Words!

I know it's been a while, but I have words that I want to share!

Stately Argosy

*I started Word(s) of the Week ages ago so that I could share all the new, brilliant, crazy words I kept coming across in my readings of fiction, articles, blogs, etc.*

From Sonnets From The Portuguese, by Elizabeth Barrett Browning:

Sonnet II:

Amerce: To impose a fine on.

Oxford * Wikitionary

Sonnet III:

Athwart: From side to side; Across the path (of something); In opposition of.

Oxford * Wikitionary

An Argosy

Sonnet XIX:

Argosies: Plural of argosy

Argosy: A large merchant ship.

Oxford * Wikitionary

Sonnet XIX:

Purpureal: Of a purple colour.

Wikitionary

Via Wikimedia Commons

Sonnet XXVII:

Asphodel: Eurasian plant of the lily family, typically having long slender leaves and flowers borne on a spike.

Oxford * Wikitionary

Sonnet XLIV:

Eglantine: A Eurasian rose, Rosa eglanteria, having prickly stems, fragrant leaves, pink flowers and red hips. Another word for Sweet Briar.

Oxford * Wikitionary

via Wikimedia Commons

From Undead Reckoning, by Mike Slabon

(pg 337) Wattle and Daub: "Wattle and daub is a composite building material used for making walls, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw."

Wikipedia

Word of the Week!

Dante and Virgil

From “The Man In The Black Suit” in Everything’s Eventual, by Stephen King:

Propitiate (pg 69) - (transitive, dated) To conciliate, appease or make peace with someone, particularly a god or spirit.
(I guess that’s what you do when you think the devil is going to eat you.)

From The Book Mine Set:

Asymtote - In analytic geometry, an asymptote of a curve is a line such that the distance between the curve and the line approaches zero as they tend to infinity. Some sources include the requirement that the curve may not cross the line infinitely often, but this is unusual for modern authors.[1] In some contexts, such as algebraic geometry, an asymptote is defined as a line which is tangent to a curve at infinity.
1. (analysis) A straight line which a curve approaches arbitrarily closely, as they go to infinity. The limit of the curve, its tangent "at infinity".
2. (by extension, figuratively) Anything which comes near to but never meets something else.
(I knew it was some sort of math thing, I just didn’t know what exactly.)

From here

So… a PDF program taught me a word (Win2PDF):

Prepend - (computing, linguistics, transitive) To attach (an expression, phrase, etc.) to another, as a prefix.
(The PDF program asked me if I wanted to Append, Prepend, Replace or Cancel; I had to figure out what Prepend was.)

Thanks for joining me.  Learn anything new this past month (or even year!)?

Word of the Week(s)!

*I started Word(s) of the Week ages ago so that I could share all the new, brilliant, crazy words I kept coming across in my readings of fiction, articles, blogs, etc.*

This week (month) I'm thanking two brilliant ladies for words.

I don't know if this really goes
with the word...

From Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling:

Obstreperous (pg 53):

1. Attended by, or making, a loud and tumultuous noise; boisterous.

"The obstreperous mirth swiftly turned into yells of dismay."

2. Noisily and stubbornly defiant.

I think my toddler can be obstreperous.... 

Prurience (pg 216):  The quality of being prurient.

Prurient: 

1. Uneasy with desire; itching; especially, having a lascivious anxiety or propensity; lustful.

2. Arousing or appealing to sexual desire.

3. Curious, especially inappropriately so.

From Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley:

Rembrant

Syndics (pg 31)

1. A government official, a magistrate, especially one of the Chief Magistrates of Geneva.

2. (law) An agent of a corporation, or of any body of people engaged in a business enterprise; an advocate or patron; an assignee.

Maybe I should turn this into "new words whenever I get time to share them"....?

Word of the Week!

I have words!  I'm so happy to share a few words this week.  Thanks you Ms. Moran!

From How To Be A Woman, by Caitlin Moran:

Ebullience (pg 5):  The quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings.

(I thought the tree was ebullient)

Deleterious (pg 13): Harmful often in a subtle or unexpected way (as for example deleterious effects, deleterious to health).

Pilloried (pg 13): Simple past tense and past participle of pillory.  

Pillory (verb):    1. To put in a pillory.

2. To subject to humiliation, scorn, ridicule or abuse.

3. To criticize harshly.

(noun): A framework on a post, with holes for the hands and head, used as a means of punishment and humiliation.

Did you learn anything new this week?

*All definitions come from the Wiktionary.

*Both pictures from Wikimedia Commons

Word of the Week!

Hurricane Isabelle

I don't have any words!  Nothing.  For the last two weeks.  When I first was doing this, just over a year ago, I was finding words all the time.  I found words in fiction, non-fiction, newspapers, blog posts, everywhere!  I might skip a week, but never two.

Where have all the good words gone?

Word of the Week!

It’s been over a year, but I’ve decided to start up my Word of the Week again.  I miss it.  I miss sharing with you all the words that come up in my various reading.

All of this week’s words come from Forty Stories, a collection of short stories put together by Cal Morgan from Harper Perennial.  (My thoughts on the stories will be posted on Monday.)

Haploid vs. Diploid
image from here

From Barnacles of the Fuzz, by D. Foy (Forty Stories)

Jitney (Kindle location 742):
A small bus or minibus which typically operates service on a fixed route, sometimes scheduled.

Haploid (Kindle location 742):
Of a cell of nucleus having a single set of unpaired chromosomes.

From Djeser Djeseru (Splendor of Splendors), by Paula Younger (Forty Stories)

Corniche image from here. (c) Arnaud Clerget

Corniche (Kindle location 1876):
A road cut into the edge of a cliff, esp. one running along a coast.

From Eighty-six Way to Cross One Desert, by Alexander Lumans (Forty Stories)

Alacritous (Kindle location 2207):
Brisk, speedy, with alacrity, quick and eager.

Everyone Loves a Person Who Doesn’t Give a F*$# About Anything, by Laura Jane Faulds (Forty Stories)

Pulsatile (Kindle location 2346):
Pulsating or vibrating.
Characterized by pulses.

Tinnitus (Kindle location 2346):
The perception of noise such as a ringing or beating sound, which has no external source.
Rung, jingled, having been jingled.
Cried, screamed, having been screamed in a shrill voice.
A ringing, jingling, tinkling.
(I didn’t realize this was going to be such a complex word.)

Granaby, by Brandon Hobson (Forty Stories)

Dyspneic (Kindle location 3382):
Afflicted with Dyspnea; possessing unhealthy breathing.

Impetigo (Kindle location 3444):
A contagious bacterial skin disease forming pustules and yellow crusty sores, chiefly on the face and hands. It is common in children and infection is often through cuts or insect bites.

Head Down, Palm Up, by Mitchell S. Jackson (Forty Stories)

Semaphore

Semaphore (Kindle location 3745):
A system of sending messages by holding the arms or two flags or poles in certain positions according to an alphabetic code.

Hers, by O.A. Lindsey (Forty Stories)

Sclerotic (Kindle location 3943):
Of or having sclerosis.
Becoming rigid and unresponsive; losing the ability to adapt.
Of or relating to the sclera.

That’s a lot of words.  I doubt each week will have that many.  In Forty Stories there are so many great authors writing fantastic stories, that I’m not surprised I had to look up more than a few words.

Learned any new words lately?

*Definitions from Wikitionary and Kindle app.

Word of the Week!

I couldn’t let another week pass without posting the Word of the Week. The reason there haven’t been any posts is because I haven’t come across any new words. I’m hoping that one of the books I’ll be reading next will change that. Instead, this week I wanted to post about a word I see all the time. I know what it means contextually, but I didn’t know if I could define it.

Harbinger: Originally it meant a person that is sent in advance to provide lodging.
Now, it means a person or thing that foreshadows the coming of something or someone. A herald.
I frequently see this word in the context of something negative: “harbinger of death”. After reading the actual definition, I think it could be used positively: “harbinger of life” and whatever other good thing you want announced before it arrived.

Though I have no story/blog/article to attribute it to, that’s my word of the week!

Word of the Week!

Two new words this week…

From In The Skin Of A Lion

Pelmanism (pg 189): A system of training to improve the memory; a memory card game where a pack of cards is spread out face down and players try to turn up pairs.

From The Dark Tower: Battle of Jericho Hill

Rictus (chpt 5): A bird’s gaping mouth; any open-mouthed expression.
It is used to describe Walter’s non-smile.

Learned any new words from your books this week?

Word of the Week!

From In The Skin Of A Lion:

Detritus (pg 145): Pieces of rock broken off by ice, glacier or erosion; debris.
Personal Note: I don’t know if it’s just me, but this is one time where I think they author could have just used the word “debris”. “Detritus and chaos” versus “debris and chaos”, I think it might have been easier for the reader to understand. What do you think?

Sumac Bracelet (pg 146): Sumac – any variety of shrubs or small trees of the Rhus genus, including poison ivy and poison oak. Or, a sour spice popular in the Easter Mediterranean made from the berries of the plant.
Personal Note: I’m inclined to think that the bracelet was made out of poison ivy or oak, but that still seems weird.

Learned any new words from your books this week?

Word of the Week!

This week, one of the words came from an unexpected source…

From Reality Check at the Toronto Star,

Castigating (in the second of the larger paragraphs): To punish, criticize severely, to reprimand severely.

My other source, was much more expected…

From In The Skin Of A Lion,

Ablutions (pg 43): The act of washing or cleansing the body.

Supine (pg 49): To lay back, be lethargic or passive. It’s apparently an old word.

Feldspar (pg 53): Any of a large group of rock-forming minerals that, together, make up about 60% of the earth's outer crust. The feldspars are all aluminum silicates of the alkali metals sodium, potassium, calcium and barium.

This one was a little technical.

Word Of The Week!

I started a Word Of The Week feature/event/whatever last summer. I had been frequently coming across words I didn’t know and thought I’d share them with the blog world. Well, then I went and got myself pregnant. So there was sickness among other things keeping me from continuing to post this. I miss doing it though, so I’m going to start it up again. I will likely only post on weeks where I find a word or words I want to share. Also, my baby is due at the beginning of July, so if it stops for a while again over the summer (likely the whole blog will be on pause), don’t be surprised.

I’ve decided, to make things simpler for myself, to use Wiktionary and Wikipedia as my sources for definitions. If I can not find a definition/explanation on one of these two sites, then I’ll go out into the interwebs to find something. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll try to glean a definition from the context of the story.

From In The Skin Of A Lion:

Naphtha [Lamp] (pg 14)
• Naturally-occurring liquid petroleum.
• Any of a wide variety of aliphatic or aromatic liquid hydrocarbon mixtures distilled from petroleum or coal tar, especially as used in solvents or petrol.
• A naphtha lamp is what young Patrick used to light his home one evening.

From Herman Wouk Is Still Alive:

Assignation (pg 7 – if you print it)
• An appointment for a meeting, generally of a romantic or sexual nature.
• Modern usage of the word has narrowed the meaning to an agreed upon place for illicit sex. The earlier use of the word was broader an in general more innocent.
• A reader might think that assignation is being used in reference to the two women in the van, but it’s actually referring to the elderly couple at the rest stop.

I hope I find the time and the words to post again next week. Anyone else come across a new word or two?

Word of the Week!

This week’s only word comes from a dark graphic novel.

From Stephen King’s (et al.) The Dark Tower: Treachery

Perfidy: An act of deceit; violating faith, trust, promises, vows etc. It is very fitting when a young Roland Deschain uses this word to describe his mother. Perfidy can be equated to treason or treachery.

It’s interesting that they’ve used a synonym for treachery in the novel, a word very fitting with the atmosphere of the story.  Would I ever use this word?  First I’d have to learn how to pronounce it without it sounded a little silly.

Word of The Week!

Last week I found myself without a lot of free time. The week before, I actually had no new words. I seem to be making up for it this week.

From Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo:

[Greek] Amphora, (pbk, pg 58) – An amphora is a type of vase with two handles and a long, narrow neck.

Avuncular, (pbk, pg 67) – Pertaining to an uncle. A kind uncle.

From Carol Shield’s short story, Stop! (in the collection Dressing Up For The Carnival:

Anathema, (hc, pg 62) – Originally it meant something lifted up as a gift to the gods. It has come to mean something/someone that has been formally set apart or exiled. It makes sense in the case of the Queen.

Triannulus, (hc, pg 62) – I can’t find it…. In the story, they speak of the third Triannulus of her reign. I think it means the third era or stage of her reign.

From Ahab’s The Republic of Gilead:

Undergird (posted 10-10-10) – To strengthen from beneath. It can be used in engineering terms and in moral terms.

There are a lot of interesting words this week. I liked the stories and posts the words came from. Will I use any of them in the future? I don’t know.

Word of The Week!

This week, we’re back with a couple words from the book that keeps on giving.

From Under The Dome by Stephen King.

Excrescence: describes and outgrowth of something on something else. It is usually used to descibe and abnormal or disfiguring growth. They found the thing that is generating the Dome; excrescence is used to describe a part of it that’s sticking out.

Apostate: Is used to describe someone who has renouced thier faith. No matter what he thinks, this word definitely describes Jim Rennie. The word was used by Chef Bushey to describe Big Jim Rennie, who thinks he is following the path of God, but in fact, he is doing whatever he wants and is manipulating scripture (the Bible) to justify his terrible actions.

I don’t think I’ll ever have occasion to use excrescence, but there are people who I’m sure have been described as apostate. That word will likely get used in the future.

Word Of The Week!

This week’s words have a few different sources – two blogs and a short story.

From Virginia Woolf’s The Mysterious Case of Miss V.

Neuter: In the context of Woolf’ story, is a noun of the neuter gender. The neuter term is what the narrator says she is using in reference to Miss V. She equates Miss V. to a shadow of a piece of furniture; therefore she uses the neutral, not feminized terminology.

From Ahab at Republic of Gilead.

Proselytization: Is a way of converting people to another opinion, particularly to another religion. In modern times proselytization/proselytism have negative connotations, used to describe a forced conversion. Ahab is talking about Kirk Cameron speaking in Maryland.

From Jen at The Broke and The Bookish.

Facetiously: A flippant manner; treating a serious issue with deliberately inappropriate humour. Each week The Broke and The Bookish host Top Ten Tuesday. Each Tuesday you create a top ten list, the topic of which is given the week before at the end of the previous post. This week, Jen posted her top ten favourite words and facetiously was number two. Did you know that all the vowels appear in order?

I like facetiously the best. It’s a word I might actually use (after I learn how to pronounce it properly).

Word Of The Week!

There are some interesting words this week, most provided by Stephen King. I haven’t finished Under The Dome yet. It’s a really long book!

From Under The Dome:

Incantatory: Comes from Incantation, which is a charm or spell created by words. You can find the definition here. King uses the word to describe Lissa’s walk. She’s the school librarian and known for being a little different than everyone else. Is King therefore saying that this character has a magical walk?

Declamatory: Marked by passion or pomposity. Bombastic? King used declamatory to describe a gunshot. I guess you could have a bombastic type gunshot, right?Ululating: Means to howl or wail with grief, which is perfectly fitting when describing a scream during a bloody riot.

From Sleep Talkin’ Man:

Acrimonious: Karen uses this word to describe Adam’s relationship with mole hills. Apparently Adam is bitter towards them.

Four new words this week! I’m not sure incantatory is a real word. Were you making up a new word, Mr. King? In real life, I’m not sure I’d use any of these words. In blogging/writing life, I could see myself using acrimonious, so that’s the best new word this week.

Side Note: I was trying to post Word of the Week every Friday, but the last few weeks it hasn’t happened. I don’t know if it’s just that this has been a particularly busy time for me (which it has been) or if it’s something that can’t happen on a Friday. I’m going to see what happens in the coming weeks. I’ll either do better and keep it (normally) on Fridays or I might move it to Sundays. If anyone has any thoughts on this, I’d love to hear them.

Word of the Week!

Alas, there is only one word this week.

From Stephen King’s Under the Dome.

Chivvy: To vex or harass with petty attacks; to maneuver or secure gradually. Both of these definitions are applicable to the current political situation in the small town of Chester Mills as Barbie and Big Jim Rennie vie for power.

Also, for any Canadians reading this and who like Stephen King, Under The Dome (trade paperback) is on sale this weekend at Chapters for only $10! Regular price is $24.99. I warn you, though I’m really enjoying the book, it is super long.

Word of the Week!

This week’s words are varied in their meaning and sources.

From Alice French’s Spring and Summer.

Muskeg: An acidic soil type common in Arctic and boreal areas. It makes sense that this word was used since the short story took place on the Canadian tundra. A better description of muskeg can be found here.

From the blog, Stargazing.

Barnet: British slang for hair. From rhyming slang, Barnet fair hair (whatever that means). Stargazing was quoting the British Sun, who wrote an article on Emma Watson’s new hair, which apparently has to do with her attempt to land the lead role in The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo. [Aside: Am I the only one in the world who hasn’t read this book?]

From the blog, Sleep Talkin’ Man.

Numpty: Also British slang. It’s another word for “moron”. If you haven’t checked out the Sleep Talkin’ Man blog, I suggest you do. It’s hilarious.

I feel like all of the words can be a part of my vocabulary. I think I like “numpty” the best. I feel like I can use it here and no one would know what I was saying.

Word of the Week!

I only have one entry this week. I’ve had a pretty busy week. There’s been a lot of family time (my daughter is growing up so fast!), a lot of visiting and getting things done around the house. I’ve still been reading, but not a lot of new words have come my way. I chose this one, because, while in context I knew what it meant, if I had to give a definition, I don’t think I’d be able to.

This week’s only entry is from Stephen King’s Under The Dome.

Shambled: The past tense of shamble. To walk in while shuffling or dragging the feet. To walk slowly and awkwardly, without lifting your feet correctly. The definitions are from Wiktionary and the Cambridge Dictionary. Junior Rennie is shambling his way home after doing something rather bad. He’s so self-involved, he doesn’t even know the Dome exists yet.

Word of the Week!

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.