After cleaning my room one day, I stumbled across this older looking dictionary and thesaurus. My curiosity got the better of me, so I looked inside to just find out how old it is. This thing was from 1992. As it’s about its 30 year anniversary, I thought this would be a great article idea. So I spent an a bit of my free time looking through the book, just to find words I just didn’t know or understand. Here are 26 of them, one for each letter. If you want me to do some for the thesaurus, just comment below the article.
*Warning, may contain spoilers to other dictionaries*

A-

Abiogenesis: noun; The doctrine that living matter may be produced by not-living matter

B-

Belles-lettres: noun plural; Polite literature, including poetry, rhetoric, history, etc.

C-

Cotyledon: noun; The seed-leaf, or first leaf or leaves, of the embryo plant

D-

Diphtheria: noun; An epidemic inflammatory disease of the throat

E-

Egregious: adjective; Remarkable, Extraordinary, Enormous

F-

Facsimile: noun; An exact copy or likeness

G-

Gynecology: noun; The medical science of the functions and disease peculiar to women

H-

Holometabolic: adjective; Applied to insects which undergo a complete metamorphosis

I-

Idiosyncrasy: noun; Peculiarity of temperament or constitution, mental or moral characteristic distinguishing an individual

J-

Juxtaposition: noun; A placing or being placed near

K-

Kinematics: noun; That branch of mechanics which treats of motion without reference to the force producing it

L-

Lepidopterous: adjective; Belonging to the order of insects called Lepidoptera, comprising butterflies and moths

M-

Misogamist: noun; A hater of marriage

N-

Nasturtium: noun; A genus of herbs, including the common water-cress

O-

Ovoviviparous: adjective; Producing eggs which are hatched within the body (as is the case with vipers), opposed to oviparous

Bonus O-

Oviparous: adjective; Bringing forth eggs, producing young from eggs

P-

Paterfamilias: noun; The head or father of a family

Q-

Querulous: adjective; Complaining, murmuring, peevish

R-

Ratiocination: noun; The act or process of reasoning

S-

Scorbutic: adjective; Pertaining to or diseased with scurvy

T-

Tarpaulin: noun; Canvas covered in tar

U-

Unregenerate: adjective; Not regenerated or renewed in heart

V-

Vermiculate: verb transitive; To ornament so as to suggest worms or a worm-eaten surface

Bonus V-

Vermiculate: adjective; Worm-like in appearance

W-

Wayfarer: noun; One who fares or travels, a traveler, a foot-passenger

X-

Xylophagous: adjective; Wood-eating

Y-

Yew: noun; An evergreen tree, with poisonous leaves, and yielding a hard durable timber

Z-

Zoroastrianism: noun; The ancient Persian religion founded by Zoroaster, one feature of which was a belief in a good and an evil power perpetually at strife, the religion of the Parsees, fire-worship