ETYMOLOGY:                      


     Etymology: the study of the composition of words. The mere mention of the word brings a smile to my face. It's such a brilliant thing, etymology. It is ingrained into the roots of my love for words. You see, as etymology is the study of the origins or original sources of words, it takes well-versed minds to decipher such origins. One must have a thorough understanding of both prefixes and suffixes in order to break the word apart. Sufficient training in Latin is also a secondary requirement for etymologists, as a vast majority of the words in the English language have Latin origins. While musing upon the idea of etymology today, a thought occurred to me: "Words didn't just appear from thin air. People must have created base words, expanded upon them and kept adding to the ever-expanding list." This made me wonder - what WERE the first words in existence? To whom do we owe the pleasure of these original words? And most interestingly, whose to say that I myself can't come up with my own additions to the English Language?
   Today, I spent quite some time doing just that : compiling a lexicon of illegitimate words that I created myself. An "Illexicon," if you will. As of now, Volume One of my Illexicon is complete, although the list is subject to many more additions. I conjured up a list of ideas, scenarios, feelings, actions, and subjects that did not necessarily have their own respective word allotted for them in the English Dictionary. Those words are the basis of my Illexicon. Here are a couple of examples:


Humdagger: (n) One who voluntarily spreads lies. (v) Humdagger --> (n) Humdaggery
Sheshel: (v) To formally gather in secrecy. (gerund) Sheshelling, (n) Shesheller
Mediocrates : (n) One who strives for mediocracy in life, (adj) Mediocratesean
Curwey: (v)  To conceal something before another is able to see it. (gerund) Curweying, (n) Curweyist

I thoroughly enjoy the idea of creating your own Illexicon. In fact, I encourage you (the reader) to compose your own Illexicon, granted you have a fond predilection with words. My goal is to have at least one word from my Illexicon become household, and even featured in an updated version of Merriam-Webster. It would be wondrous if I were to have left an etymological print on the world before I died.