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Interesting Vocabulary that you have Read

The White Feather

If you are in this forum then you love to read like I do, so I want to create a thread about words that you come across while reading.

I mean words that might not get used much and they might be cool to share with everyone. What I have been doing recently is putting the words into my phone and then looking at them when I forget about them later perforce! (See Below!

)

Just trying to improve my vocabulary and I love learning a new word. Hopefully I am not the only one here and people add their ones that they come across!

The rules (that I just made up !) are as follows...

The word
Then the meaning
Then use it in a sentence
And what book you read it in.

Hopefully people here might think this is interesting and like this idea!

I will start it off.....

"Perforce"

Meaning : It is used to express necessity or inevitability.
Sentence : As my brother has been out of work a year, he is selling his car perforce.
Book : The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson.

"Insouciance"

Meaning : It means having a lack of concern or indifference.
Sentence : He didn't respond to my question so he was a model of laid-back insouciance.
Book : Ladies Man by Richard Price

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The White Feather

I thought people would like this thread and add to it but as you can see I was wrong!

I will continue anyway as I like new words and its good to keep them all in one place. Eventually someone might add to it too.

These are all from the same book that I am reading at the moment. Erikson uses a load of interesting words!

"Cataphract"

From the context of the book I knew this was something to do with a soldier on a horse

Meaning : An armoured heavy cavalryman or knight.
Sentence : The primary weapon of practically all cataphract forces throughout history was the lance.
Book : The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson.

"Pastoralist"

Meaning : A sheep or cattle farmer.
Sentence : We went to one of the poorest communities and met pastoralist farmers there.
Book : The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson.

"Paucity"

Meaning : The presence of something in small amounts
Sentence : Because of the paucity of our oil supply, we need to seek out other fuel resources.
Book : The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson.

The White Feather

Yet more words, all from Steven Erikson's book "The Bonehunters".

The amount of interesting words he uses is amazing. A few words that I had heard of but didn't know the exact meaning here.

"Moribund"

Meaning : At the point of death
Sentence : Because the wounded man has lost a great deal of blood, he is moribund and probably will not make it through the night
Book : The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson.

"Loquacious"

Meaning : Talking a lot or being talkative
Sentence : Because John did not want to engage in conversation with his loquacious coworker, he often hid in his office.
Book : The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson.

"Lascivious"

Meaning : Feeling or revealing an overt sexual interest or desire.
Sentence : He leered at her, arched his eyebrows with a lascivious grin, then stretched with great exaggeration.
Book : The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson.

"Victuals"

Meaning : Food or provisions.
Sentence : Although they promised to serve victuals, no food was in sight on the day of the meeting.
Book : The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson.

"Sibilant"

Meaning : Associated with a hissing sound.
Sentence : The scared cat made a sibilant sound before scratching the little boy.
Book : The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson.

Feel free to add any more words you come across in your reading.

New Home

For some reason the word "paucity" always put me in mind of a fat man with a large, round belly (probably because it's similar to the word "paunch") whereas it should make me think of a gaunt man.

New Home

By the way, the pronunciation of some of those words would surprise you. For instance, "victual" is pronounced "vittle".

Forvo is a great source.

https://forvo.com/word/victual/#en

The White Feather

New Home wrote: »

By the way, the pronunciation of some of those words would surprise you. For instance, "victual" is pronounced "vittle".

Forvo is a great source.

https://forvo.com/word/victual/#en

That's really good. I didn't know that at all. Never would have known it was pronounced that way!!

The White Feather

First page of the next book, I ran into a new word. That may be a record!

"Indurate"

Meaning : To make hardy or harden
Sentence : Even where there is no plastering, the tattooing may be found to indurate the skin, and to render it less sensible to cold.
Book : Reaper's Gale by Steven Erikson.

The White Feather

Another batch of words that I learned......

"Obsequy"

Meaning : A funeral or burial site
Sentence : An obsequy for Queen Messiah was performed, and 2, 500 candles were burned.
Book : Toll the Hounds by Steven Erikson.

"Execrable"

Meaning : Extremely bad or unpleasant
Sentence : When Matt accidentally found himself on a racist website, he was outraged by all the execrable comments that had been posted on it.
Book : Toll the Hounds by Steven Erikson.

"Castellan"

Meaning : The governor of a castle
Sentence : They captured the castle and killed the Castellan to show control.
Book : Toll the Hounds by Steven Erikson.

"Diaphanous"

Meaning : Fine and translucent
Sentence : A diaphanous substance, especially cloth, is so delicate and thin that you can see through it.
Book : Toll the Hounds by Steven Erikson.

The White Feather

This is an article online about how reading for fun really helps your verbal abilities. This kind of ties into this thread about learning new words and I think it definitely helps in communication. It may be just me in this thread but I love learning a new word and trying to use it in everyday life. Not as a blowhard but just to try to engage my brain more! Doesn't always happen though!!

But at least if the words come up again in a book I will be a bit familiar with them.

It says also....

"The many benefits of reading have long been established. Besides having better verbal abilities, lifelong readers are known to be more understanding of others, more empathetic, less prejudiced, to attain higher socioeconomic status and even to live longer, healthier lives than non-readers."

https://www.concordia.ca/news/stories/2021/03/16/picking-up-a-book-for-fun-positively-affects-verbal-abilities-according-to-new-study.html

looksee

I enjoy words, I don't have any particular examples at the moment but I will post them if I find anything interesting.

One point about the book quotes, I would not always agree with the authors that the way the word is used is the best construction. And in some cases they have been sufficiently self-conscious about a word that they have added another phrase to explain it.

For example:

Sentence : As my brother has been out of work a year, he is selling his car perforce.

I would have said 'As my brother has been out of work a year, he is, perforce, selling his car.'

I am happy to be corrected on that?

Also

Sentence : Because the wounded man has lost a great deal of blood, he is moribund and probably will not make it through the night

You only need either moribund or 'will not make it through the night', using both is tautology. (See what I did there

)

And:

The scared cat made a sibilant sound before scratching the little boy.

Noooo! Sentence : The scared cat hissed before scratching the little boy.

Still, agreed, interesting words are worth noting, and enjoying using when you can

The White Feather

They are my sentences that I made up so I take full responsibility for all those errors!

looksee

Oops! Sorry I thought you were quoting from the books! And anyway they are more my opinion than anything definitive.

The White Feather

I use my own sentences to try to convey the meaning to anyone reading it so they end up a bit clunky!

TP_CM

I'm liking this thread White Feather.. I hope you keep it going and I hope to contribute to it someday too. Sometimes after I learn a new word, I never know if it's something I can actually use in conversation or not! I never know if it's a common word which has somehow eluded me, or if it's an obscure word that only the likes of John Bercow or Christopher Hitchens (RIP) would understand!

The White Feather

Back with a few more words. Just to note, I make up my own sentences to try to show the meaning and as well i can't be arsed in writing down the sentence in the book that I read it in! It is easier for me to note the word and keep going in the book. But its whatever way works if you are doing it!

"Conjuration"

( a word easy to figure out what it means but i liked it as its unusual!!)

Meaning : An magic incantation or spell
Sentence : The witch's conjuration led to many demons being released on Halloween.
Book : Toll the Hounds by Steven Erikson.

"Hauberk"

Meaning : A piece of armour originally covering only the neck and shoulders but later consisting of a full-length coat of mail or military tunic.
Sentence : Further injuries to the vertebrae in the neck could only have happened outside of battle, since during battle a hauberk would have protected those neck vertebrae.
Book : Toll the Hounds by Steven Erikson.

"Geas"

I feel like I should have known this word as it is associated with Irish Mythology!! Never heard it before though.

Meaning : an obligation or prohibition magically imposed on a person.
Sentence : If someone under a "geas" violates the associated taboo, the infractor will suffer dishonor or even death.
Book : Toll the Hounds by Steven Erikson.

Wikipedia page on Geas here also if interested.

echo beach

The White Feather wrote: »

Back with a few more words. Just to note, I make up my own sentences to try to show the meaning and as well i can't be arsed in writing down the sentence in the book that I read it in! It is easier for me to note the word and keep going in the book. But its whatever way works if you are doing it!

"Conjuration"

"Geas"

I feel like I should have known this word as it is associated with Irish Mythology!! Never heard it before though.

Meaning : an obligation or prohibition magically imposed on a person.
Sentence : If someone under a "geas" violates the associated taboo, the infractor will suffer dishonor or even death.
Book : Toll the Hounds by Steven Erikson.

Wikipedia page on Geas here also if interested.

Not mentioned on Wikipedia but a better example is the obligation Grainne put on Dairmuid, forcing him to take her away before her marriage to Fionn MacCaumhaill.

New Home

So, is it like a spell or a jinx or a curse?

echo beach

New Home wrote: »

So, is it like a spell or a jinx or a curse?

It doesn’t have an exact equivalent in English.
It is a spell in the sense of having a magical component but it more like an honour or chivalry obligation. The person under the geas in theory could refuse to perform the obligation but in practice that would mean losing their honour and being an outcast so they don’t really have a choice.

[Deleted User]

Supposition - A belief held without proof or certain knowledge; an assumption or hypothesis.

“ They were working on the supposition that his death was murder"

Inference - A conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning.

“Researchers are entrusted with drawing inferences from the data"

The White Feather

I like those words! What book were those words read in, Belparkgarden?

New Home

The White Feather

In the words of Oliver from Oliver Twist....More !! (words that is!)

"Piquancy"

Meaning : The quality of being pleasantly stimulating or exciting. Spiciness also.
Sentence : A talk show host known for the quickness and piquancy of his wit, appreciated the piquancy of the peppers in the sauce.
Book : Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson.

"Guano"

Meaning : The excrement of seabirds and bats.
Sentence : It had been completely coated with the guano produced by several generations of young birds.
Book : Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson.

"Succour"

Meaning : Assistance or aid to.
Sentence : They give succour to the victims of war.
Book : Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson.

"Halberd"

Meaning : A two-handed pole weapon
Sentence : Two sentries armed with sword and halberd stood on guard.
Book : Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson.

"Propitious"

Meaning : Giving or indicating a good chance of success; favourable.
Sentence : The timing for such a meeting seemed propitious
Book : Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson.

"Assiduously"

Meaning : With great care and perseverance.
Sentence : The leaders worked assiduously to hammer out an action plan.
Book : Dust of Dreams by Steven Erikson.

The White Feather

Another bunch of cool words here!

"Demesne"

Meaning : a piece of land attached to a manor and retained by the owner for their own use.
Sentence : Because labour was cheap, there were ample advantages in cultivating the demesne
Book : The Crippled God by Steven Erikson.

"Patina"

Meaning : A gloss or sheen on a surface resulting from age or polishing.
Sentence : The dining table will acquire a warm patina with age
Book : The Crippled God by Steven Erikson.

"Penumbra"

Meaning : A shadowy, indefinite, or marginal area.
Sentence : A penumbra of fear fell over the town when five killers escaped from a nearby prison.
Book : The Crippled God by Steven Erikson.

"Falchion"

Meaning : A one-handed, single-edged sword.
Sentence : The cutlass is a 17th-century descendant of the edged short sword exemplified by the medieval falchion
Book : The Crippled God by Steven Erikson.

"Corbel"

Meaning : A bracket , usually of stone or brick.
Sentence : Even the corbels of the ceiling had been freshly painted.
Book : The Crippled God by Steven Erikson.

"Raiment"

Meaning : Clothing or garments.
Sentence : The shirts, pants and dresses in your closet are an example of raiment.
Book : The Crippled God by Steven Erikson.

"Concatenation"

Meaning : A series of interconnected things.
Sentence : To save space, the java programmers created a concatenation and strung several character strings together.
Book : The Crippled God by Steven Erikson.

"Abnegation"

Meaning : The action of renouncing or rejecting something.
Sentence : Because everyone knew Jane loved serving the public, they were shocked by her abnegation of the congressional seat.
Book : The Crippled God by Steven Erikson.

"Putative"

Meaning : Generally considered or reputed to be.
Sentence : The putative leader of the terrorist organization was arrested by police yesterday.
Book : The Crippled God by Steven Erikson.

[Deleted User]

Word: introspection
Meaning : the examination or observation of one's own mental and emotional processes.
Sentence: "quiet introspection can be extremely valuable"

The White Feather

Latest words that I have read/learned...

"Encumbrance"

Meaning : An impediment or burden.
Sentence : The horse raised its hind leg as if to rid itself of an encumbrance.
Book : The Actuality by Paul Braddon.

"Skein"

Meaning : A length of thread or yarn, loosely coiled and knotted. Or A flock of geese or ducks in flight.
Sentence : A tangled skein is unravelled by following a mere thread, not by tearing at the entire mass.
Book : The Actuality by Paul Braddon.

"Cupola"

Meaning : A rounded dome on a roof or ceiling.
Sentence : A high cupola of glass and iron crowned the roof.
Book : The Actuality by Paul Braddon.

"Qualia"

Meaning : Qualia are the phenomenal qualities of experiences—the raw felt qualities of sensations, emotions, thoughts, or anything else.
Sentence : Philosophers have long confronted the problem of qualia.
Book : The Actuality by Paul Braddon.

dohouch

palingenetic= born again nationalism

The White Feather

Fresh batch of words straight out of the oven!! :pac:
Some very interesting and cool words from the 2 latest books I read.

"Valise"

Meaning : A small travelling bag or suitcase.
Sentence : Dinah had brought a valise with her which contained her stage make-up.
Book : Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

"Collet"

Meaning : A collet is a subtype of chuck that forms a collar around an object to be held and exerts a strong clamping force on the object when it is tightened, usually by means of a tapered outer collar.
Sentence : There are many types of collet used in the metalworking industry.
Book : Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

"Mitochondria"

Meaning : Mitochondria are often referred to as the powerhouses of the cell. They help turn the energy we take from food into energy that the cell can use.
Sentence : The mitochondria produce energy within cells.
Book : Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

"Kludge"

Meaning : A Kludge is a workaround or quick-and-dirty solution that is clumsy, inelegant, inefficient, difficult to extend and hard to maintain.
Sentence : It may be a bit of a kludge, but it works.
Book : Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

"Thrum"

Meaning : A continuous rhythmic humming sound.
Sentence : There was a steady thrum of rain on the windows.
Book : Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

"Whippoorwill"

Meaning : It is a nocturnal bird of North America.
Sentence : A whippoorwill came in and sat on the banister and sung.
Book : Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby.

"Hydrangeas"

Meaning : It is a species of flowering plants native to Asia and the Americas.
Sentence : They had a beautiful yard hedged in by hydrangeas.
Book : Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby.

"Eidetic"

Meaning : relating to or denoting mental images having unusual vividness and detail, as if actually visible. like a photographic memory.
Sentence : Eidetic memory is the ability to recall an image from memory with high precision for a brief period after seeing it only once, and without using a mnemonic device.
Book : Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby.

"Finial"

Meaning : A distinctive section or ornament at the apex of a roof, canopy, etc. on a building or an ornament at the top, end, or corner of an object.
Sentence : Its architectural features include turrets surmounted by spires with lead finials.
Book : Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby.

"Rheumy"

Meaning : If someone has rheumy eyes, their eyes are red and watery.
Sentence : She was small with rheumy eyes and bad teeth.
Book : Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby.