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Word of the Week (183): ENFESTED (probability 14239), by David Sutton

ENFESTED is a Spenserian word that means embittered. There is no verb ENFEST* - it is one of those tricky words that look very like past participles but for which there is no corresponding root verb. There are rather a lot of these: here are a few others that may have a particular potential to mislead:

ABLUTED	Washed clean. No ABLUTE*.
ADDORSED	Turned back to back. No ADDORSE.
BITUMED	Impregnated with bitumen. No BITUME*.
CROZZLED	Blackened or burned at the edges. No CROZZLE*.
ENFILED	In heraldry, thrust through like a sword. No ENFILE*,
ENMOSSED	Covered with moss. No ENMOSS*.
LANOLATED	Covered with lanolin. No LANOLATE*.
NANCIFIED	Effeminate. No NANCIFY*.
OPALISED	Made smooth like opal. No OPALISE*.
OPALIZED	Made smooth like opal. No OPALIZE*.
REVULSED	Affected with revulsion. No REVULSE*.
SAPONATED	Treated or combined with soap. No SAPONATE*.
SCRODDLED	Of pottery, made of clay scraps of different colours. No SCRODDLE*.
SPIRATED	Of sounds, voiceless. No SPIRATE*.
UMBRATED	Faintly traced. No UMBRATE*.
WRIZLED	Wrinkled. No WRIZLE*.

And take particular care with BE- words: do not, for example, infer verbs from BEDOTTED, BEGORED, BEINKED, BEMAZED, BEPATCHED, BEPLUMED, BERINGED, BEROUGED, BETAXED, BETUMBLED or BEUNCLED.

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