- Today's Word
Fandangle
[FAN-dang-guhl]
Definition
- (noun) An ornate or showy decoration, trinket, or unnecessary embellishment. It can also refer to a complicated or elaborate process or activity, often one that is seen as unnecessarily complex or frivolous.
Example
The new smartphone came with so many fandangles and features that most users found it overwhelming and struggled to perform even basic tasks.
Fun Fact
The word “fandangle” is believed to have originated in the mid-19th century in American English. Its exact etymology is unclear, but it’s thought to be a playful combination of “fandango” (a lively Spanish dance) and “dangle” (to hang loosely). The term reflects the idea of something showy or decorative that hangs or is attached to something else. Over time, it has come to describe any unnecessary or overly complicated addition to an object or process.
(noun) A person who believes that the pursuit of pleasure and sensory enjoyment is the highest good and chief aim of life
A self-proclaimed hedonist, she planned her entire sabbatical around exceptional food, warm weather, and long afternoons with nothing to do.
Hedonist derives from the Greek hedone, meaning “pleasure” or “delight,” from hedys (“sweet”). The philosophical school of Hedonism was formally developed in ancient Greece — most notably by Epicurus, who argued that pleasure, properly understood, was the foundation of a good life. The word entered English in the 19th century as both a philosophical term and a descriptor for those who live purely for sensory gratification.