Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
| actioner | (Sl.) a story with much action. |
| adespota | (Greek) anonymous works. |
| adversaria | miscellaneous notes; commonplace books. |
| afterword | an epilogue. |
| allegoric | having the properties of an allegory. |
| allegorical | having the properties of an allegory. |
| allegorically | (Adv.) ALLEGORICAL, having the properties of an allegory. |
| allegoricalness | the state of being allegorical. |
| allegorise | to make an allegory of. |
| allegorize | to make an allegory of. |
| allegory | a story presenting a moral principle. |
| almanac | an annual table, or book of tables, containing a calendar of months and days, usually with astronomical data and other information. |
| almanack | an annual table, or book of tables, containing a calendar of months and days. |
| ana | a collection of someone's table-talk. |
| analecta | (Greek) a collection of writings; literary gleanings. |
| analectic | relating to analects; made up of selections; as, an analectic magazine. |
| analects | a collection of writings; literary gleanings. |
| anecdotal | relating to anecdote. |
| anecdotally | (Adv.) ANECDOTAL, relating to anecdote. |
| anecdote | a short narrative of an incident of private life. |
| antinovel | a work written in defiance of novelistic convention. |
| antistory | a narrative that does not follow the normal conventions of story. |
| apolog | a beast fable, a moral tale. |
| apologal | relating to an apolog, a beast fable, a moral tale. |
| apologia | (Lat.) an apology, usually in literary form. |
| apologue | a beast fable, a moral tale. |
| autobiographic | relating to autobiography. |
| autobiography | the biography of a person narrated by himself or herself. |
| belletrism | the writing of belles-lettres. |
| belletristic | relating to belles-lettres. |
| belletristical | relating to belles-lettres. |
| bestiary | a book about beasts. |
| bildungsroman | (Ger.) a psychological novel dealing with the early moral development of the protagonist. |
| bio | (Coll.) a biography. |
| biog | (Coll.) biography. |
| biograph | to write a biography of. |
| biographee | a person about whom a biography is written. |
| biographic | relating to biography. |
| biographical | relating to biography. |
| biographically | (Adv.) BIOGRAPHICAL, of, relating to, or constituting biography. |
| biographise | to make the subject of a biography. |
| biographize | to make the subject of a biography. |
| biography | the story of someone's life. |
| bonkbuster | a work of popular fiction centering on erotic encounters. |
| burlesque | (Fr.) a ludicrous imitation; (adj.) resembling a burlesque (verb) to make a burlesque of |
| burlesquely | (Adv.) BURLESQUE, ludicrously imitative. |
| burleycue | a ludicrous imitation. |
| carriwitchet | (Scots) a teasing quibble; a quip. |
| causerie | (Fr.) a light and informal conversation; a brief, conversational essay. |
| chapbook | a small book or pamphlet containing stories, poems, or religious tracts. |
| chrestomathic | of or like a chrestomathy, a selection of passages compiled as an aid to learning a language. |
| chrestomathical | of or like a chrestomathy, a selection of passages compiled as an aid to learning a language. |
| chrestomathy | a selection of passages compiled as an aid to learning a language; a volume of selected passages or stories of an author |
| cliffhanger | a narrative that ends each section on a suspenseful note. |
| collectanea | a collection of passages, a miscellany. |
| comix | (Sl.) comic books. |
| compend | a compendium; a summary. |
| composition | a piece of writing. |
| concordance | an alphabetical index of the principal words in a book or the works of an author with their immediate contexts. |
| conte | (Fr.) a short story (as a literary genre). |
| coursebook | a book used on an educational course. |
| critique | (Fr.) a criticism; esp a critical analysis, article, or essay; (verb) to make a critique of. |
| curiosa | (Lat.) rare and curious books. |
| cyberpunk | a genus of science fiction involving a computer-dominated society and usually a gifted young hacker who rebels against this. |
| cyclopaedia | an encyclopaedia. |
| cyclopaedic | encyclopaedic. |
| cyclopedia | an encyclopaedia. |
| cyclopedic | encyclopaedic. |
| dekalogy | a group of ten novels. |
| diarise | to enter in a diary. |
| diarize | to enter in a diary. |
| diary | a personal journal. |
| dictionary | a book containing the words of a language alphabetically arranged, with their meanings, etymology, etc. |
| dreadful | awful (noun) a lurid novel |
| dreadfully | (Adv.) DREADFUL, awful. |
| drunkalogue | an account of a person's problems with alcohol. |
| encheiridion | a handbook or a manual. |
| enchiridion | a manual or handbook. |
| encyclopaedia | a work containing information on every branch, or on a particular branch, of knowledge. |
| encyclopedia | a work containing information on every branch, or on a particular branch, of knowledge. |
| epigraphical | relating to an epigraph. |
| epigraphically | (Adv.) EPIGRAPHICAL, relating to an epigraph. |
| epilog | an epilogue. |
| epilogic | or or like an epilogue. |
| epilogise | to speak or write an epilogue. |
| epilogist | one who writes or speaks an epilogue. |
| epilogistic | of or like an epilog. |
| epilogize | to speak or write an epilogue. |
| epilogue | the concluding section of a book, etc; (verb) to provide with an epilogue. |
| epinikian | an ode celebrating a triumph. |
| epistle | a letter; (verb, Milton) to preface. |
| epistler | a writer of epistles, or of an epistle of the New Testament. |
| epistolet | a little epistle. |
| epistolic | of or like an epistle. |
| epistolical | of or like an epistle. |
| epistolise | to write a letter. |
| epistolist | one who writes epistles. |
| epistolize | to write a letter. |
| epitaphial | pertaining to an epitaph. |
| epitaphian | pertaining to an epitaph. |
| epitaphic | pertaining to an epitaph. |
| essayette | a short essay. |
| essayish | like an essay. |
| essayist | one who writes essays. |
| essayistic | relating to an essayist. |
| excerptum | (Lat.) an excerpt, selection. |
| excursus | (Lat.) a dissertation or discussion on some particular matter appended to the main body of a book or chapter. |
| exemplum | (Lat.) a short story or anecdote with a moral. |
| fable | a kind of moral story; (verb) to compose or tell fictitious tales. |
| fabliau | (Fr.) one of the metrical tales of the Trouveres, or early poets of the north of France. |
| fabulise | to write fables or speak in fables. |
| fabulistic | having the nature of a fable. |
| fabulize | to write fables or speak in fables. |
| facetiae | (Lat.) witty or humorous sayings or writings. |
| fairytale | of or like a story about fairies or other supernatural beings. |
| fanfic | (Short for) fiction written around previously established characters invented by other authors. |
| farcify | to turn into a farce. |
| festschrift | (Ger.) a volume of writing by different authors presented as a tribute or memorial esp to a scholar. |
| feuilletonism | the production of feuilletons. |
| feuilletonistic | related to feuilletonism. |
| fiction | an invented or false story. |
| florilegium | (Lat.) a collection of literary pieces; an anthology. |
| folktale | a tale forming part of the oral tradition of a people. |
| foodoir | a book or blog that combines a personal memoir with a series of recipes. |
| formulary | a book of formulae or precedents. |
| gest | (Obs.) an exploit; a tale of adventure. |
| geste | (Obs.) an exploit; a tale of adventure. |
| glossarial | of or pertaining to glosses or to a glossary. |
| glossarially | (Adv.) GLOSSARIAL, of or pertaining to glosses or to a glossary. |
| glossary | a list of terms and their definitions. |
| glossator | a writer of glosses or comments. |
| glossist | a writer of glosses or comments. |
| gnomist | a writer of gnomes, pithy sayings. |
| hagiography | a biography of saints; an idealizing or idolizing biography. |
| hagiologic | relating to hagiology, the study of saints' lives. |
| hagiological | relating to hagiology, the study of saints' lives. |
| hagiology | the literature dealing with the lives and legends of saints. |
| handbook | a manual. |
| heptaglot | a book written in seven languages. |
| herbal | relating to herbs; (noun) a treatise on herbs. |
| hexaglot | a book written in six languages. |
| historiette | a short history or story. |
| homiletic | relating to homily or the art of preaching. |
| homiletical | relating to homily or the art of preaching. |
| homiletically | (Adv.) HOMILETICAL, relating to homily. |
| homilist | one who writes homilies. |
| homily | a usually short sermon; a lecture or discourse on a moral theme. |
| isagoge | (Greek) an academic introduction to a subject. |
| isagogic | introductory. |
| jeremiad | a literary work or speech expressing a bitter lament or a righteous prophecy of doom. |
| jestbook | a book of jokes. |
| journal | a daily register or journal; (verb) to record in a journal. |
| journalizer | one who journalizes. |
| kidlit | literature for children. |
| lampoon | a personal satire; (verb) to attack or ridicule by personal satire. |
| lampooner | one who writes lampoons. |
| lampoonery | the practice of lampooning. |
| legendarily | (Adv.) LEGENDARY, having the nature of legend. |
| legendary | having the nature of legend (noun) a book or writer of legends |
| legendry | legends generally. |
| liber | (Lat.) a book of public records. |
| lipogram | a piece of writing that avoids one or more letters of the alphabet. |
| lipogrammatic | of or like a lipogram, a piece of writing that avoids one or more letters of the alphabet. |
| lipogrammatist | one who writes lipograms. |
| listicle | a piece of writing based around or consisting of a list. |
| logbook | a book containing a detailed daily record of a ship's voyage. |
| longform | designating an unusually long piece of writing. |
| manga | (Japanese) a type of adult comic book popular in Japan. |
| marchen | (Ger.) a story or fable, a folktale No -S. |
| mazarinade | (Hist.) a satire or pamphlet against Cardinal Mazarin. |
| memoir | a biography. |
| memoirism | the act or art of writing memoirs. |
| metafiction | fiction which refers to or takes as its subject fictional writing and its conventions. |
| metafictional | relating to metafiction. |
| metanarrative | in postmodernist literary theory, a narrative about a narrative or narratives. |
| metaphrase | the turning of prose into verse or vice versa; (verb) to turn prose into verse or vice versa. |
| metaphrast | one who produces a metaphrase. |
| mimography | the writing of mimes. |
| momoir | a memoir written by a mother, concentrating on the experience of motherhood. |
| monograph | a special treatise on a particular subject of limited range; (verb) to write a monograph. |
| monographic | of or like a monograph. |
| monographical | of or like a monograph. |
| monographically | (Adv.) MONOGRAPHICAL, of or like a monograph. |
| monography | a monograph. |
| monolog | (US) a dramatic piece for a single performer; (verb) to perform a monolog. |
| monologize | to engage in a monolog. |
| monologue | a dramatic piece for a single performer; (verb) to perform a monologue. |
| monologuist | one who gives monologues. |
| monostrophe | a poem in which all the stanzas or strophes are written in the same metre. |
| narrational | relating to narration. |
| narrative | relating to story (noun) that which is narrated, a story |
| narratively | (Adv.) NARRATIVE, relating to story. |
| necrological | relating to necrology, the study of corpses. |
| necrology | an obituary list. |
| noctuary | a record of the events or one's thoughts during the night. |
| noir | (Fr.) a type of crime fiction. |
| noirish | pertaining to noir, a type of crime fiction. |
| nonfiction | literature or cinema that is not fictional. |
| nonnovel | a literary work that is not a novel. |
| notabilia | (Lat.) notable sayings; things worthy of notice. |
| nouvelle | (Fr.) a long short story. |
| novel | new (noun) a fictional prose narrative |
| noveldom | the world of fiction. |
| novelette | a short novel. |
| novelettish | having the properties of a novelette. |
| novelisation | the act of making into a novel. |
| novelise | to turn into a novel. |
| novelistic | relating to a novel eg a novelistic device. |
| novelistically | (Adv.) NOVELISTIC, relating to a novel. |
| novelization | the act of making into a novel. |
| novelize | to turn into a novel. |
| novella | (Ital.) a short novel a Roman emperor's decree |
| obitual | relating to an obit, a religious office for a dead person. |
| octapla | (Greek) a book of eight (especially Biblical) parallel texts. |
| opusculum | a short work. |
| orature | oral forms of literature such as folklore. |
| pandect | a treatise covering the whole of any subject, esp the complete laws of a country. |
| pandectist | one who writes a pandect, a treatise covering a subject exhaustively. |
| parable | a fable or story told to illustrate some doctrine or moral point; (verb) to tell parables. |
| parodic | having the character of parody. |
| parodical | having the character of parody. |
| parodistic | relating to parody. |
| parody | a burlesque or satirical imitation; (verb) to imitate a serious literary work for comic effect. |
| pasquil | (Ital.) a satire or lampoon; (verb) to ridicule with a lampoon. |
| pasquinade | (Fr.) a lampoon posted in a public place; (verb) to compose a pasquinade. |
| passional | a book containing accounts of the sufferings of saints and martyrs, for reading on their feast days. |
| pastiche | (Fr.) a literary, artistic, musical, or architectural work that imitates the style of previous work. |
| pasticheur | (Fr.) one who does pastiches. |
| pastoral | of literature, music, or works of art, portraying rural life or the life of shepherds, esp in an idealized or romantic form (noun) a pastoral poem, play etc |
| pastorally | (Adv.) PASTORAL, portraying rural life. |
| periegesis | a description in the manner of a tour; a journey through. |
| periodical | periodic (noun) a periodical publication |
| philavery | an idiosyncratic collection of uncommon and pleasing words. |
| photonovel | a novel in the form of a series of photographs with speech balloons. |
| physiologus | a work containing descriptions of animals; a bestiary. |
| picaresque | (Fr.) pertaining to rogues, esp applied to literature about rogues and vagabonds; (noun) a story of rogues. |
| playbook | a printed play or book of plays. |
| playlet | a short play. |
| pornomag | a pornographic magazine. |
| potboiler | a work in art or literature produced merely with regard to saleability. |
| preface | to provide with an introductory statement. |
| prefacial | relating to a preface. |
| prequel | a book, film, etc., portraying events which precede those of an existing work. |
| procedural | relating to procedure (noun) a realist crime novel with a specific focus |
| procedurally | (Adv.) PROCEDURAL, relating to procedure. |
| prodromus | a prefatory work; an initial symptom of a disease. |
| prolegomenal | of the nature of a prolegomenon, introduction. |
| prolegomenary | of the nature of a prolegomenon, introductory. |
| prolegomenon | prefatory remarks; specifically, a formal essay or critical discussion serving to introduce and interpret an extended work. |
| prolegomenous | of the nature of a prolegomenon, introduction. |
| promptuary | a repository; a reference book of facts. |
| prooemion | a preface. |
| prose | ordinary spoken and written language with words in direct straightforward arrangement without metrical structure (verb) to write prose |
| proselike | like prose. |
| proverb | a short familiar saying expressing a supposed truth or moral lesson; (verb) to speak of proverbially. |
| proverbial | of or like a proverb. |
| proverbially | (Adv.) PROVERBIAL, of or like a proverb. |
| rhopalic | having each successive word longer by a letter or syllable. |
| rhopalism | a sentence or poem in which each word is one syllable longer than its predecessor. |
| roman | a mediaeval romance; a tale of chivalry. |
| romaunt | (Arch.) a romantic story in verse. |
| saga | a medieval Scandinavian narrative. |
| satire | the use of derisive wit to attack folly or wickedness. |
| satiric | of or like satire. |
| satirical | of or like satire. |
| satirically | (Adv.) SATIRICAL, of or like satire. |
| satiricalness | the state of being satirical. |
| sententia | (Lat.) an aphorism; an opinion. |
| shojo | (Japanese) manga intended primarily for girls No -S. |
| sottisier | (Fr.) a collection of jokes, ridiculous remarks etc. |
| sourcebook | a book of original documents for (esp historic) study. |
| spicilege | a gleaning, an anthology. |
| splatterpunk | a genre of fiction centring on extremely gory scenes. |
| steampunk | a genre of science fiction set in an era of steam power, esp. Victorian Britain. |
| storiette | a short tale. |
| storiologist | a folklorist. |
| storiology | the study of folk tales. |
| story | a narrative; (verb) to relate. |
| storybook | a book of tales true or fictitious, esp one for children. |
| storyette | a short tale. |
| storyless | without a story. |
| subliterature | popular writing (as mystery or adventure stories) considered inferior to standard literature. |
| summa | (Lat.) a comprehensive treatise. |
| sutra | (Sanskrit) a precept; an aphorism; a brief rule. |
| sutta | (Sanskrit) a precept; an aphorism; a brief rule. |
| synonymicon | a dictionary of synonyms, a thesaurus. |
| textbook | a book used in the study of a subject. |
| thanatography | the narrative of a death. |
| thanatopsis | a meditation upon death. |
| thesaural | relating to a thesaurus. |
| thesaurus | (Lat.) a storehouse of knowledge; a dictionary of synonyms. |
| threequel | a film, play, book etc that is a sequel to a first sequel. |
| thriller | one that thrills. |
| tractate | a treatise; a tract. |
| triadist | a composer of triads. |
| triglot | in three languages; (noun) a book written in three languages. |
| trilogy | a work in three parts. |
| unsatirical | not satirical. |
| varia | (Lat.) a literary miscellany. |
| versicular | of or in verse. |
| whodunit | a murder mystery. |
| whodunitry | the genre of whodunit writing. |
| whodunnit | a murder mystery. |
| whodunnitry | the genre of whodunit writing. |
| whydunit | a novel or film concerned with the motives rather than the identity of the criminal. |
| whydunnit | a novel or film concerned with the motives rather than the identity of the criminal. |
| wordbook | a dictionary or list of words. |
| workbook | a book containing details of work done or to be done. |
| wuxia | (Chinese) a genre of Chinese fiction involving the adventures of sword-wielding heroes. |
| yearbook | an annual publication by a society etc., dealing with events or aspects of the (usu. preceding) year. |
| yellowback | a cheap sensational novel. |