
• desiderate
• desinence
• desuetude
• diadem
• dicast
• digitate
• dihedral
• diopter
• dioptometer
• dioptric
• dioptrics
• diriment
• dissimulate
• distichous
• divaricate
• domino
• double-tongue
• durbar
• edema
• ejecta
• Elaine
• elan
• emulous
• entrepôt
• enucleate
• eparchy
• epopee
• eruct
• eructation
• esker
• espadrille
• espalier
• estovers
• esurient
• etiolate
• euhemerism
• exergue
• [facial index](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/facial index)
• fastigiate
• fauces
• fazenda
• feculent
• fibroin
• fictile
• fiduciary
• fisc
• flagitious
• flense
• flitch
• fluvial
• foamflower
• folium
• forensic
• fornication
• fossorial
• fourfold
• fraktur
• fraxinella
• fulgurant
• gallimaufry
• gallinaceous
• garniture
• gavage
• gerent
• girasol
• [glans penis](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/glans penis)
• Glengarry
• glycine
• gnosis
• gnostic
• Gnosticism
• graminivorous
• gravid
• guttate
• hagiarchy
• haik
• Havelock
• Heliogabalus
• hematuria
• heterodox
• heterogeneous
• heteroplasty
• horripilation
• hyperopia
• hyperplasia
• hypnagogic
• hypocaust
• hypocorism
• iatric
• illation
• imbricate
• imperforate
• inanition
• indene
• indurate
• inextirpable
• internecine
• intinction
• intussuscept
• invidious
• kakemono
• kala-azar
• Kallikaks
• karabiner
• kohl
• laciniate
• lamia
• landau
• legatee
• leptosome
• litotes
• [logical positivism](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/logical positivism)
• longeron
• lordosis
• lucubrate
• lugubrious
• luxate
• macaronic
• mage
• Mahabharata
• maieutic
• mammillate
• mansuetude
• mantic
• mantua
• manumit
• marcescent
• [mare clausum](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/mare clausum)
• massif
• mavourneen
• mazurka
• meatus
• meninx
• mercer
• meretricious
• meristem
• mesomorph
• metacenter
• metagenesis
• misericord
• misogamy
• misology
• misoneism
• mitzvah
• moiré
• moke
• [Molly Maguire](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/Molly Maguire)
• molybdenum
• [monel metal](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/monel metal)
• monitory
• monody
• monoplegia
• morganatic
• motile
• mucronate
• multipara
• mures
• murra
• nacelle
• nappe
• narghile
• nekton
• neroli
• névé
• nevus
• [nictitating membrane](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/nictitating membrane)
• niddering
• nigrosine
• obsequy
• ocarina
• officinal
• omasum
• ombudsman
• ommatophore
• onyx
• opalescence
• ophidian
• ornithosis
• orology
• orpine
• orrery
• ort
• orthochromatic
• orthoepy
• orthogonal
• oscitancy
• Osiris
• osmic
• osmium
• osteophyte
• oviform
• ovine
• paillette
• parotitis
• parturient
• parvenu
• peccant
• pedalfer
• pedicel
• pelf
• pellicle
• penumbra
• peplum
• pepo
• perdition
• perfidy
• pergola
• periodontics
• periotic
• peripeteia
• periphrasis
• periphrastic
• peripteral
• permittivity
• pertussis
• petroglyph
• petrolatum
• phlox
• photogravure
• phylactery
• piaffer
• pilose
• pinchbeck
• pinnate
• planation
• pleach
• pleasance
• pleonasm
• plethoric
• plication
• plimsoll
• plissé
• polder
• [pons asinorum](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/pons asinorum)
• [pons varolii](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/pons varolii)
• poplar
• portcullis
• prebend
• preferment
• premonition
• preterition
• pronate
• pronephros
• proptosis
• prosopopeia
• [puerperal fever](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/puerperal fever)
• quinate
• quondam
• raga
• ramulose
• realgar
• rebarbative
• rebec
• rebus
• recrudesce
• recruit
• rectus
• recurvate
• recusant
• [red lead](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/red lead)
• relaxin
• relict
• reliction
• remarque
• replevin
• réseau/reseau
• rete
• revetment
• rogation
• ruth
• salient
• saliferous
• saprophagous
• sarcastic
• [sarcoptic mange](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sarcoptic mange)
• sassafras
• sateen
• saturnalia
• saturnine
• scabrous
• scarious
• scholium
• seborrhea
• sedilia
• sepsis
• serous
• shako
• shinplaster
• sibilate
• sibyl
• siphonophore
• skirl
• [slime mold](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/slime mold)
• sociometry
• socle
• Sogdian
• soke
• solander
• sordino
• soubrette
• spavin
• splendent
• spline
• sprachgefühl
• [Stabat Mater](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/Stabat Mater)
• stative
• stato–
• steatopygia
• steatorrhea
• stipule
• stochastic
• stoup
• strickle
• stridulate
• suborn
• succussion
• sudd
• sudorific
• suint
• sumptuary
• supernatant
• surcingle
• sylph
• sylphid
• symposiarch
• syntax
• sypher
• tabanid
• tabes
• tabla
• taiga
• talapoin
• talion
• tanist
• Tantalus
• tartuffe
• telium
• tenesmus
• tennis
• tepefy
• tercel
• [tertium quid](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/tertium quid)
• tetrastichous
• thigmotaxis
• thymus
• timbale
• tontine
• tr.
• trabeated
• traduce
• traducianism
• trepan
• trephine
• trews
• tropophyte
• tympanites
• Tyr
• tyro
• urticant
• urticate
• urushiol
• uxorial
• uxoricide
• uxorious
• valgus
• vang
• varletry
• varve
• veloce
• venule
• [vernier caliper](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/vernier caliper)
• versant
• versicolor
• vinculum
• virilism
• vitelline
• vivandière
• [viva voce](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/viva voce)
• viviparous
• volant
• volar
• votary
• witenagemot