festination means the involuntary shortening of stride and quickening of gait that occurs in some diseases (e.g. Parkinson's disease). It carries an Arena rating of 1534, earned across 45 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, festination ranks #234 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #401 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #547 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #998 of 17,163 for Funniest Words.
Why “festination” is a great word
FESTINATION — [Noun] An involuntary shortening of stride and quickening of gait, characteristic of certain neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease. From Latin festīnātiōn-, festīnātiō ("a hastening"), from festīnāre ("to hasten") + -tiō ("action or process"). First attested in English in the 16th century (1530–40). Unlike "acceleration," a general and often voluntary increase in speed, or "propulsion," the specific sensation of being thrust forward, festination is the body's own broken clockwork: a desperate, shuffling hurry that goes precisely nowhere. It is the feet scuffling like dry leaves across a pavement, the torso leaning ahead of legs that refuse to extend, the frantic, small steps of someone perpetually catching a falling self—a poignant mockery of haste, where the greatest effort yields the least progress.
Etymology
From festinate + -tion
noun
- The involuntary shortening of stride and quickening of gait that occurs in some diseases (e.g. Parkinson's disease).
- An involuntary quickening of speech in some speech disorders.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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