thanksgiving words

Thanksgiving is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November and it's a long-awaited holiday all about the food.

While green bean casserole may be one of the most controversial dishes served, it's a time to unite over the beloved turkey and pie. And, of course, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without small talk with distant family.

As conversations go, the Thanksgiving table is also provides an opportunity to expand your vocabulary. While you feast with your family, try adding in one of these 11 Thanksgiving-inspired words to your conversation.

Poult

Ever wonder what a baby turkey is called? Now you know. Poult means "a young turkey."

Crapulence

Crapulence means "sickness occasioned by intemperance (as in food or drink)." Save it for when one of your dinner guests go overboard getting seconds (or thirds...).

Fantod

This word may come in handy during tense conversation around the Thanksgiving table. Fantod (plural, fantods) means "a state of irritability and tension or fidgets; an emotional outburst or fit."

According to Merriam Webster, "fantods" was first used by author Charles Frederick Briggs in 1839: "You have got strong symptoms of the fantods; your skin is so tight you can't shut your eyes without opening your mouth."

Other famous authors have also utilized it. "Mark Twain used the word to refer to uneasiness or restlessness as shown by nervous movements—also known as the fidgets—in Huckleberry Finn: 'They was all nice pictures, I reckon, but I didn't somehow seem to take to them, because … they always give me the fantods.' David Foster Wallace later used 'the howling fantods,' a favorite phrase of his mother, in Infinite Jest."

Deipnosophist

Deipnosophist means "a person skilled in table talk."

According to Merriam Webster, the etymology of this word is "from the Deipnosophists, a work depicting a banquet where long discussions take place, written by Athenaeus fl a.d. 200, a Graeco-Egyptian writer, from Greek Deipnosophistai, literally, culinary experts, plural of deipnosophistēs, from deipnon meal (probably of non-Indo-European origin) + sophistēs wise man, sophist."

Alliaceous

Many Thanksgiving dishes are heavily flavored with garlic and onion, so try using this word to describe them. Alliaceous means "resembling garlic or onion especially in smell or taste."

Gourmandize

Gourmandize means "to eat gluttonously or ravenously; to eat greedily or devour."

This word has a unique history. Merriam Webster explains, "Gormandize entered English in the mid-1500s as a modification of gourmand, a term borrowed from the French that served as a synonym for glutton. The meanings of both gourmand and gormandize were clearly disparaging until the 19th century, when gourmet came into use to refer to a connoisseur of food and drink. Since then, the meaning of gourmand has softened, so that it now simply suggests someone who likes good food in large quantities. Gormandize still carries negative connotations of gluttony, but it can also imply that a big eater has a discriminating palate as well as a generous appetite."

Saliferous

Some Thanksgiving chefs may be guilty of using too much salt in their dishes, and this is the perfect word to describe them. Saliferous means "producing, impregnated with, or containing salt."

Compotation

The night before Thanksgiving back in your hometown is the ideal time to use this word. Compotation means "a drinking or tippling together; carouse."

Merriam Webster breaks down the etymology of this word, noting it comes from "Latin compotation-, compotatio (translation of Greek symposion drinking party), from com- + potatio potation."

Spatchcock

There are so many way to cook your Thanksgiving turkey--and this may be one of them. Spatchcock means "a fowl split and grilled usually immediately after being killed and dressed." It can also be used as a verb, meaning "to introduce by or as if by interpolation or insertion" according to Merriam Webster.

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Surfeit

This word perfectly summarizes the feeling after feasting on Thanksgiving. Surfeit means "an overabundant supply or excess; an intemperate or immoderate indulgence in something (such as food or drink); disgust caused by excess."

Réchauffé

If you're a big fan of Thanksgiving leftovers, whip out this word while you make your plate. Réchauffééchauffé means "rehash; a warmed-over dish of food."

Merriam Webster notes, "We borrowed 'réchauffé' in the early 19th century from the French; it is the past participle of their verb "réchauffer," which means 'to reheat'."