This week, we have an interesting word from what I thought would be an unlikely source. The other words are dual sourced. They’re from a book I read a long time ago and just re-discovered the words as I was reading another’s book blog.
The first is from the blog Stargazing written by Malene Arpe, a columnist at the Toronto star.
Ameliorate: To make a bad or unpleasant situation better. Malene used it in the past tense. She ameliorated a situation. The original post can be found here. The definition is found here.
The next three were re-discovered while reading Teadevotee’s blog at amused, bemused and confused. She was posting after having just read Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre was such a fantastic story, something I could never forget, but apparently these three words have slipped my mind.
Blent: An archaic or literary term. A past tense or past participle for blend. Definition can be found here. [Side note: Google tried to suggest “blunt” as an alternative.]
Cachination: Raucous laughter. Can also be used to describe inappropriate laughter, sometimes found in schizophrenia. Even though I don’t remember it, I’m pretty sure Charlotte Brontë was using that to describe the wife. Definition can be found here.
Moiety: A half. One of two parts of divisions of something. Definition can be found here.
Which word do I like the most? Which will actually make it into my usage? Well, I can see myself accidentally saying “blent” instead of “blend” and no one really noticing anyway. Maybe I’ll do it on purpose, just to test the theory. Maybe that will ameliorate any tense situation I could find myself in.
No comments:
Post a Comment