Good words, and their definitions

[fanpeople]

crotchfruit: A baby, toddler or small child.

[xtrafrood]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

  Metathesis \Me*tath"e*sis\, n.; pl. {Metatheses}. [L., fr. Gr.
     meta`qesis, fr. metatiqe`nai to place differently, to
     transpose; meta` beyond, over + tiqe`nai to place, set. See
     {Thesis}.]
     1. (Gram.) Transposition, as of the letters or syllables of a
        word; as, pistris for pristis; meagre for meager.
        [1913 Webster]
 
     2. (Med.) A mere change in place of a morbid substance,
        without removal from the body.
        [1913 Webster]
 
     3. (Chem.) The act, process, or result of exchange,
        substitution, or replacement of atoms and radicals; thus,
        by metathesis an acid gives up all or part of its
        hydrogen, takes on an equivalent amount of a metal or
        base, and forms a salt.
        [1913 Webster] Metathetic

From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

  metathesis
      n 1: a linguistic process of transposition of sounds or
           syllables within a word or words within a sentence
      2: a chemical reaction between two compounds in which parts of
         each are interchanged to form two new compounds (AB+CD=AD+CB)
         [syn: {double decomposition}, {double decomposition
         reaction}, {metathesis}]

[xtrafrood]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

  Gnomic \Gnom"ic\, Gnomical \Gnom"ic*al\, a. [Gr. ?, fr. ?: cf.
     F. gnomique. See {Gnome} maxim.]
     Sententious; uttering or containing maxims, or striking
     detached thoughts; aphoristic.
     [1913 Webster]
 
           A city long famous as the seat of elegiac and gnomic
           poetry.                                  --G. R. Lewes.
     [1913 Webster]
 
     {Gnomic Poets}, Greek poets, as Theognis and Solon, of the
        sixth century B. C., whose writings consist of short
        sententious precepts and reflections.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

  gnomic
      adj 1: relating to or containing gnomes; "gnomic verse"

[xtrafrood]

  Omnium-gatherum \Om`ni*um-gath"er*um\, n. [A macaronic compound
     of L. omnium, gen. pl. of omnis all, and E. gather.]
     A miscellaneous collection of things or persons; a confused
     mixture; a medley; a hodgepodge. [Colloq. & Humorous]
     --Selden.
 
     Syn: hotchpotch, odds and ends, farrago, motley collection.
          [1913 Webster]

[tp4tissue]

sesquipedalian adjective
ses·​qui·​pe·​da·​lian | \ ˌse-skwə-pə-ˈdāl-yən How to pronounce sesquipedalian (audio) \
Definition of sesquipedalian

1 : having many syllables : long sesquipedalian terms
2 : given to or characterized by the use of long words a sesquipedalian television commentator

[rowdy]

sesquipedalian adjective
ses·​qui·​pe·​da·​lian | \ ˌse-skwə-pə-ˈdāl-yən How to pronounce sesquipedalian (audio) \
Definition of sesquipedalian

1 : having many syllables : long sesquipedalian terms
2 : given to or characterized by the use of long words a sesquipedalian television commentator

I used to use this word all the time, but bored of having to explain what it meant all the time.

[_rubik]

conflagrate verb
con·​fla·​grate | \ ˈkänfləˌgrāt\

intransitive verb
: to catch fire

transitive verb
: to set on fire

The most commonly mispronounced card in MTG also is a great word. (People pronounce is con-flag-er-ate)

[xtrafrood]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

  Abscond \Ab*scond"\, v. t.
     To hide; to conceal. [Obs.] --Bentley.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

  abscond
      v 1: run away; usually includes taking something or somebody
           along; "The thief made off with our silver"; "the
           accountant absconded with the cash from the safe" [syn:
           {abscond}, {bolt}, {absquatulate}, {decamp}, {run off}, {go
           off}, {make off}]
 
From The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906):

  ABSCOND, v.i.  To "move in a mysterious way," commonly with the
  property of another.
 
      Spring beckons!  All things to the call respond;
      The trees are leaving and cashiers abscond.
                                                               Phela Orm

[eunoia]

supplant verb sup·​plant | \ sə-ˈplant supplanted; supplanting; supplants

transitive verb
1 : to supersede (another) especially by force or treachery
2a(1) obsolete : uproot
(2) : to eradicate and supply a substitute for efforts to supplant the vernacular
b : to take the place of and serve as a substitute for especially by reason of superior excellence or power

[eunoia]

opprobrium  noun op·​pro·​bri·​um | \ ə-ˈprō-brē-əm

1: something that brings disgrace

2a : public disgrace or ill fame that follows from conduct considered grossly wrong or vicious
Collaborators with the enemy did not escape the opprobrium of the townspeople.
b : contempt, reproach
The bombing of the church was met with widespread opprobrium.

[eunoia]

 uxorious

    adj.
    Excessively submissive or devoted to one's wife.
    Excessively or foolishly fond of a wife; doting on a wife.
    adj.
    Excessively fond of, or submissive to, a wife; being a dependent husband.

[xtrafrood]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

  Suffuse \Suf*fuse"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Suffused}; p. pr. &
     vb. n. {Suffusing}.] [L. suffusus, p. p. of suffundere to
     overspread; sub under + fundere to pour. See {Fuse} to melt.]
     To overspread, as with a fluid or tincture; to fill or cover,
     as with something fluid; as, eyes suffused with tears; cheeks
     suffused with blushes.
     [1913 Webster]
 
           When purple light shall next suffuse the skies. --Pope.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

  suffuse
      v 1: cause to spread or flush or flood through, over, or across;
           "The sky was suffused with a warm pink color" [syn:
           {suffuse}, {perfuse}]
      2: to become overspread as with a fluid, a colour, a gleam of
         light; "His whole frame suffused with a cold dew"

[eunoia]

cunctator Noun

cunctator (plural cunctators)

    One who delays or lingers.

cūnctātor m (genitive cūnctātōris); third declension

    A delayer; a dawdler, slowpoke

Etymology
Latin, literally "delayer"; applied as a surname to Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus.

[xtrafrood]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

  Axiomatic \Ax`i*o*mat"ic\, Axiomatical \Ax`i*o*mat"ic*al\, a.
     [Gr. ?.]
     Of or pertaining to an axiom; having the nature of an axiom;
     self-evident; characterized by axioms. "Axiomatical truth."
     --Johnson.
     [1913 Webster]
 
           The stores of axiomatic wisdom.          --I. Taylor.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

  axiomatic
      adj 1: evident without proof or argument; "an axiomatic truth";
             "we hold these truths to be self-evident" [syn:
             {axiomatic}, {self-evident}, {taken for granted(p)}]
      2: containing aphorisms or maxims; "axiomatic wisdom" [syn:
         {axiomatic}, {aphoristic}]
      3: of or relating to or derived from axioms; "axiomatic
         physics"; "the postulational method was applied to geometry"-
         S.S.Stevens [syn: {axiomatic}, {axiomatical},
         {postulational}]

[depletedvespene]

I know eight words and I am smert

You used "I" twice, so make that seven words. Your opinion is, therefore, unsound.

[noisyturtle]

cunctator Noun

cunctator (plural cunctators)

    One who delays or lingers.

cūnctātor m (genitive cūnctātōris); third declension

    A delayer; a dawdler, slowpoke

Etymology
Latin, literally "delayer"; applied as a surname to Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus.

that's really fun one to say, kunk-tater

[eunoia]

cunctator Noun

cunctator (plural cunctators)

    One who delays or lingers.

cūnctātor m (genitive cūnctātōris); third declension

    A delayer; a dawdler, slowpoke

Etymology
Latin, literally "delayer"; applied as a surname to Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus.

that's really fun one to say, kunk-tater

I love it, but consequently can only keep girlfriends that are assiduously punctual.

[xtrafrood]

cunctator Noun

cunctator (plural cunctators)

    One who delays or lingers.

cūnctātor m (genitive cūnctātōris); third declension

    A delayer; a dawdler, slowpoke

Etymology
Latin, literally "delayer"; applied as a surname to Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus.

that's really fun one to say, kunk-tater

I love it, but consequently can only keep girlfriends that are assiduously punctual.

dang

[eunoia]

nictitate verb
nic·​ti·​tate | \ ˈnik-tə-ˌtāt
\
nictitated; nictitating

intransitive verb
: wink

[depletedvespene]

titillate

verb — arouse (someone) to interest or mild excitement, especially through sexually suggestive images or words.

[_rubik]

folderol noun
fol·​de·​rol

1 : a useless ornament or accessory : trifle
2 : nonsense

[xtrafrood]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

  Buttress \But"tress\, n. [OE. butrasse, boterace, fr. F. bouter
     to push; cf. OF. bouteret (nom. sing. and acc. pl. bouterez)
     buttress. See {Butt} an end, and cf. {Butteris}.]
     1. (Arch.) A projecting mass of masonry, used for resisting
        the thrust of an arch, or for ornament and symmetry.
        [1913 Webster]
 
     Note: When an external projection is used merely to stiffen a
           wall, it is a pier.
           [1913 Webster]
 
     2. Anything which supports or strengthens. "The ground pillar
        and buttress of the good old cause of nonconformity."
        --South.
        [1913 Webster]
 
     {Flying buttress}. See {Flying buttress}.
        [1913 Webster]


From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

  buttress
      n 1: a support usually of stone or brick; supports the wall of a
           building [syn: {buttress}, {buttressing}]
      v 1: reinforce with a buttress; "Buttress the church"
      2: make stronger or defensible; "buttress your thesis"

[eunoia]

Melisma (Greek: μέλισμα, melisma, song, air, melody; from μέλος, melos, song, melody, plural: melismata) is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is referred to as melismatic, as opposed to syllabic, in which each syllable of text is matched to a single note. An informal term for melisma is a vocal run.

Example: I like Whitney Houston's melismas but not so much this guy singing the national anthem.

[xtrafrood]

spoonerism
noun
spoo·​ner·​ism | \ ˈspü-nə-ˌri-zəm
    Definition of spoonerism
    : a transposition of usually initial sounds of two or more words (as in tons of soil for sons of toil)

[iri]

[depletedvespene]

(Attachment Link)

Guy here. This indeed the case... and it's still worth it.

(I miss this so much  )

[xtrafrood]

Certain lady hair products would kill my sinuses but overall I'd agree.. though some of us are ninja enough to roll over without waking anyone up

[noisyturtle]

drubbing - Informal term for being badly beaten.

"He took quite a drubbing at the betting parlor, my dear boy."

[_rubik]

trundle verb
trun·​dle

1 : (with reference to a wheeled vehicle or its occupants) move or cause to move slowly and heavily, typically in a noisy or uneven way.

[noisyturtle]

indefatigable [ in-di-fat-i-guh-buhl ] - adjective

Incapable of being tired out; not yielding to fatigue; untiring.

[noisyturtle]

Lepidopterarium - A butterfly house, conservatory, or lepidopterarium is a facility which is specifically intended for the breeding and display of butterflies with an emphasis on education.

[funkmon]

uhtcaru - the feeling of being awake before dawn with anxiety. Found only once in the Old English corpus as far as I know, in a poem called "The Wife's Lament."

Ǣrest mīn hlāford gewāt  heonan of lēodum
ofer ȳþa gelāc;  hæfde ic ūhtceare
hwǣr mīn lēodfruma  londes wǣre.

Literally

First my lord went from his people over the waves rolling; have I pre-dawn anxiety where my leader in these lands was.

Or less literally

My Lord left his people at first over the sea. I lie awake at night with worry over where he may be.



Those are my translations, so they may not be quite correct. The reason it appears as uhtceare in the poem is it's inflected. In this context, it's pronounced something like "OOHT key are uh"

[noisyturtle]

You can learn cool words in such unexpected places.



anachronistic: belonging or appropriate to an earlier period, especially so as to seem conspicuously old-fashioned.

[Kavik]

You can learn cool words in such unexpected places.

(Attachment Link)

anachronistic: belonging or appropriate to an earlier period, especially so as to seem conspicuously old-fashioned.

I normally see this word used in the opposite direction chronologically, describing things too futuristic for a particular time that are mistakenly put into a historical drama. Outside of literature, film, and video games, I can't think of anywhere the "too futuristic" definition would apply. I actually didn't know it can be used to describe things that are too old for a given period.

[_rubik]

Someone dropped this in casual conversation:

defenestration noun
de·​fen·​es·​tra·​tion

1: a throwing of a person or thing out of a window

[noisyturtle]

recalcitrant : Obstinately defiant of authority or restraint. Difficult to manage or operate.

The rigorously recalcitrant rapscallion rambunctiously riled the resentful riffraff into a raucous ruckus.

[jamster]

Some words that I like:

loquacious - tending to talk a great deal; talkative.
jejune - naive, simplistic, and superficial.
nuance - a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound.
efficacious - successful in producing a desired or intended result; effective.
languor - tiredness or inactivity, especially when pleasurable.
defenestrate - (mentioned previously.)

A couple of words that irritate me, because they have been diluted into meaninglessness by the Internet:

meme
meta

[funkmon]

I used loquacious today at work and I'm not sure my interlocutor knew what it meant.

"So here's the reply I'm sending. It's a bit loquacious but so was the first email."

"Yeah I don't know why she did that, what a *****."

"Uhhh...right. So I'm sending the email."

By the way

Interlocutor: 1. Someone who takes part in a conversation, often formally or officially.

[jamster]

I used loquacious today at work and I'm not sure my interlocutor knew what it meant.

"So here's the reply I'm sending. It's a bit loquacious but so was the first email."

"Yeah I don't know why she did that, what a *****."

"Uhhh...right. So I'm sending the email."

By the way

Interlocutor: 1. Someone who takes part in a conversation, often formally or officially.

Hah, interesting. This has sent me down a brief spiral of trying to better understand word usage.

I think that "loquacious" is specifically to do with the act of speaking, rather than extending to writing (could be wrong, to be honest it's based on a gut feel). However, the word "verbose" could substitute in for that usage. Because even though "verbal" seems like it's to do with the act of speaking, it actually just means that it is to do with words, regardless of whether they are spoken or written.

I'd only been vaguely aware of this definition of verbal before, and had to look it just now.

"Garrulous" is to do with speaking... I am at a temporary loss for more words that describe overly verbose writing. I can think of "purple prose" (which is quite an interesting phrase) but not single words.  I guess there is "wordy" but that's boringly simple.

One of my old flatmates was a copy writer. I do miss those conversations.

[Kavik]

I used loquacious today at work and I'm not sure my interlocutor knew what it meant.

"So here's the reply I'm sending. It's a bit loquacious but so was the first email."

"Yeah I don't know why she did that, what a *****."

"Uhhh...right. So I'm sending the email."

By the way

Interlocutor: 1. Someone who takes part in a conversation, often formally or officially.

Hah, interesting. This has sent me down a brief spiral of trying to better understand word usage.

I think that "loquacious" is specifically to do with the act of speaking, rather than extending to writing (could be wrong, to be honest it's based on a gut feel). However, the word "verbose" could substitute in for that usage. Because even though "verbal" seems like it's to do with the act of speaking, it actually just means that it is to do with words, regardless of whether they are spoken or written.

I'd only been vaguely aware of this definition of verbal before, and had to look it just now.

"Garrulous" is to do with speaking... I am at a temporary loss for more words that describe overly verbose writing. I can think of "purple prose" (which is quite an interesting phrase) but not single words.  I guess there is "wordy" but that's boringly simple.

One of my old flatmates was a copy writer. I do miss those conversations.

I was going to suggest "verbose" myself.

I think "loguacious" is basically "liking to talk a lot", more of a description of the person rather than the speech. "Wordy" works as well.

"Garrulous"... I hadn't heard that one before, but I was going to compare "gregarious" to "loquacious", but, apparently, "gregarious" has nothing to do with talking (at least not directly). Maybe I was subconsciously conflating it with "garrulous".

"Interlocutor" always brings "Locutus of Borg" to mind 

[funkmon]

Now this is interesting; I've always used all these words as essentially synonyms. They can apply to a person who is long-winded, and also an email that is long-winded. Needlessly verbose people and products of these things have all been the same to me, and nobody's said anything to me before in this regard. Very interesting!

[xtrafrood]

durable
      adj 1: existing for a long time; "hopes for a durable peace"; "a
             long-lasting friendship" [syn: {durable}, {lasting},
             {long-lasting}, {long-lived}]
      2: capable of withstanding wear and tear and decay; "durable
         denim jeans" [syn: {durable}, {long-wearing}]
      3: very long lasting; "less durable rocks were gradually worn
         away to form valleys"; "the perdurable granite of the ancient
         Appalachian spine of the continent" [syn: {durable},
         {indestructible}, {perdurable}, {undestroyable}

[jamster]

Now this is interesting; I've always used all these words as essentially synonyms. They can apply to a person who is long-winded, and also an email that is long-winded. Needlessly verbose people and products of these things have all been the same to me, and nobody's said anything to me before in this regard. Very interesting!

Hm... I wonder if it's a geographically sensitive usage- my language background is British/Australian. Also, I have pretty much zero formal understanding of grammatical rules, it's all been osmotic.

There has been one language quirk that has confused me for years.

Americans will say "this deal is a great value" whereas a Brit would say "this deal is good value."

Can anyone explain this difference? I cannot even describe the grammatical nuance involved here.

[noisyturtle]

Now this is interesting; I've always used all these words as essentially synonyms. They can apply to a person who is long-winded, and also an email that is long-winded. Needlessly verbose people and products of these things have all been the same to me, and nobody's said anything to me before in this regard. Very interesting!

Hm... I wonder if it's a geographically sensitive usage- my language background is British/Australian. Also, I have pretty much zero formal understanding of grammatical rules, it's all been osmotic.

There has been one language quirk that has confused me for years.

Americans will say "this deal is a great value" whereas a Brit would say "this deal is good value."

Can anyone explain this difference? I cannot even describe the grammatical nuance involved here.

The difference I see here is using the 'a' to point out the singularity of the deal. Stating 'This deal is a great value' coveys a more personable tone, a singular deal you and the other person are aware of. The statement 'This deal is great value' conveys a seller's tone, a way of wording something that unconsciously infers the person stating the value of said deal is trying to get the party listening to buy into it. American English tends to be much more personable or direct to covey a tone of comradery and ease. 

I'm no language professor, but that's how I see it.

[xtrafrood]

indissoluble
      adj 1: (of a substance) incapable of being dissolved [syn:
             {insoluble}, {indissoluble}] [ant: {soluble}]
      2: used of decisions and contracts

If anyone is curious, I usually post the word of the day from Merriam-Webster with the help of this bash script that I wrote a few years ago (to add the word to my tmux status), and the dictd program.

There might be a few bash no-noes in the script, but I doubt they are shun worthy for those that have been around the block once or twice.

[jamster]

The difference I see here is using the 'a' to point out the singularity of the deal. Stating 'This deal is a great value' coveys a more personable tone, a singular deal you and the other person are aware of. The statement 'This deal is great value' conveys a seller's tone, a way of wording something that unconsciously infers the person stating the value of said deal is trying to get the party listening to buy into it. American English tends to be much more personable or direct to covey a tone of comradery and ease. 

The thing is, to me it seems to be kind of broken to say "a great value."  I could easily say "a great deal" thought, as the deal is singluar.

"Value" is a an attribute of "the deal", not something that stands by itself.

[Kavik]

The difference I see here is using the 'a' to point out the singularity of the deal. Stating 'This deal is a great value' coveys a more personable tone, a singular deal you and the other person are aware of. The statement 'This deal is great value' conveys a seller's tone, a way of wording something that unconsciously infers the person stating the value of said deal is trying to get the party listening to buy into it. American English tends to be much more personable or direct to covey a tone of comradery and ease. 

The thing is, to me it seems to be kind of broken to say "a great value."  I could easily say "a great deal" thought, as the deal is singluar.

"Value" is a an attribute of "the deal", not something that stands by itself.

I agree with you that "value" is an uncountable noun in this context, so preceding it with an indefinite article makes no sense. It's like saying, "a sand". The exceptions would be when using "value" in a programming or mathematical context, e.g. "A variable is assigned a value", or using it in the sense of "principle", e.g. "That is a core value of his beliefs."

However, to my American ears, it sounds weird not to use the indefinite article in your example, even though I know it doesn't makes sense.

------------------

I have noticed that Americans and Brits treat collective nouns differently, so maybe that has something to do with it. For example, Brits say, "The team are..." even though team is a singular noun that contains multiple members. Americans say, "The team is...", but would then usually refer back to it with the plural pronoun "they" (although pretty much everyone uses "they" for everything now). I'm not sure if this is related in any way - probably a different phenomenon, but maybe it provides some insight into how AmE and BrE see countability and plurality differently.

Americans also like inserting articles where Brits don't. AmE: "I'm going to school" but "I'm going to the hospital." Brits would omit the article in both, which makes more sense to me unless one is talking about a specific hospital, but I'm forced to say "the" lest I sound weird to my fellow Americans. Saying these two versions aloud, I think AmE adds "the" before "hospital" simply because the cadence of our accent is different and/or because the lack of a voiced T or glottal stop in "hospital" makes it stand out less without the article.

[xtrafrood]

In my world 'value' is generally a bulk item with a reduced price because there is less packaging.  Not always crap but I tend to avoid products of which the world value is plastered.  A deal is something to be scrutinized, because that word might coverup what was damaged by a flood or snow ('snowbirds').  And the word 'the' is often used instead of proper nouns due to laziness.  It's easier to say 'the' hospital for some people (though this is very rare where I live) than it is to say North Florida Regional Medical Center and or UF Health Shands Hospital.  I'm using the example from kavik here, I too will sometimes or more often than I would like add more words at times, because I think I'm expected to sound less stoic in U.S. America.  Also it might cause one to think you're associating with a lot of newspaper headlines, which could go either way.  Though I should point out, I have always had a knack of visualizing how things work, and grammar and or English composition are generally speaking not one of those things.

I was raised by three different American English dialects (west coast/midwest/southern), and I occasionally splash in a few non-American English phrases (I blame the native British English speakers of my preschool--or maybe I'm just a loon).

[Kavik]

In my world 'value' is generally a bulk item with a reduced price because there is less packaging.  Not always crap but I tend to avoid products of which the world value is plastered.  A deal is something to be scrutinized, because that word might coverup what was damaged by a flood or snow ('snowbirds').  And the word 'the' is often used instead of proper nouns due to laziness.  It's easier to say 'the' hospital for some people (though this is very rare where I live) than it is to say North Florida Regional Medical Center and or UF Health Shands Hospital.  I'm using the example from kavik here, I too will sometimes or more often than I would like add more words at times, because I think I'm expected to sound less stoic in U.S. America.  Also it might cause one to think you're associating with a lot of newspaper headlines, which could go either way.  Though I should point out, I have always had a knack of visualizing how things work, and grammar and or English composition are generally speaking not one of those things.

I was raised by three different American English dialects (west coast/midwest/southern), and I occasionally splash in a few non-American English phrases (I blame the native British English speakers of my preschool--or maybe I'm just a loon).

"To the hospital" and "in the hospital" is actually a fixed phrase that is just different in AmE for some reason. This is a good thread on it: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/19604/is-there-a-reason-the-british-omit-the-article-when-they-go-to-hospital.

The answer "When we omit the article before the noun, we are thinking of a state or condition, not of a specific place: in jail, in love, in hospital, at university, under fire," is sensible. For whatever reason, AmE changes this pattern for "hospital". I'm surprised to hear that this isn't common where you live, since I never hear anyone other than Brits omit the definite article before hospital.

[xtrafrood]

In my world 'value' is generally a bulk item with a reduced price because there is less packaging.  Not always crap but I tend to avoid products of which the world value is plastered.  A deal is something to be scrutinized, because that word might coverup what was damaged by a flood or snow ('snowbirds').  And the word 'the' is often used instead of proper nouns due to laziness.  It's easier to say 'the' hospital for some people (though this is very rare where I live) than it is to say North Florida Regional Medical Center and or UF Health Shands Hospital.  I'm using the example from kavik here, I too will sometimes or more often than I would like add more words at times, because I think I'm expected to sound less stoic in U.S. America.  Also it might cause one to think you're associating with a lot of newspaper headlines, which could go either way.  Though I should point out, I have always had a knack of visualizing how things work, and grammar and or English composition are generally speaking not one of those things.

I was raised by three different American English dialects (west coast/midwest/southern), and I occasionally splash in a few non-American English phrases (I blame the native British English speakers of my preschool--or maybe I'm just a loon).

"To the hospital" and "in the hospital" is actually a fixed phrase that is just different in AmE for some reason. This is a good thread on it: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/19604/is-there-a-reason-the-british-omit-the-article-when-they-go-to-hospital.

The answer "When we omit the article before the noun, we are thinking of a state or condition, not of a specific place: in jail, in love, in hospital, at university, under fire," is sensible. For whatever reason, AmE changes this pattern for "hospital". I'm surprised to hear that this isn't common where you live, since I never hear anyone other than Brits omit the definite article before hospital.

I think I see what you mean now.  'The' indicates that the purpose of the trip to the hospital was for something other than medical care or as a healthcare worker, while 'went to hospital' indicates that the purpose for the trip had to do with the purpose of the hospital mentioned by the speaker.