Elevate Your Thanksgiving Conversation: A Sophisticated Word Guide

"Transform potential tension into shared laughter and learning with these sophisticated Thanksgiving conversation starters."

The holiday season often brings families together, and with it, the occasional challenge of navigating conversation topics. Whether you're avoiding political discussions or seeking to lighten the mood, here's a delightful solution: introduce some fascinating Thanksgiving-related vocabulary into your dinner conversation!

Word Difficulty Overview

Beginner

★

2 words

merrythought, inesculent

Intermediate

★★

2 words

commensal, gramercy

Advanced

★★★

3 words

abligurition, guttle, polyphagia

Expert

★★★★

2 words

engastration, circumfuse

Culinary Consumption Terms

Abligurition (ab-lig-yu-RI-shun)

Difficulty: ★★★

Excessive expenditure on food and drink

"The season supermarkets love: the season of abligurition."

Etymology: From Latin "abligurire," meaning "to spend in luxury"

Guttle (GUT-ul)

Difficulty: ★★★

To eat gluttonously

"Please don't make me sit next to Mr. Frank! He guttles the entire meal!"

Etymology: Related to "gut," first appeared in the 17th century

Polyphagia (pol-ee-FAY-jee-uh)

Difficulty: ★★★

Excessive eating

"I've been invited to three different Thanksgiving dinners. I'm planning on going to the one that has the smallest chance of polyphagia occurring."

Etymology: From Greek "polys" (many) and "phagein" (to eat)

Culinary Preparation Terms

Engastration (en-GAS-tray-shun)

Difficulty: ★★★★

Stuffing one bird inside another

"Mom's been in the kitchen all day, enjoying a little engastration. You'll see the result on our best china platter tonight."

Etymology: From Greek "en" (in) and "gaster" (stomach)

Circumfuse (SUR-kum-fyooz)

Difficulty: ★★★★

To pour, spread, or diffuse around

"And then she circumfused the gravy over her entire plate! Even on the pumpkin pie!"

Etymology: From Latin "circumfundere," meaning "to pour around"

Social Dining Terms

Commensal (kuh-MEN-sul)

Difficulty: ★★

Eating together; one who eats with another

"What a lovely dress you're wearing, Aunt Sally. Would you like to be my commensal tonight?"

Etymology: From Medieval Latin "commensalis," meaning "sharing a table"

Gramercy (gruh-MER-see)

Difficulty: ★★

Thank you

"What? An entire turducken just for me? Ah, gramercy!"

Etymology: From Old French "grant merci," meaning "great thanks"

Traditional Terms

Merrythought (MER-ee-thawt)

Difficulty: ★

Wishbone

"Don't you dare touch the merrythought; it's my turn to break it this year."

Etymology: From the notion that the person who gets the longer piece will marry first

Inesculent (in-ES-kyuh-lent)

Difficulty: ★

Not edible

"Ah, Grandpa Peter, your ham and banana hollandaise is simply inesculent. No, no seconds for me; I must allow everyone else to try it."

Etymology: From Latin "in-" (not) and "esculentus" (edible)

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