spissitude means density, thickness; the state or quality of being inspissated or thickened. It carries an Arena rating of 1646, earned across 10 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, spissitude ranks #365 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #473 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #486 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #1,291 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words.
Why “spissitude” is a great word
The quality or state of being dense, thick, or inspissated. From Middle English spissitude, from Old French spissitude and Latin spissitūdō, from Latin spissus (“thick”). Unlike viscosity, which measures a fluid's internal resistance to flow, or rarity, which denotes thinness and infrequency, spissitude is the essential property of gathered substance. It is the oppressive air before a summer thunderstorm, the impenetrable weave of an ancient tapestry, the clotted silence of a forgotten library—the tangible weight of a world grown heavy with substance and time.
Etymology
From Middle English spissitude, from Old French spissitude and Latin spissitūdō, from spissus (“thick”).
noun
- Density, thickness; the state or quality of being inspissated or thickened.e.g.“The cause is, for that it is over-moistened, and wanteth spissitude: and we have a merry saying, that they that go drunk to bed get daughters.” — 1803, Francis Bacon, The works of Francis Bacon, page 495:
- Spiritual substance or density, viewed as the fourth dimension of an object.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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