13 Words That Sound Exactly Like What They Mean
This piece is casual and fun. Don’t worry about politics, finances, or health for a few minutes and enjoy, with me, thirteen words that sound exactly like what they mean.
Some adjectives just fit and others don’t at all. Take pulchritudinous as an example of the latter.
Pulchritudinous [ puhl-kri-tood-n-uhs, -tyood- ]; physically beautiful; comely.
This definition is far from what would be expected from the clunky, heavy-sounding word derived from “pulchritude.”
Instead, this piece is about phonesthemes. These are words whose form and meaning seem to be related.
These are not onomatopoeia, which are words that are formed based on the sound associated with their meaning, such as sizzle, crunch, or boom. Instead, these are words that just *fit* with their definition.
All definitions in this piece are taken from Dictionary.com.
1. Chubby
Chubby [ chuhb-ee ]; adjective,
1. round and plump
2. Damp
Damp [ damp ]; adjective,
1. slightly wet; moist
