lexicomane · noun — A lover of dictionaries. It carries an Arena rating of 1508, earned across 8 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, lexicomane ranks #677 of 17,201 for Funniest Words, #1,223 of 17,177 for Most Whimsical Words, #4,123 of 17,165 for Most Satisfying to Say, #6,311 of 17,162 for Most Elegant Words.
Why “lexicomane” is a great word
A person with an obsessive enthusiasm for dictionaries. From lexico- (a combining form from Greek lexis, meaning 'word' or 'speech') + -mane (a combining form from Greek -manēs, meaning 'mad' or 'having an enthusiasm for'). Unlike a logophile, who revels in the poetry of words, or a lexicographer, who compiles them professionally, a lexicomane is devoted to the catalog itself. It is the specific weight of a leather-bound volume in the lap, the tactile pleasure of a thumb tracing thin leaves to a sought-for entry, and the faint vertigo of falling from 'zarf' to 'zythum' in a single afternoon—a devotion not to the message, but to the sacred and silent index of all messages.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From lexico- + -mane.
noun
- A lover of dictionaries.e.g.“The bilingual on this pattern and with these intentions will be enormous. The project is far too great for one person, even a lexicomane.” — 1980, The Incorporated Linguist: The Journal of the Institute of Linguists, page 65:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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