What makes a word fall out of use? The Text Gallery in London is currently exhibiting The Art of Lost Words, “an exhibition of design, typography and illustration inspired by forgotten words. 47 participants have chosen from among the dictionary’s lost but lovely words, with an open brief to create an original work inspired by their choice.” The artists include the author Audrey Niffenegger, Kate Gibb, Lizzie Ridout, and Mark A. Webber, just to name a few. Among the delicious, defunct words illustrated in this exhibit are mansuetude (adj. gentleness or mildness), venustation (n. the act of causing to become beautiful), filipendulous (adj. hanging by a thread) and the fabulously self-referential flosculation (n. an embellishment or ornamentation in speech). Save the words.
Input your search keywords and press Enter.
The Rumpus needs your help. We need to raise $25,000 $10,000 to fill our funding gap for 2024.
Our home base is Asheville, NC and Hurricane Helene severely impacted our ability to host events, launch new initiatives, and caused other significant financial setbacks this fall.
Can you support us at any level by Dec. 31? Every dollar counts and is a sign that our readers collectively value creative labor and independent publishing.
Sign up for the weekly Rumpus
Once a week, we'll send you a roundup of what's new on the magazine, invites to upcoming events, open calls for submissions, and more!