#158 - Expergefactor
11 August 2025 12:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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vocab_drabblesThis week's word is
Expergefactor
What is an Expergefactor?
An expergefactor is anything that wakes you up. It may be as mundane as you bedside alarm clock or as elaborate as a weaver’s larum. It can also be one you don’t plan — such as the neighbor kid who insists on driving to school with the bass cranked up on his car stereo. It may be something you look forward to, such as coffee, or it could be something more nefarious, such as a cat that demands immediate feeding.
Expergefaction comes from the Latin expergisci, meaning “to become awake.” For those of us who equate waking up with cruel and unusual punishment, it is the daily reminder that blissful unconsciousness is over. That groggy struggle to leave your bed? Yep, that’s it. If you’re woken up from a delightful dream or before the crack of noon, it’s even worse.
Interestingly, the word doesn’t just apply to physical waking. It can also mean an epiphany or a grand “aha!” moment. Think of religious revivals or scientific breakthroughs—they can all be described by using the same word.
Expergefactor: Who Will Wake Up And Use This Word? - Commonplace Fun Facts
BBC Radio 4 - Funny in Four - Seven old English words that deserve to make a comeback
Expergefactor
What is an Expergefactor?
An expergefactor is anything that wakes you up. It may be as mundane as you bedside alarm clock or as elaborate as a weaver’s larum. It can also be one you don’t plan — such as the neighbor kid who insists on driving to school with the bass cranked up on his car stereo. It may be something you look forward to, such as coffee, or it could be something more nefarious, such as a cat that demands immediate feeding.
Expergefaction comes from the Latin expergisci, meaning “to become awake.” For those of us who equate waking up with cruel and unusual punishment, it is the daily reminder that blissful unconsciousness is over. That groggy struggle to leave your bed? Yep, that’s it. If you’re woken up from a delightful dream or before the crack of noon, it’s even worse.
Interestingly, the word doesn’t just apply to physical waking. It can also mean an epiphany or a grand “aha!” moment. Think of religious revivals or scientific breakthroughs—they can all be described by using the same word.
Expergefactor: Who Will Wake Up And Use This Word? - Commonplace Fun Facts
BBC Radio 4 - Funny in Four - Seven old English words that deserve to make a comeback
