Sunday Rest: pudibond. Word Not To Use Today.

There are several good reasons not to use the word pudibond, the first of which is that it seems to be a misspelling. I came across the foul thing in the introduction to The Stuffed Owl, an anthology of bad verse compiled by Wyndham Lewis and Charles Lee, but pudibond, though good French, seems to be bad English.

In English it's pudibund. Mind you, that might be even worse.

Reasons not to use it:

1. No one will have a clue what you're going on about.
2. It will make you look a snob...
3. ...and an idiot.
4. It's one of the very ugliest words in the English language.
5. Its spelling is a matter of some doubt.
6. It means two similar but opposed things, which will only lead to confusion and distress.

So what does it mean? Well, it can either mean a subject of shame, or it can mean modest, bashful or prudish. 

As this collection of synonyms shows, pudibond (or bund) can be safely ignored for all eternity without being the slightest bit missed.

Word Not To Use Today: pudibond/bund. This word comes from the Latin pudēre, to make or be ashamed.

There's a word pudibundity, but that's so silly it's almost endearing.