word of the day: unctuous

the word of the day is: UNCTUOUS

i was doing audio-book-on-amy on the way to hockey the other day, and in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince that word came up... weird word, so i looked it up.
this morning while brushing my teeth i was continuing reading Wicked, and this word came up again... at least this time i know the meaning.

UNCTUOUS
Main Entry: unc·tu·ous
Pronunciation: '&[ng](k)-ch&-w&s, -ch&s, -shw&s
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French or Medieval Latin; Middle French unctueux, from Medieval Latin unctuosus, from Latin unctus act of anointing, from unguere to anoint
1 a : FATTY, OILY b : smooth and greasy in texture or appearance
2 : PLASTIC
3 : full of unction; especially : revealing or marked by a smug, ingratiating, and false earnestness or spirituality

i think this is an interesting word, mostly because i didn't know how to pronounce it or how to dissect it to guesstimate a meaning. it's like one of those words would would make up in the game of Balderdash!

by the way Wicked has been a pretty funny book... i'm half torn in thinking maybe i should actually sit down to watch Wizard of Oz first to get the "original story" before proceeding the rest of Wicked... no i've never watched Wizard of Oz, it's on every holiday Thanksgiving/Christmas time period, i know. i manage to not watch it every time it's on. sure i know the quotes "we're not in Kansas anymore", references to the red ruby slippers, "...i'm melting..." screech... i've just never WATCHED the whole thing. why is it such a popular movie anyway??