It’s time again for BermudaOnion’s Wonderous Words Wednesday where we share unfamiliar words we’ve come across while reading.
This week (and probably for many weeks to come) my words are from Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander. I’ve barely gotten started on it and already I have a ton of words!
Ewer: a pitcher with a wide spout.
“No water in the ewer; Frank had used it, tidying himself before setting out for his meeting with Mr. Bainbridge, and I had not bothered to refill it from the lavatory tap.” – page 17
Declivity: a downward slope, as of ground.
“The village lay nestled in a small declivity at the foot of one of those soaring crags that rise so steeply from the Highland moors.” – page 28
Manse: the house and land occupied by a minister or parson.
“Even the manse, which must be at least a hundred years old, sported bright yellow trim around its sagging windowframes.” – page 28
Alacrity: cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness.
“I didn’t wait for her invitation, but leapt to my feet with alacrity.” – page 31
Adroitly: expert or nimble in the use of the hands or body.
“Mrs. Graham sprang to her feet to defend the sanctity of her kitchen, and pushing the Reverend adroitly to one site, set about assembling tea things on a tray for the study.” – page 35
*All definitions are from dictionary.com
6 comments:
I love alacrity - maybe I can use it if I can figure out how to pronounce it. Thanks for participating today!
Loved all of your words.
I love the Outlander books and the author does a lot of great words throughout the books.
Except for the last two words, others are new! Thanks!
Wednesday: What's up?
I like your words but especially your ity words. They sound rather elegant when I say them Glad you played along. Hope your book is too tough.
For some reason, alacrity sounds like it should mean the opposite of what it means (or at least, it sounds like it should have a negative connotation)!
been a while since I read Outlander.
I've seen alacrity used quite a bit and I've even used Adroitly myself. I'm feeling kind of dictionarishly.
(ps. you won't find that last word anywhere except in my imagination.
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