TOPONYMS
A toponym is a fancy word for "place-name." It is a word derived from the name of a geographic location.
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TOPONYMS
Key: The word's language of origin appears directly below it, and to the right of that is an example sentence and an etymology, along with any related themes.
Word |
Phonetic Pronunciation |
Part of Speech |
Definition |
gasconade
French
Toponym |
gas-kuh-NADE |
noun |
bravado or exaggerated boasting |
Ex.
Etym.
Rel. Themes: |
Despite all his gasconade,
he failed to finish the job on time.
From the French gascon, “boaster,”
in turn from Gascon, an inhabitant of the town of Gascony,
notorious for its boastful citizens.
Little-known Synonyms
for Well-known Words | Toponyms
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Gretna Green
Toponym |
GRET-na GREEN |
noun |
a place where many eloping couples are married |
Ex.
Etym.
Rel. Themes: |
Since Nevada has no waiting period for a marriage
license, it has long been an ideal Gretna
Green for runaway lovers.
From the Scottish village of the same name
There's A Word For That? | Toponyms
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LEE-doh |
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a fashionable beach resort |
Ex.
Etym.
Rel. Themes: |
The beaches of Hawaii are sprinkled with innumerable lidos,
which transform into lively hot spots during the lucrative
tourist season.
From the Italian lido, “shore, bank,”
and the Italian beach resort of the same name (ultimately
from the Latin litus, "shore")
Toponyms
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Ruritanian
Toponym |
rur-i-TAY-knee-en |
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of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an imaginary place of high romance |
Ex.
Etym.
Rel. Themes: |
Tolkien set the standard for Ruritanian fiction when he penned The Hobbit in the 1930s.
From the mythical kingdom of Ruritania, setting of Anthony Hope's 1894 novel The Prisoner of Zenda.
Toponyms | There's A Word For That?
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sybarite
Greek
Toponym |
SIB-uh-rite |
noun |
a person whose chief interests are luxury and the gratification
of sensual appetites |
Ex.
Etym.
Rel. Themes: |
That old sybarite is easy to entertain! Just give him some feminine distractions
and a glass of wine and you won’t hear from him all
night.
Literally, an inhabitant of Sybaris, an ancient
Greek town in southern Italy whose inhabitants were renowned
for their love of luxury.
There's A Word For
That? | Toponyms
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