Impress Your Friends By Using “Nudiustertian”

Few things in life are as delightful as tossing an utterly ridiculous word into casual conversation and watching people nod along, desperately pretending they know what it means — especially when it turns out to mean something entirely different from what they guessed. Which brings us to today’s linguistic treasure: nudiustertian — a word so gloriously obscure it sounds like something a Victorian botanist might shout if bitten by a rare mushroom. Its meaning? Quite simply, “the day before yesterday.”

Now, before you start flinging nudiustertian around like confetti at a spelling bee, you should probably know how to say it without spraining your tongue. It’s pronounced noo-dee-uhs-TUR-shun — five syllables, with the emphasis on the fourth. Think “new-dee-us” (as if describing a very up-to-date Roman emperor) followed by “TUR-shun” (rhymes with “version”). Say it confidently, and most people will be too impressed — or too confused — to question you.

Yes, that’s it. A single word to save you the unbearable toil of saying “the day before yesterday.” It comes from the Latin nudius tertius, meaning “now the third day,” which, let’s be honest, sounds more like a very inappropriate Transformers character. Sadly, nudiustertian has gone the way of the dodo, the fax machine, and people who don’t talk during movies — technically still possible, but rarely spotted in the wild. Actually, it hasn’t been spotted in proper literature since 1647.

Still, there’s no reason we can’t bring it back. If the quest to add “orbisculate” to the English language can gain a following, why can’t we do the same for a word that already officially exists? Imagine the sheer joy of telling your boss, “I sent that report nudiustertian,” and watching the solemn nods. You should probably also anticipate having to explain the definition to someone in the Human Resources Office if a co-worker only heard you say the first two syllables. It’s linguistic mischief at its finest — and who among us doesn’t need more of that?

So go ahead, be bold and bewildering. Use nudiustertian in a sentence today. After all, language is more fun when it’s confusing people on purpose.

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