University Lists Words That Deserve Wider Use

NPR

Published January 5, 2018 at 6:36 AM EST

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep with a chance to expand your vocabulary. Wayne State University is promoting expressive words that could be used more. For example, there's couth.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

OK, I've heard of uncouth, but...

INSKEEP: Well, couth is the opposite - cultured, well-mannered. Frangible means fragile. Nugatory is worthless.

MARTIN: Yep.

INSKEEP: And then there's eucatastrophe.

MARTIN: Eucatastrophe?

INSKEEP: Yeah. Catastrophe is where the story goes wrong. Eucatastrophe is where everything turns out all right. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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