outwith

This preposition appeals to me because it is used almost exclusively abstractly, and is altogether rare. It is quite simply (and dully, I suppose) used to describe something that is external to or beyond some boundary or space. "Proust was outwith the realm of the canine's intellect," one might say. I suppose one more reason I like this word is that it is a somewhat spicy alternative to words like "outside," words that some of us write simply because there are only so many ways to say a certain thing in English. It's nice to find a way to liven up a sentence in unexpected areas; some words just grab a reader's attention for a moment. Out with the humdrum, in with the unusual.

EDIT: I just reread this and noticed that I described this word as both "dull" and "spicy" in the same entry. In actuality, the "dull" comment was to compensate somewhat for the embarrassment I felt when I realized how excited I was getting over a single word. As in, "Okay, I'm not suffering under the illusion that the average person who comes across this blog will give a shit about a word." I do like them, though.