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| Drawing Hands by Maurits Cornelis Escher |
Here's a question I like to ask in a pub conversation: What's your favourite autological word? If I were ever single, I would ask it of prospective partners (possibly assuring that I would remain single). The way one answers is revealing. To not have a favourite might imply indecision or inclusion: it might imply lack of knowledge of the subject, which is fine, but how one responds to lack of knowledge is telling. I'm curious about things - I like to learn. I hate to be lectured; so it would depend how the information is imparted as to whether or not I would be interested.
An autological word is one that describes itself.
Five Favourite Autological Words:
- Word - it is what it says it is (as is noun)
- Unhyphenated - can't argue with that
- Pentasyllabic - pentasyllabic is a five-syllable word; it is itself pentasyllabic and, therefore, autological
- English - indeed it is
- Obfuscatory - it's not exactly straightforward
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