Fulsome

Fulsome: This term originally meant “abundant, generous, full” and it is still used in that form. However, the meaning of this word has changed to mean “excessive, effusive.”  A fulsome society was considered a good thing, but now it could suggest an excessive and corrupt one. However, some have argued that the word is enjoying a renaissance and should be used again in its positive sense. Decide what you will but be aware of the possibility for misinterpretation.

Affricate

Affricate (verb): This word has nothing to do with the continent of Africa or anything associated with it. To affricate means to rub against something (the root Latin word fricare is where we get the word friction).

Parvenu

Parvenu (noun): This is one of those words that barely even suggests its meaning. A parvenu is a person from a lower social class who suddenly becomes wealthy or successful but is still not accepted by other wealthy, successful people.

Today, you would refer to the parvenu as nouveau riche.

Cerebrate

Cerebrate: It sounds so much like celebrate that it’s often misheard and also rarely used. In fact, cerebrate means to use the mind or to think – because when you’re thinking, you’re using that part of your brain called the cerebrum.

Traduce

Traduce: Because it sounds so close to introduce – especially in pronunciation – it’s easy to think that this is a harmless word. In fact, to traduce someone is to speak ill of them or tell lies about them to damage their reputation – a far worse thing than just introducing them.

Abrosia

Abrosia: This is a strange word because it sounds too much like ambrosia – the name given to the supposed food and drink of the gods or absolutely heavenly food for mortals. But abrosia would be torture for someone expecting ambrosia, because abrosia means fasting or not consuming any food.

Lamprophony

Lamprophony (noun): Clear enunciation

There's no trace of lamps, pros, or phonies in this word's definition.  If you know that -phony means sound, you might guess that lamprophony is the sound of lampreys.  (Do they even make noise?) But no, lamprophony turns out to be a rather boring word that means clear enunciation.  (The Greek root lampro- means clear or distinct.)