Was reading an essay about J.M. Coetzee and it mentioned that he declined to take a phone call from the Booker Prize people because he was busy invigilating his students. Sounded suspiciously unethical to me until I discovered...

invigilate : 1. To watch examination candidates, esp. to prevent cheating  

2. Archaic to keep watch.

So, as long as I'm on a word track here, the following are words I find interesting for any number of reasons, including simple sonics. 

agrestic (ah-GRES-tik) — 1. rural; rustic. 2. unpolished; awkward. 

(And ironically,the name of the upscale and decidedly un-rustic suburban community on Weeds)

Wonder which came first?

nepenthe (ni-PEN-thee) — 1. a drug mentioned in the Odyssey as a remedy for grief. 2. something that induces forgetfulness of sorrow or eases pain. Surprised that a pharm hasn't used it for an anti-anxiety drug yet.  

Synecdoche:  (si-nek-də-kee) This has to be one of the strangest words in the language if for no other reason than it has so many definitions. 

In general it refers to that which expresses either more, or less, than it literally denotes. 

When a whole is used as the part or a part of a thing is used to substitute for the whole 
 "The world treated him badly." A part referring to or acting as a stand in for the whole
*  "the gray beard" for an older man or "the long hair" for a hippie.
* Referring to animals onomatopoetically
* Describing a car as "wheels" A whole thing referring to a part of it
* "Capitol Hill," when referring to the US Legislature A general class name used to denote a specific member of that or an associated class
* "He"s good people." 
A specific class name used to refer to a general set of associated things
* "John Hancock" for the signature of any person
* "bug" for any kind of insect. The material that a thing is made of referring to that thing
* "lead" for bullets
* "rubber" for condom
* "threads" for clothing A container used to refer to its contents:
* "barrel" for a barrel of oil
* "keg" for a keg of beer 

 WOW...If there's another word with as many definitions, I don't know it.  But here's a related one. (and could just have easily been folded into Synecdoche)

Metonymy (pron.:  mi-tonn-ə-mee)  is a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept.  It's picturesque and economical, for it lets you use one word where you would need several words to create a meaning.

 He chose the gun instead of the pen (that is, he became a soldier instead of a scholar)
 Have you read Shakespeare (that is, his works)?
 Only the knife (that is, having surgery) can save him.

queef (KWIF) — a noisy emission of air from the vagina, generally during coitus. The word (not the phenomenon)  was new to me, gotta check OED for details, if they have any.

uxorious (uk-SOR-ee-es)  

Prelapsarian...

"I'll wear the plants in this family."
 ...(pre-lap-SAR-ee-an) — of or relating to the period before the fall of Adam and Eve .          

susurrus (soo-SUR-es) — a soft, whispering or rustling sound; a murmuring.  So sonically apt.  quidnunc (KWID-nungk)  — a busybody; a nosy person.                       
Amadeus (am-ah-DEY-es) a male given name. Means "loved by god" and if anyone warrants it, it would be Wolfgang, but what are the chances of naming a kid Amadeus and then having him turn out to be so deserving ?  Guess his dad knew even earlier than we thought. monophagous (moh-NAF-ah-ges) — eating only one kind of food. apricity (AP-ris-i-tee) — the warmth of the sun in the winter. But still get a sense that it's kind of chilly.clishmaclaver (KLISH-mah-klay-ver) — casual chat or gossip.  Much more expressive than "idle talk.doryphore (DOR-ee-phor) — one who draws attention to the minor errors made by others, esp. in a pestering manner; a pedantic gadfly. eunoia (yoo-NOH-ee-ah) — It comes from a Greek word meaning "well mind" or "beautiful thinking." It is also a rarely used medical term referring to a state of normal mental health. In rhetoric, eunoia is the goodwill a speaker cultivates between himself and his audience, a condition of receptivity. In book eight of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle uses the term to refer to the kind and benevolent feelings of goodwill a spouse has which form the basis for the ethical foundation of human life. (from Wikipedia)Eunoia is the shortest world in the english language that contains all 5 vowels. fungible (FUN-ji-ble) — 1. being of such a nature that one part or quantity may be replaced by another equal part or quantity in the satisfaction of an obligation. 2. interchangeablekakistocracy (kak-i-STOK-rah-see) — government by the worst or least qualified citizens.borborygmus (bor-bah-RIG-mes) — a rumbling noise produced by the movement of gas through the intestines.  Didn't want to leave Queef alone without some company here. lethologica (lee-tho-LO-gi-ca) — 1. the inability to remember the right word. 2. a psychological disorder that inhibits an individual's ability to articulate thoughts by temporarily forgetting key words, phrases, or names in conversation. 

lachrymose  [lak-ruh-mohs] :  tearful, sorrowful, sad, pertaining to tears, weeping, causing tears or crying It's just a beautifully sad word.  Oh, and it's relation to Mozart's Mass  gives it some chilling associative weight...and for you guitar arrangement fans, here's one of the Lacrimosa that makes that grieving melody mourn without sounding maudlin. If he'd only make the transcription available, I'd buy it. 
lumpenproletariat (lum-pen-proh-li-TAR-ee-it) — 1. the lowest, most degraded stratum of the proletariat. Used originally in Marxist theory to describe those members of the proletariat, especially criminals, vagrants, and the unemployed, who lacked class consciousness. 2. the underclass of a human population.  Used to hear my parents use this term and it always sounded vaguely patronizing.

lollop (LOL-op) — to move with a bobbing motion.  Perfect.