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 Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark by Donna Lea Simpson.
1. Stygian - Used like this: Stunted trees near the post-house huddled in stygian shadows, and shutters blotted out any light from the interior fire and lamps.
Definition: Gloomy and dark. Infernal; hellish.
2. palanquin - Used like this: King Irusan, sensed an admirer and so allows me to serve as his palanquin.
Definition: A covered litter carried on poles on the shoulders of four or more bearers, formerly used in eastern Asia.
3. bruited - Used like this: There were ladies in society who kept a list of all eligible men, and he was on it, though never the first, for his abhorrence of marriage was well known and bruited about town as an example of his eccentricity.
Definition: To spread news of; repeat.
4. amour propre - Used like this: A woman of humble appearance needed all the help a talented hairdresser could summon so her image at that moment was shocking to Anne's modest amour propre.
Definition: self-esteem
5. crenellated - Used like this: "There," he said, pointing to the dark tower, a dry-moated, crenellated castle keep, "is the original section, the keep."
Definition: Having battlements.
6. phaeton - Used like this: Anne glanced toward the castle and noted a phaeton with a standing horse; she hadn't noticed it as her attention was turned toward the ruined section.
Definition: A light, four-wheeled open carriage, usually drawn by a pair of horses.
7. nacre - Used like this: Dew clung to her skin, giving it the sheen of nacre, and her pink tongue, darting out to wet her trembling lips, was a silly little enticement.
Definition: mother-of-pearl
8. sallies - Used like this: You make humorous comments, and I laugh at your sallies, Lady Anne.
Definition: A sudden quick witticism; a quip.
9. dudgeon - Used like this: He departed in high dudgeon.
Definition: A sullen, angry, or indignant humor.
10. pounce pot - Used like this: It had inside a multitude of drawers holding ink bottles, quills, sealing wax, seals, paper, a pounce pot, sand to fill it with, and a pen knife.
Definition: Pounce pots provided a means of drying ink once it had been written on a page. They were small containers with perforated tops (like pepper pots) that contained a powdery material that was sprinkled on the just written text to dry any excess moisture.
I could go on and on this week - I have learned many new words from this book!
3 comments:
Wow, you found lots of words this week. I knew quite a few of them, but bruited, dudgeon and pounce pot are totally new to me.
Here are my Wondrous Words for this week.
Wow, that book has a lot of great words in it. I thought I could figure out amour propre, but I was way off. Thanks for playing along.
Wow - 10 new words in one book is a lot. Did you have to sit with the dictionary in one hand? Just kidding. Some were rather fun to learn. Thanks.
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