The Strangest Words in the English Language

Every language has obscure words and outdated terminologies that were perhaps more prevalent in another century and have perhaps fallen out of favor in more modern times. The English language is no exception. How often do we clepe (call) our parents? Probably not as often as they'd like. Or when we've done something wrong, do we shrift (admit) to it or blame our siblings? These aren't the strangest words in the English language either.

Merriam-Webster estimates English words total nearly one million, though many are obsolete today. Jason Travis Ott's book "Grandiloquent Words: A Pictoric Lexicon of Ostrobogulous Locutions" showcases words and obscure terminologies that are most definitely obsolete in the modern-day lexicon. While most grandiloquent words have faded, many strange ones remain, often used by older generations.

To assemble a list of the strangest words in the English language, 24/7 Tempo reviewed numerous language and general interest websites, then consulted the OED, Online Etymology Dictionary, and Wiktionary, for definitions, usage history, and etymology. Several of the terms we chose relate to chaos, nonsense, or deception in various ways, while others describe people or things. Though their precise origins are often unknown, these silly-sounding words were likely coined intentionally. (You might be surprised by the origins of these common English words.)

Here are some of the strangest words in the English language:

A disputatious argument. "Argle" was an obsolete dialect version of "argue," first recorded in 1589. The "bargle" was appended in the 1870s as a rhyming suffix with no particular meaning.

Senseless talk or writing; drivel. The term's origin is unclear, but it may derive from the Dutch word "balderen," "to roar," or from the Welsh "baldordd," meaning "idle chatter."

To scam, con, or deceive with trickery. The word's origins are unknown, though it may be related to the 18th-century English slang term "bam," meaning to impose upon or hoax. Some etymologies suggest that the term was born out of the Romani language, but the OED says that that theory "wants proof."

A commotion, hubbub, or uproar. The word appeared first in French, spelled the same way, in the 15th century and had made it into English by the 19th, but where the French got it remains a mystery. Wiktionary suggests that it might possibly come from the Hebrew barúkh habá, "blessed is the newcomer" (or simply "welcome") — maybe because a lot of new arrivals might cause a stir?

An umbrella. A jocular American term from the late 19th century, it's an invention combining elements of the words "umbrella" ("bumber" being a variation on the first part of that word) and "parachute."

Diagonal. Variations include cater-cornered and cattycorner. The word is used mostly to describe the relationship between two buildings or stores ("The wine shop is just catercorner to the supermarket"). "Cater" is an old American dialect word meaning to cut cloth on the diagonal.

Askew, awry, all messed up (also a rare synonym for "catercorner"). The word comes from "catawampus," a made-up name from mid-19th-century America for a fierce mythological animal, presumably because the beast's attacks would mess everything up.

A heated argument or brawl. The word comes from Ireland: Donnybrook is a district of Dublin, known from the 13th through mid-19th centuries for its annual two-week fair, which became the site of riotous public intoxication and fighting.

Something nonsensical or foolish. The word's lineage seems to stretch back to the Low German "Dudeltopf," meaning "simpleton." It is related to "doodle" (meaningless scrawling) and also "dawdle" (to linger or waste time.)

A gossip or a flighty or frivolous person, particularly a woman. The OED speculates that the word — first published in 1549 as "flybbergybes" — is "an onomatopoeic representation of unmeaning chatter."

A mishmash or hodgepodge and also an archaic culinary term for hash. This is another borrowing from the French, in which language it's spelled "galimafrée." This in turn comes from an Old French word, "calimafree," meaning a stew of various meats. Wiktionary suggests that the French word might derive from the Old French "galer" (to have fun) and Old Northern French "mafrer" (to eat like a glutton), but this sounds suspiciously like folk etymology.

Pretentious jargon, gibberish, or something written incoherently. The term appears to have been first used in 1944 by U.S. congressman Maury Maverick (whose grandfather, incidentally, gave the English language the term "maverick," because he refused to brand his cattle as the law demanded). He apparently coined it to suggest the gobbling sound of turkeys.

An informal folk music concert. The word, whose origins are unknown (though some think it sounds Scottish), was originally a synonym for "thingamajig" or "whatchamacallit," and first gained its musical meaning in the early 1940s.

Clandestine, secret, disordered. The word might come from the Anglo-Irish "cuggermugger," meaning whispering (from the Irish word for whisper, "cogair"), or from the Scottish "hudge-mudge," to have a secretive conversation.

Commotion, uproar, clamor. First used in Scotland and the north of England in the 1760s, "hullabaloo" probably came from the addition of a rhyming suffix to "hullo" or "halloo" — i.e., "hello."

A row or disorderly outburst. Also spelled "curfuffle," this word seems to be drawn from the Scottish verb "fuffle," meaning to throw into disarray. The "ker" (or "cur") may be a humorous addition, as in "kerblam" or "kerpow."

To dawdle or loaf, or to fool around. An American variation on the more common British "lallygag," the term has been known since 1889 and became a common slang word in the U.S. in the 1930s. No etymological source seems to know for sure where it came from.

Nonsense, bunkum. A favorite word of President Joe Biden, "malarkey" is thought to derive from the Greek "malakós," meaning meek or compliant, or from another Greek word, "malakía," which has a figurative meaning of stupidity or nonsense. It was popularized by an Irish-American cartoonist named T.A. Dorgan in the early 1920s, and "Mullarkey" is an Irish surname, but the OED finds no connection between Ireland and the term.

A dimwit or silly person. First used in the late 17th century, the word may be an extension of "ninny" (a simpleton, possibly a shortening of "innocent"), or come from the French "nicodème" — an old term for a gullible person, based on Nicodemus in the Bible, a Pharisee who asked Jesus ingenuous questions.

Nonsense, rubbish. The word may come from a Dutch dialect term, "pappekak," based on the words for "soft food" and "excrement" — though the OED is skeptical of the claim.

To choke or make a quacking sound. If the word is, as it appears to be, a variation on "quack," which is the sound a choking person might perhaps make, it can be traced back to numerous Germanic and Scandinavian terms, including the Old Dutch "kwaken" (to croak) and the Icelandic "kvaka" (to twitter or chirp).

A dirty- and/or ragged-looking person, usually a child and most often a boy. A "ragamoffyn" is mentioned in the late 14th-century Middle English poem "Piers Plowman." The first part of this word is clearly related to "rags" and "ragged," but where the "muffin" comes from is in dispute. One suggestion is the Anglo-Norman "malfelon," or devil.

A minor falsehood. First used in the early 19th century, the word almost certainly derives in part from "diddle," meaning to waste time or to cheat (a term that may be related to "doodle" and/or "dawdle"). The OED suggests that the "tarra" might come from the Irish place name Tara.

An impertinent, presumptuous, or unappreciative youngster. First recorded in 1674, the word appears to be a variation on "whip-snapper" — perhaps an allusion to someone who expects others to do their bidding.

Nothing, nada, zero. While "Zilch" or "Zilsch" is a German surname of Slavic origin, the term was used as early as the 1920s in collegiate slang, probably based on the made-up name for an unknown person, Joe Zilch — an equivalent to John Doe.