Most obscure words are sesquipedalian — that is, they’re long, multisyllabic constructions that might just be obscure because most people can’t remember them. Surely there can’t be very many extremely short words — say, just three letters — that most people haven’t heard of? Well…let’s have a look.
Some short words have to do with science and measurement. A “lux” is a unit of light, a “mho” is a unit of electrical conductivity (it’s“ohm” backwards), a “mil” is one one-thousandth of an inch, and a “kip” is 1000 pounds, or half a ton. A “dot” is a measurement of pain intensity, an “ell” is a measurement of length 45 inches long, an “erg” is a unit of force, and if you accelerate at the rate of one centimeter per second per second, that’s a “gal.” A
“ton” is familiar as a unit of weight (2000 pounds), but there’s also a “ton” that’s a unit of cooling: 12,000 BTUs per hour.
Some obscure three-letter words have to do with things you find in nature. An “ife” is a plant found in Africa. A “kex” is the hollow stalk of a plant (I don’t know if you can get a kex from an ife, but maybe). A “neb” is the beak of a bird. If you see a “ras,” you’re looking at a headland, like a steep cliff over the ocean. An “ifi” is a variety of chestnut tree found in Tahiti. “Alk” is the sap of a turpentine tree (turpentine comes from trees!) And a “zho” is an animal; a hybrid produced from a yak and a cow.
There are also plenty of relatively unknown short words that have to do with human activity. In mining, a stream used to drain wastewater is called a “yeo.” If you have two pipes — or two railroad tracks — that come together to form just one, that junction is called a “wye.” If you want your shoes to last longer you might install a “seg” — a metal plate on the bottom to protect the sole. You might store your coins in a box called a “pyx.” In the Catholic church, the “pyx” is the box where the eucharist is kept — it’s brought out during mass, where you might also see a “pax,” a sort of plate with sacred pictures that is kissed, often by a priest wearing an “alb.”
After you get back home it might be time for a game of “pam” or “hoc,” both of which you play with a deck of cards. Or it might be time for Sunday dinner, at which you take your cutlery from your “nef” (an ornamental stand in the shape of a ship; different types hold either knives or salt). After dinner it’s time for entertainment with your “kit,” which is a pocket violin. The next day it’s back to work, and if you have the right sort of job you use a “dop” — the copper cup used by diamond cutters to hold the diamond. Being a pro diamond cutter, you’d be able to easily identify a “yag” (a synthetic diamond made of yttrium aluminum garnet.
But wait, there’s more. If you study Old English you’ll encounter “eth,” which was the letter they used to indicate the “th” sound. You’ll also find “wyn,” a rune used for “w”. A “zel” is a kind of cymbal used in China. “Zug” is a variety of leather that’s waterproof; it’s used to make boots. In the Middle East the “suq” is the marketplace. A volcano has a cone made of hardened lava called a “puy.” A “pug” is a small dog, but also a mixture of clay and water. And about now you’re probably about to “mow,” or grimace. You certainly would have the “jus” (the right) to do that after all this trilettered rot.
