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Glite Dictionary
🌵 A desert plant 👾 A fictional creature
boojum

boojum

9.9
An imaginary creature in Lewis Carroll's poem or a rare defect in physics
  • noun
  • /ˈbuːdʒəm/
  • Literature
translation icon : boojum
  • In the story, encountering a boojum could lead to unexpected adventures and mysteries.

Examples

  • Before, the boojums were people—people called Cotootaj.

    Academic text (1997)

  • They were people then, but they were changed into boojums when the rising waters reached their feet.

    Academic text (1997)

  • "Poor boojum," she said.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • In Lewis Carroll's poem, the boojum is a creature that can make you disappear.

  • The scientist explained that a boojum in physics refers to a rare type of topological defect.

Synonyms

Cheshire cat
vsboojum
  • Literature
3 7.9

A cat in a story with a wide, strange smile that can disappear

also serves as a rare physics term besides the fictional sense
Jabberwock
vsboojum
  • Literature
1 9.9

A frightening made-up monster in Lewis Carroll's poem Jabberwocky

also serves as a rare physics term besides the fictional sense
snark
vsboojum
  • Archaic
1 9.9

An imaginary animal invented by Lewis Carroll in a famous poem

also serves as a rare physics term besides the fictional sense
bandersnatch
vsboojum
  • Literature
9.9

A made-up creature people use to mean something strange

also serves as a rare physics term besides the fictional sense

Compounds

boojum tree
  • US
1 9.9

A tall desert tree with a thick trunk, spines and creamy yellow flowers

Surface Forms

boojum singular
boojums plural

Etymology

Boojum was invented by Lewis Carroll in his poem 'The Hunting of the Snark' for a strange, mysterious creature that could frighten people or vanish without a trace, which gives the word a playful, spooky feeling. Scientists later borrowed the name for a rare, odd defect in physics because that defect is unusual and hard to spot, just like Carroll's creature.