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 are from all over this week:
1. factotums - Used like this: Their assistants sat at desks outside the CEs' offices, guarding their doors, acting as secretaries, factotums, and girl/guy Fridays. (p5, Hollywood is Like High School with Money)
Definition: An employee or assistant who serves in a wide range of capacities.
2. fealty - Used like this: Though we pretended fealty and friendship to everyone, essentially we represented two extra votes in Missy's favor. (p31, The Last Days of the Lacuna Cabal)
Definition: Faithfulness, allegiance
3. limns - Used like this: A major author in terms of critical acclaim and bestseller status, Anita Shreve limns the secrets at the core of our closest relationships and the ways in which lives
can turn on the axis of a single catastrophic event. (back cover, A Change in Altitude)
Definition: to describe
4. denouement - Used like this: The remarkable emotional energy with which the Coatses wage their daily battles - as they negotiate with their former owner, as they assist escaped slaves en route to freedom, as they prepare for the encroaching war, and as they strive to love each other enough -- is what propels Stand the Storm and makes the novel's startling denouement so powerfully affecting. (back cover, Stand the Storm)
Definition: The events following the climax of a drama or novel in which such a resolution or clarification takes place.
What words did you learn this week?
6 comments:
I feel like a factotum sometimes. ;-) I'll have to call myself that and see what my husband says. ha.
I've read factotum many times and assumed it meant something else. Now I know. Sure makes a difference when one actually looks up the words.
Love the vocabulary section...I may have to follow just so I can learn new words!
Very interesting words. I knew limn because Michiko Kakutani, a reviewer for The New York Times uses it so often in her book reviews. I've finally done my first Wondrous Words post:
http://freshinkbooks.blogspot.com/2009/07/waiting-on-wednesday-july-29.html
I use denoument a lot in my poetry! Did you know I write poetry too?
Just click on my name to get there!
Wondrous Words Wednesday
Great words! My dog exhibits fealty all the time. I don't think I'll use limn - I'll just stick with describe. Thanks for joining in the fun today!
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