Are there any other word lovers out there like myself? I have always loved words, not only because they are one of the principle ways in which we communicate with each other, but also because they are so powerful, so colorful, so bold, and evoke so many sensory images and feelings.

Words teach us, and have the ability of promoting good or bad ideas. They can impress us, or distress us. They can empower us or hold us back. They can entice us or repulse us. They can transport us anywhere we want to go in our imagination. Sometimes words fail us too. Have you struggled like me to find just the right word for something? It has to "fit" exactly what you are trying to say or write.

Here are just a few samples of some of my favorite words:

Dignity - the right of a person to be valued and respected for their own sake, and to be treated ethically. (Another great word)
Efficacious - successful, efficient, productive, useful, competent...
Cohesive - Something that sticks together literally or figuratively...
Legacy - Something handed down from an ancestor or a predecessor or from the past...
Appropriate - one definition is - suitable, fitting, proper, right, apt and relevant...
Relationship - the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected.
Accountability - (absolutely one of my favorites) - responsible, liability, answerable for...
Tantamount - equivalent in seriousness to; virtually the same as...
Ideology - Today, the word most often refers to "a systematic body of concepts," especially those of a particular group or political party.
Opportunity - a good chance for advancement or progress
Nation - a community of people composed of one or more nationalities and possessing a more or less defined territory and government.

Officiate - preside over, manage, oversee...

Faithfulness - fidelity, constancy, devotion...

Instantaneous - promptly, directly, rapid, sudden
Nuance - shade, gradation, refinement, degree...
Diplomacy - statesmanship, international relations...
Ebullience - exuberance, exhilaration, euphoria...
Prevarication - falsehood, evasion, dodging, hemming...
Evoke - induce, cause, bring about, excite...
Negotiate - open to discussion, reach an agreement on, settle, and come to terms with...
Document - official paper, legal paper, form...
Emancipate - free, liberate, release
Network - complex, organization, structure, also mesh, lattice, webbing, filigree
Cathartic - purifying, cleansing, release-bringing...
Elucidate - explain, make clear, interpret, illuminate

If you love words like I do, there is nothing more exciting than sharing roots with other countries' languages.

Did you know that there are five words that authors have made up?

1. "Twitter" - In the 1300s Geoffrey Chaucer created the word "Twitter" to describe the sounds of birds chirping.

2. "Nerd" invented by Dr. Seuss. First used in his children's book: "If I ran the Zoo."

3. "Tween" was created by fantasy writer J.R.R. Tolkien in "Lord of the Rings Trilogy."

4. "Meme" - Richard Dawkins an evolutionary biologist, first used the term in 1976 and defined it as something that "represents ideas, behaviors, or styles that spread from person to person." Some examples might be a new dance craze or a viral video or a new fashion.

5. "Gremlin" - The Royal Naval Air Service created "gremlin" as recently as WWI and jokingly used it to refer to little creatures that could cause mechanical problems in aircraft.

Words can be fun such as in puzzles and games. You can easily learn one new word a day, and the more words you learn, the better you can write and express yourself. Just look at the boundless ways that words are used: books, poetry, records, letters, greeting cards, calendars, signs, street names, people names, names of places in the world, events, awards, codes, law, and the list goes on and on...

Words are precious and like anything else they need to be respected. Use them well, spell them correctly and it will surprise you how many people will be attracted to and excited by what you have to say!