Elderspeak

There are many words relating to old age, aging, and the elderly, and this compendium of words seeks to help you understand almost two thousand of them.

Most of these words are unusual, rare, obsolete, archaic, wonderful, marvelous, arcane, and even preposterous. All of them apply to the aged, a group that makes up an increasing portion of the population-particularly in the United States, Europe, and Japan.

Here are just a few of the interesting words you'll learn: Cenotaph: a monument erected as a memorial to a dead person or dead people buried elsewhere, especially those killed fighting a war Lethonomia: a tendency to forget, or inability to recall, names Oligoria: disinterest in former friends or hobbies

Listed alphabetically with pronunciation keys, the words are categorized under forty-eight headings. For example, in the "end-of-life" category, you'll find the word feuillemorte, which is the wan, yellow color of death. Under "retirement," you'll find ecesis, which is the acclimatization to retirement, and Opagefaengris, a prison for retired male criminals in Singen, Germany.

Boost your vocabulary, indulge in a love of language, and improve the way you communicate with seniors and medical professionals. It starts with learning "ElderSpeak.""