Where I share my love of books with reviews, features, giveaways and memes. Family and needlepoint are thrown in from time to time.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Wondrous Words 2-18-2009


Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. To join in the fun, post your words on your blog and then leave a message over at Bermudaonion's Blog!

My words this week are from Trail of Crumbs by Kim Sunee.

1. Prestidigitator - Used like this: He loves games, is always inventing new contraptions, and I like teaching him new words. Prestidigitator. Merlin the Magician. Houdini.

Definition: Performance of or skill in performing magic or conjuring tricks with the hands.

2. Asphodel - Used like this: There are asphodel and bright golden genet, huge chestnut trees with their leaves spread out like wilted stars.

Definition: Any of several chiefly Mediterranean plants of the genera Asphodeline and Asphodelus in the lily family, having linear leaves and elongate clusters of white, pink, or yellow flowers.

(I also wondered what genet was in the sentence above - but could not find a definition that had to do with plants!)

3. Langoustes - Used like this: We roast whole langoustes and potatoes in the open fire, read piles of thick books.

Definition: Spiny lobster

Well - those are my words for this week. I am sure that I will have more from this book - lots of cooking of foods that I am unfamiliar with and mostly set in countries foreign to me!

Thanks Bermudaonion for finally making me look these up and not just skipping right over them!

5 comments:

Kitten said...

The French word for lobster is "Langoste." That's where the word comes from!

Anonymous said...

Good words. I'd never heard of the first two and thought I knew the lobster one. I agree with you that this is a fun thing but also good for us. I have more incentive to stop and look up the words I come to.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for playing along! Trail of Crumbs is in my TBR pile, so I'll have to refer to this post when I read it.

Anonymous said...

Very nice words this week! My brother used to be a magician, so I did know the first one. And I thought I knew "asphodel" until I tried to describe it to myself, and then realized I didn't have a clue. So I learned something here.

And I'd never heard of "langoustes." Great way to learn new words!

Meanwhile, mine is here

Joanne ♦ The Book Zombie said...

Great words, I especially like Prestidigitator - I think I heard the term used in reference to a person rolling a coin across their knuckles before.
I knew what Langoste was, but only because I love seafood and alot of dishes use that in the title.

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