LUDIC: or, relating to, or characterized by play: playful
Here's a serious word, just for fun. That is to say, it means "fun," but it was created in all seriousness around 1940 by psychologists. They wanted a term to describe what children do, and they came up with "ludic activity." That may seem ludicrous (why not just call it playing?), but the word "ludic" caught on and it's not all child's play anymore. It can refer to architecture that is playful, narrative that is humorous and even satirical, and literature that is light. "Ludic" is ultimately from the Latin noun ludus, which refers to a whole range of fun things - stage shows, games, sports, even jokes. The more familiar word "ludicrous" traces back to the same source.
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