100 Words for Things You’ve Noticed Your Whole Life

No.	Item	Definition
1.	afterimage	An image lingering after its source disappears.
2.	aglet	The small protective tip on a shoelace.
3.	albumen	The clear white surrounding an egg’s yolk.
4.	architrave	Decorative molding framing a door or window.
5.	baluster	One upright support beneath a railing.
6.	bar tack	A short row of stitches reinforcing stressed fabric.
7.	bloom	The natural powdery coating on some fruits.
8.	bokeh	The appearance of out-of-focus areas in a photograph.
9.	borborygmus	A rumbling sound made by your intestines.
10.	burr	A rough edge left after cutting or drilling.
11.	canthus	Either corner where your upper and lower eyelids meet.
12.	chalaza	A twisted strand anchoring an egg’s yolk.
13.	columella	The tissue separating your nostrils underneath your nose.
14.	cowlick	A hair tuft growing against the surrounding direction.
15.	crepuscular rays	Sunbeams streaming through gaps in clouds.
16.	crow’s-feet	Fine wrinkles beside the outer eye corners.
17.	Cupid’s bow	The double curve of the upper lip.
18.	cuticle	The thin skin at a nail’s base.
19.	dart	A stitched fold shaping fabric to the body.
20.	déjà vu	The feeling that a new experience happened before.
21.	diastema	A gap between neighboring teeth.
22.	dormer	A windowed structure projecting from a sloping roof.
23.	earworm	A tune that keeps repeating in your head.
24.	efflorescence	A powdery salt deposit on masonry surfaces.
25.	ellipsis	Three dots indicating omission, hesitation, or trailing speech.
26.	escutcheon	A protective or decorative plate around a fitting.
27.	fascia	A board covering the edge of a roof.
28.	ferrule	A metal sleeve reinforcing or joining something.
29.	finial	A decorative ornament topping a structure or object.
30.	flashing	Material sealing roof joints against water.
31.	flavedo	The colored outer layer of a citrus peel.
32.	floater	A drifting speck in your field of vision.
33.	fly	A covered fastening opening in trousers.
34.	frenulum	A small tissue fold restricting an organ’s movement.
35.	gable	A triangular wall section beneath a sloping roof.
36.	gills	Thin, spore-bearing plates beneath some mushroom caps.
37.	glabella	The smooth area between your eyebrows.
38.	grommet	A ring reinforcing a hole in material.
39.	guillemet	An angle-shaped quotation mark, « or ».
40.	gusset	An inserted fabric panel adding room or strength.
41.	hangnail	A torn skin flap beside a fingernail.
42.	heat haze	Shimmering distortion caused by unevenly heated air.
43.	helix	The curved outer rim of your ear.
44.	hilum	The scar where a seed was attached.
45.	hypnic jerk	A sudden twitch as you fall asleep.
46.	interrobang	A combined question mark and exclamation mark.
47.	iridescence	Shifting rainbow colors that change with viewing angle.
48.	jamais vu	The feeling that something familiar is suddenly unfamiliar.
49.	jamb	An upright side of a doorway or window.
50.	kerf	The narrow cut left by a saw.
51.	knurling	A patterned surface texture that improves grip.
52.	lenticel	A small breathing pore on bark or fruit.
53.	lethologica	Difficulty recalling a word you know.
54.	lint	Loose fibers shed by fabric.
55.	lintel	A horizontal support above a door or window.
56.	lunula	The pale crescent at a fingernail’s base.
57.	mackerel sky	A sky patterned with small, rippling cloud patches.
58.	mare’s-tail	A wispy, curved cirrus cloud.
59.	meniscus	The curved surface of liquid in a container.
60.	moiré	A wavy pattern created by overlapping regular patterns.
61.	mullion	A vertical divider between window units.
62.	muntin	A narrow strip separating individual windowpanes.
63.	muselet	The wire cage securing a champagne cork.
64.	nap	The directional fuzz on a fabric’s surface.
65.	nasolabial fold	A crease running from nose to mouth corner.
66.	newel	A sturdy post supporting a staircase handrail.
67.	nosing	The projecting front edge of a stair tread.
68.	nostalgia	A wistful longing for the past.
69.	obelus	The division sign, ÷.
70.	pareidolia	Seeing familiar shapes in random patterns.
71.	parting line	A seam where sections of a mold meet.
72.	petrichor	The earthy smell after rain hits dry ground.
73.	philtrum	The groove between your nose and upper lip.
74.	pilling	The formation of small fuzz balls on fabric.
75.	piloerection	Body hairs standing upright, producing goosebumps.
76.	placket	A finished opening for fastening a garment.
77.	punt	The indentation in a wine bottle’s bottom.
78.	rasceta	The creases across the inside of your wrist.
79.	scintillation	The twinkling of light, especially from stars.
80.	selvedge	The finished edge of woven fabric.
81.	sillage	The scent trail someone wearing perfume leaves.
82.	soffit	The underside of an overhanging building feature.
83.	sun dog	A bright spot beside the sun.
84.	sun glitter	Sparkling sunlight reflected from a rippling water surface.
85.	tamper band	The breakaway ring beneath a bottle cap.
86.	tittle	The dot above a lowercase i or j.
87.	tongue	The flap beneath a shoe’s laces.
88.	tragus	The small cartilage flap before your ear canal.
89.	transom	A horizontal crosspiece above a door or window.
90.	umbilicus	The belly button.
91.	umbra	The fully shaded region of a shadow.
92.	uvula	The dangling tissue at your throat’s entrance.
93.	vamp	The shoe section covering the foot’s upper front.
94.	virga	Precipitation that evaporates before reaching the ground.
95.	wale	A raised ridge in fabric such as corduroy.
96.	weep hole	A small opening allowing trapped water to drain.
97.	welt	A leather strip joining shoe upper and sole.
98.	whey	The liquid remaining after milk forms curds.
99.	widow’s peak	A V-shaped hairline point on the forehead.
100.	yoke	A shaped panel supporting part of a garment.