Words go extinct just like rare animals, and it's a shame.

Whatever happened to "shall"? And "whom"?

When was the last time you used either one in conversation? I'm betting never.

When I was growing up, those words were common currency. They denoted a certain formality: "To whom do you wish to speak?" It has a deliciously pretentious air that instantly disarms the inquirer, lets him or her know that he/she is in polite company and should be on his/her best behavior.

And isn't it sort of grand how the Civil Rights anthem "We shall overcome" reflects the Bible?
What if they'd sung, instead, "We will overcome"? "Will" doesn't have the weight of "shall".

I'm not saying we ought not scrap certain words from time to time: "participle" is pretty much gone (any idea what it means?), as is "verisimilitude", a great old word that died, I think, pretty much because it had too many syllables. We're in a hurry these days and don't have time to mouth such a word -- especially since no one else knows what it means anyway.

A quick perusal -- uh oh, there's another one -- of the dictionary reveals words that, because they don't refer to anything relavant to modern life, have been more or less annihilated. (And isn't "annihilated" itself a splendid word?) On a single dictionary page, you'll find "crypt" and "cudgel" and even "cuff link". A few pages over, there's "cursive" and "curvaceous" and "cuspidor". All these words describe outdated customs or values, or stuff we just don't talk about any more (e.g., the cuff links) . . . or never knew about (e.g., "cudgels" and "cuspidor[s]".

But what about such wonderfully evocative words as "cur"? A great insult: "You, sir, are no better than a common cur." (Cur, by the way, is a mongrel dog.) It indicates not just contempt for one's adversary but also control over one's emotions. Consider this alternative: "I'm going to stab you to death, motherfucker!" Doesn't the second give you a chill? Doesn't the first, when you think back, calm you? The first guy may end up shooting you in a duel, but you know that he will first give you a chance to gracefully demur (another excellent word on its way out). The second guy doesn't want to -- and probably can't -- talk about it; he wants to kill you.

There are so many words that are going extinct -- because we don't use them, or even know them -- that it's worth noting. We shouldn't try to retrieve them all, but we should lament their passing.

Think of "curmudgeon". Don't we all know crusty old men, usually ill-tempered but sometimes surprisingly tender (e.g., with grandchildren or with memories), who could be called this? Can you think of a better word for these old guys?

One of my own personal favorites is "strumpet". The dictionary defines it as "prostitute", but you know as well as I do, just from looking at the word and letting it trip out over your tongue, that it means a lot more than that. It conjures a pretty and saucy girl who plays men like they were instruments. Sure she's loose and makes lots of mistakes, but wouldn't you like to spend a little time with her?

Ours is a living language, and we have to expect, even welcome, constant changes. For instance, I have no objection to "online" and "input" and "networking". They all reflect, for better or worse, who we are and what we're becoming. They're all related to the computer, and they're all here to stay, so get used to it.

But they don't have much music in them, do they?

Have you ever heard the word "fey" (pronounced "fay")? Probably not. It means anything from gifted to crazy to doomed, or even fated to die. It was never used more than sparingly, and it's not used at all anymore. Too bad.

Oh, and when (on the same dictionary page) was the last time someone called you "fickle"? Does anyone refer to a disaster of judgment as a "fiasco" any more? And what in the world is/was "fiberboard"?

Look 'em up. It's worth your time.