Playing with words

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Or collecting words. What have you. I was visiting by phone with my daughter last night. She asked me if I knew the word comestible or not. I did. I countered by asking if she knew comfit, and viands. I have learned viands here from some of my friends, especially in the Philippines. Comfit was a word I learned from Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. All of these words are actually in reference to something to eat. Viands, as the dictionary relates, comes from the same Latin words as Victuals and Vittles. It actually refers back to "life" or "to live". When my friends here speak of their viands I mentally think "meat dish". They can correct me if I am wrong. A comfit is a sweet treat, like dried fruits or nuts or seeds that have a candy coating. Comestibles are food stuffs. Or used as an adjective, it means "edible". A little boy of my daughter's acquaintance, not one of her sons, told his mother "The English language has lots of interesting words. I am going to learn some of them this summer". I am sure he will become a great conversationalist.