Wonderous Words Wednesday (9)

I have several Wonderous Words Wednesday words this week. To see the words that other people have come across in their reading this week, go check out Bermuda Onion’s site.

All of my words this week are from Diana Gabaldon’s Dragonfly in Amber.

Fomented: (v.) to instigate or foster (discord, rebellion, etc.)

Well, if risings were fomented in taverns, perhaps they could be stopped over dinner tables. – page 131


Portentously: (adj.) ominously significant or indicative

“The Comte, Madame, has a very bad reputation,” she said portentously. – page 131

Impecunious: (adj.) having little or no money; penniless; poor.

Prince Charles Edward Casimir, etc. Stuart was residing, biding his time while waiting to see what Louis would or would not do for an impecunious cousin with aspirations to a throne. – page 138

Bonhomie: (n.) frank and simple good-heartedness; a good-natured manner; friendliness; geniality.

An expression of alert calculation lurked at the back of his bright brown eyes, behind the smooth bonhomie that oiled his transactions. – page 146

Two for one special!

Hove: (v.) to utter laboriously or painfully

Abaft: (preposition) to the rear of.

A vision in watered aqua silk hove abaft our resting place, in loud raptures over the divinity of the play the night before. – page 178

Another two for one special!

Mellifulous: (adj.) sweetly or smoothly flowing; sweet-sounding

Amatory: (adj.) of or pertaining to lovers or lovemaking; expressive of love.

By contrast, the gentleman pigeon doing his turn a few feet from my nose had a low and mellifluous coo, rising from a deep, amatory rumble to a breathy whistle as he puffed his breast and bowed repeatedly. – page 179

Definitions are from dictionary.com