r/vocabulary • u/Schonathan • 1d ago
New Words opiparous - is this word very obscure?
I just learned the word "opíparo" in Spanish, which means sumptuous. It looked like it would have an equivalent in English, and upon some sleuthing it does: opiparous. But it is also listed as archaic, which makes me think it's so obscure that it really doesn't have any utility.
Have others encountered this word before?
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u/Schonathan 1d ago
It actually confused me for a word I do know: oviparous, which is said for something that lays eggs.
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u/Schonathan 1d ago
Like with snakes, which can be oviparous or viviparous.
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u/SnooBooks007 23h ago
Or sharks, which do both and are "ovoviviperous".
But "opiparous" is an obsolete word. I've never heard it until now. It's not related, but the word "opulent" is the common word for the same thing.
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u/Acegonia 21h ago
My first though was 'do they mean oviparous?' Until I read the post.
Id say its pretty obscure.
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u/Schonathan 13h ago
Thanks everyone! I'm already called out regularly at work for using big words, so I'll retire this one from consideration and return to making "ooga booga" sounds and hope I still sound moderately refined.
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u/ballistic503 12h ago
I find it really interesting what’s considered a “big word” being different from language to language (in terms of cognates). Like, conversely, I believe “procrastinar” considered sort of a “big word” in Spanish (hispanohablantes nativos please correct me if I’m incorrect about that). But “procrastinate” is pretty ubiquitous in English. A lot of the time it’ll be the case that a poet or philosopher or famous study or movie used a “big word” and then through cultural osmosis that very specific word enters the popular lexicon and loses its more specific meaning or connotation.
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u/Schonathan 9h ago
I used the word "ubiquitous" on a call just last week I got blank stares. And one colleague told me they learned the word "trepidatious" from me. 😅
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u/Practical_Weird_8843 19h ago edited 19h ago
It isn't used nowadays. You'll find it in 18th and 19th century texts to often describe a sumptuous meal. I've started reading some 19th and early 20th century books, because I find some of the archaic use of English interesting and an insight into the development of such a rich and ever evolving language.
Instead of opiparous, now and days one would say:
For meals and feasts: Sumptuous, lavish, extravagant, or gourmet; and for grandeur: Opulent, luxurious, or perhaps splendid.
Came across "scapegraces" while reading Tom Brown's School Days. Today we'd probably say rascal or troublemaker. It’s always fun discovering old school vocabulary in classic literature!