Thursday, May 14, 2009

No, I don't mean an onomatopoeia

Do you know when a word sounds EXACTLY like it's meaning? I don't know what that kind of word is called! I know all you word snobs out there (and that's a compliment, word snobs are always wonderful, smart, people) will be saying
"Oh, Lizzy, it's called a Onomatopoeia. If you google "Onomatopoeia words" you'll find hundreds of examples, in fact this site is completely devoted to words that sound like their meaning."
Well, thanks guys, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about words like "tweet" that literally sound like what they are. I'm talking about words that give me a clear image of what they are. Confused? Let me give you some examples.

Cruise- I can totally picture a 20 year old woman in a bikini lying back on a deck chair on the top of a cruise ship watching the land go by.

Complicated- I see knots weaving themselves tightly together together.

Peel- I see someone peeling a sticker off an orange.


Do you know any words like the one I'm describing? Write them in the comments!

2 comments:

Persephone said...

yes i do know exactly what you're talking about. keep in mind that all words were invented by someone, and that person probably had a reason for naming words certain things.

Lola Bellybutton said...

and also keep in mind that it's nearly impossible not to be influenced by the meanings of the words, which are dug so deeply into your head.
One of my most favorite words sounds like what it means: swivel. You can hear the first part smoothly turn around into the second part, exactly as the word describes.