Oh, the Language You'll Know...

One of the more interesting effects of reading through the One Hundred Books You Should Read Before You Die, (from now on to be called 100BYSRBYD for the sake of my poor partially crippled hands), is a marked increase in the sophistication of my vocabulary.

I once worked as a cook at a restaurant where one of my co-workers called me "The Professor" because I used larger than normal words and actually thought people would understand them.  I'm an unabashed vocab freak.  I squealed with delight when I first encountered the word "petrichor" in an episode of Doctor Who.  Interestingly I just now had to teach that word to my computer's dictionary.  Pretty much proving my point there, aren't I?  I actually read the Dictionary for fun and laugh in delight at certain words and their definitions.  One of my favorite things in recent days has been finding the "etymology" function in Google searches.  The other day my daughter exclaimed, "Papa, I just want to know why everything is named what it's named!  Why is and artichoke called an artichoke?   Why are blueberries called blueberries?"  Naturally I attacked the easiest one first with much laughter.

So, it is without any immediate surprise that I realized how valuable this endeavor of 100BYSRBYD is for my vocabulary.  Seriously, you should see the texts that get sent between my wife and I.  Our average syllable count per text has likely doubled.

As such, I will now share the new words I have learned since those in the first third.

Solicitude: care or concern for someone or something

Hackneyed: a phrase or idea lacking significance through being overused; unoriginal or trite

Ablution:  the act of washing oneself, also a ceremonial act of washing parts of the body or sacred container

Effusion: (in context of the sentence in Pride and Prejudice) the act of talking or writing in an unrestrained or heartfelt way.

Phaeton: a light, four wheeled, open, horse drawn carriage.  (2006 Volkswagen named their luxury car the Phaeton)

Conciliating:  (archaic in context) to gain (esteem or goodwill)

Inure: accustom someone to something, especially something unpleasant

Remonstrance: a forcefully reproachful protest

Accede: assent or agree to a demand, request, or treaty

Obtrude: impose or force something on someone in an intrusive way

Profligate: recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources

Disapprobation:  strong disapproval, typically on moral grounds

Dilatory:  slow to act, or intended to cause delay

Missish:  affectedly demure, squeamish, or sentimental.

And finally, I was quite confused by the use of the word "handsome" that was used multiple times to describe certain women throughout the novel.  We aren't used to that kind of usage in our society, and at first I wondered if it meant the women were considered slightly masculine in appearance.  That didn't make sense since a "handsome woman" was clearly desirable.  I took it then as a archaic word used in the same way we would call a woman "pretty" or "beautiful".  The archaic meaning is slightly different.  Handsome instead means that the woman is striking and imposing in good looks rather than conventionally pretty.  As an example, Marilyn Monroe is pretty; Audrey Hepburn is handsome.

If you enjoyed that then you are definitely a part of my particular tribe, and I welcome you.  :)

Later today I hope to make my final post on Pride and Prejudice and then begin the week starting in on our next novel, which is Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.

Pax,

W