The 100 Most Beautiful Words in the English Language

According to someone who goes by the moniker Dr. Goodword (and also, apparently, Dr. Language, depending on which of his websites you are visiting), these are the 100 most beautiful words in the English language. The words were picked for their sound or their definition (or in some cases, both. To wit: syzygy, the direct opposition of two heavenly bodies).

The entries are-confusingly-numbered, but also in alphabetical order. So they're probably not ranked. (Also confusing is this sentence in the introduction: "...He has been writing a daily word sent our as the Word of the Day at yourDictionary and as the Good Word at alphaDictionary." Bit messy for a language website, no?). But if I had to choose, here are some of my favorite from the list:

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• ailurophile: A cat-lover.
• colporteur: A book peddlar.
• champagne: An effervescent wine.
• ebullient: Bubbling with enthusiasm.
• encomium: A spoken or written work in praise of someone.
• foudroyant: Dazzling.
• inure: To jade.
• mellifluous: Sweet-sounding.
• niveous: Snowy, snow-like.
• petrichor: The smell of earth after a rain.

Like any good list, there's plenty to debate on here. Esoteric made it but supercilious didn't? What do you think? What would you have included that isn't on here? Sound off in the comments.Thanks TWSL. Photo from flickr user Bebop717.