The Phrontistery

George Carlin, the noted stand-up comic, made his reputation with a bit called "The Seven Words You Can't Say On Television". It was, obviously, about swearing and that kind of talk. But his intent, besides making us laugh, was to show that it wasn't the words that were bad, it was the thought and intentions behind their use that made them so offensive. That concept came to mind when I came across today's Warped site, which is one that deals with words (but not the kind George had in mind).

The name of the site is Phrontistery, from the Greek word phrontisterion, from phrontistes a thinker, from phroneein to think; applied by Aristophanes to the school of Socrates. The Phrontistery is dedicated to expanding the study and enjoyment of English words and wordplay through the medium of the Internet. Since its inception in 1996, the Phrontistery, literally, a "thinking-place", has been a source for knowledge relating to language and social thought. This is a site of 15,500-word dictionary of obscure and rare words, the International House of Logorrhea, as well as many glossaries, word lists, and other English language and etymology resources.

Some of the words here you will never use in your everyday life. But if you're looking to impress someone around the office, or an icebreaker at that next social gathering, this site can help you. The Warp-o-Meter gives this site a 7.5 rating, but it may be using mythomania to get that across.

http://phrontistery.info/