[Opinion] Words Worthy of Lovecraft

[Xenophon]

I was writing something today and needed an adjective meaning "bat-like," but less lame. I googled around in Latin and found "vespertilian." THAT is a word that demands an entire short-story by Lovecraft. "Over the whole eldritch ruin, hovered an agonized atmosphere of lurking vespertilitude..."

Any other deliciously awful words out there? Personal faves of yours? If we get enough of a list, someone could try stringing them together in a "Best of Bad Lovecraft" paragraph.

 

[HoldAll]

I was writing something today and needed an adjective meaning "bat-like," but less lame. I googled around in Latin and found "vespertilian." THAT is a word that demands an entire short-story by Lovecraft. "Over the whole eldritch ruin, hovered an agonized atmosphere of lurking vespertilitude..."

Any other deliciously awful words out there? Personal faves of yours? If we get enough of a list, someone could try stringing them together in a "Best of Bad Lovecraft" paragraph.

"Eldritch" you already mentioned, to this I would add "dread" used as an adjective; come to think of it, it's mostly adjectives that would fit your bill, I'd say, although there is also "to gnaw" used as an intransitive verb - I've been always puzzled as to what those demons and what not were gnawing at/on but it works wonderfully as a stylistic device, in my opinion.

 

[Xenophon]

"Eldritch" you already mentioned, to this I would add "dread" used as an adjective; come to think of it, it's mostly adjectives that would fit your bill, I'd say, although there is also "to gnaw" used as an intransitive verb - I've been always puzzled as to what those demons and what not were gnawing at/on but it works wonderfully as a stylistic device, in my opinion.

All worthy of note. Though I'm fishing specifically for words a Lovecraft should have used but overlooked. Like that "vespertilian."

 

[HoldAll]

All worthy of note. Though I'm fishing specifically for words a Lovecraft should have used but overlooked. Like that "vespertilian."

"Sesquipedalian"?

 

[Xingtian]

Batrachoidal (frog or toadlike)

One of my favorite Lovecraft phrases, from The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath, is "Those faceless rubbery ticklers," by which he describes the night gaunts. I think it would be an excellent band name. Anyway if I were to render it as some tortured and mangled missapropriation of Latin and Greek words, I might say, "Those aprosoponic gumminous gargalonists!"