Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: v. To be unable to remember the name of a person you are speaking to, even though you've had a long-standing, and perhaps even an intimate relationship. n. An inability to remember a person's name.
Verboticisms
Click on each verboticism to read the sentences created by the Verbotomy writers, and to see your voting options...
You have two votes. Click on the words to read the details, then vote your favorite.
Routinenile
Created by: Banky
Pronunciation: roo-teen-niyl
Sentence: Maybe it was the hangover from the two bottles of cognac in the hot tub the night before. Perhaps it was the countless lines of cocaine in the men's room with various twenty-something boys that morning. It could be loss of blood from a very large, very angry, and very white tiger that was mauling him at the moment. Whatever the cause of the sudden onset of routinenility, Roy could not remember his partner's exotic foreign name to call out for help.
Etymology: routine - familiar + senile - exhibiting a loss of cognitive faculties
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COMMENTS:
Your sentence reporting this incident was better than any I read in the media! Innovative etymology. Exceptionally creative word! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 09:54:00
Enjoyed the sentence; interesting word. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-03-04: 20:00:00
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Onomamnesia
Created by: XMbIPb
Pronunciation: /o-no-ma-mne-zhi-a/
Sentence: Woke up one morning and said: “Good morning, Sue” to the woman still sleeping next to me. Given the fact that my wife’s name is not Sue, it didn’t sit well with her. Claiming ONOMAMNESIA didn’t work. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get out of that one? I mean other than to find a good divorce attorney?
Etymology: ONOMA (fr. Greek) – name; AMNESIA (fr. Greek) – forgetfulness
Chumnundrum
Created by: OZZIEBOB
Pronunciation: chum-NUN-drum
Sentence: When Bob couldn't remember the names of his five former partners and his ten children, his friends asked whether he was suffering from palzheimers, or was this chumnundrum just a last-hitch attempt to avoid palimony
Etymology: Blend of CHUM: mate, cobber,buddy & NUNDRUM of Conundrum: riddle, enigma. Alternative etymology: Chum: close friend; nun: none, not any & Drum: the facts, info.
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COMMENTS:
Terrific word. Very orignal etymology and that isn't easy with this definition! - silveryaspen, 2008-12-29: 10:16:00
love it - Jabberwocky, 2008-12-29: 15:23:00
Love it and palzheimers, too! What was the definition again?? - Nosila, 2008-12-29: 18:49:00
A#1 - metrohumanx, 2008-12-29: 19:11:00
This is clever....parumpachumdum. - mweinmann, 2008-12-30: 09:01:00
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Disappellate
Created by: stache
Pronunciation: dis-āp'ə-lāt
Sentence: Julia had a strong urge to dismember Herman on the many occasions when he disappellated her in public.
Etymology: dis, a Latin prefix meaning “apart,” “asunder,” “away,” or having a privative, negative, or reversing force, + appellation [Middle English appelacion, from Old French appelation, from Latin appellātiō], a name, title or designation.
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COMMENTS:
Great sentence! Dismember blew my mind ... nice double entendre! Well chosen etymology. Your word has an appealing international flair! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 10:07:00
I think William Tell's son felt the same way - Jabberwocky, 2008-03-04: 13:16:00
Dismember woulda shoulda coulda beena good one, too. - doseydotes, 2008-03-04: 17:17:00
Well defined! - OZZIEBOB, 2008-03-04: 20:09:00
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Absintheminded
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: as sinth meyen did
Sentence: For over 30 years, once a month, the 6 friends had gotten together for drinks, snacks and an exchange of ideas and gossip, the way friends do. They had talked on every subject over the years, but creeping old age and the stress of daily living combined with copious tippling were starting to take their toll. Of late, their discussions took longer and many's an evening, their witty banter sounded more like: "You remember that actress,who was in some show with 5 friends (I can't remember the name of it), you know the one that used to be married to that guy who ran off with another actress and they had 4 kids ...she's another actor's daughter but they don't get along? You know, her dad was in an Academy award winning picture (I can't quite remember the title, but the music theme is going through my head).He was in it with what's his name who played in that movie about a soap star who had to become a woman to get work? Well, she, the first actress is a daughter of another actor who stars on that soap I used to watch and he was always a villain? You must remember...well, anyway, she just broke up with a guy who acted in that wedding movie with the actor who has a brother who also acts...you know the one I mean. Gosh they lead interesting lives!" Yes, the six grew more absintheminded with every toast. One of these times, they'd have to be hospitalized for anomia! Each night they got together, they performed their own version of "Geriatric Jeopardy". You know that game show hosted by that Canadian guy, Alex What's his name!
Etymology: absinthe (strong, supposedly hallucinogenetic liqueur which suppresses memory)& absent (mental pre-occupation) & minded (mental orientation)
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COMMENTS:
The tippling effects in your pronounciation, sentence and word, is so well done I can see it! Tippling, rippling great one! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 09:46:00
Dangit! I got all the way to "Geriatric Jeopardy" before totally cracking up laughing. Did anyone else make it that far? Your story was hysterical (except that it reminds me too much of myself when trying to remember celebrity's names). I love this word!!! - Tigger, 2008-03-04: 19:13:00
Luv your sentence and, especially, "Geriatric Jeopardy" - OZZIEBOB, 2008-03-04: 19:34:00
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Dejawho
Created by: leegro
Pronunciation: /dey-zhah-hoo/
Sentence: As she walked down the aisle of the airplane, Sarah had a sinking feeling of dejawho. Hadn't she once drunkely groped the sweaty man in the aisle seat across from her?
Etymology: From "deja vu," which is French for "I'm not forgetful, I'm just self-absorbed," and "who," which should feel like a familiar word to most of you.
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COMMENTS:
What a twist ... a woman groping a man! But the twists in your etymology are even better! Insightfully Clever! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 17:14:00
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Nomenblanken
Created by: mweinmann
Pronunciation: no - men - blank - n
Sentence: Raymond was great with faces but often forgot people's names. Sometimes he suffered from nomenblanken with people he had known for years. Especially asmusing was his talent for switching first and last names between his coworkers and friends.
Etymology: This is a play on the word nomenculture (a system of words used to name things in a particular discipline; "legal terminology"; "biological nomenclature;A system or arrangement of names) and the word blank (a gap or missing part).
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COMMENTS:
Nice! Sounds a bit like Teutonic mythology, too. - metrohumanx, 2008-12-29: 19:13:00
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Namenesia
Created by: 1101347158
Pronunciation: name
Sentence: I have namenesia at my cousin's party... It was kind of embarassing
Etymology: name + amnesia
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COMMENTS:
Schmidt's " A Medical Word Finder" gives 'Lethonomia' as inability to recognize names and ' Anomia' as loss of ability to recognize names; I like your word better. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-03-04: 19:45:00
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Nomduhplume
Created by: Jabberwocky
Pronunciation: nom/duh/ploom
Sentence: It is difficult enough to remember names of old friends but getting together with a writer's group became a nightmare trying to remember their nomduhplumes.
Etymology: nom de plume (pen name) + uh? + duh
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COMMENTS:
Delightful! - silveryaspen, 2008-12-29: 10:15:00
Eggzellunt!! Wish I'd thought of it! - Mustang, 2008-12-30: 00:28:00
Clever - OZZIEBOB, 2009-01-04: 16:13:00
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Memoromission
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: mem - or - oh - miss - shun
Sentence: Plagued with a poor memory for names, Gilbert would often experience memoromission when encountering acquaintances.
Etymology: Mix of Memory and Omission
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COMMENTS:
Delightful mmmmmmm mmmmmm good alliteration! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 10:01:00
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Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by silveryaspen. Thank you silveryaspen. ~ James
silveryaspen - 2008-03-04: 17:07:00
Your great word associations and creations made my day, everyone. It is a pleasure to have these mind associations with all of you every day! Isn't this website like sunshine for the mind? !!! Everyone contributes some rays! Everyone goes away warmed by some rays!
silveryaspen - 2008-03-04: 17:08:00
Good job with the defninition and cartoon. Thank you, James.
Thank you Silveryaspen for the inspiring words! ~ James
Today's definition was suggested by silveryaspen. Thank you silveryaspen. ~ James