Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Wondrous Words Wednesday - Jan 20, 2016


It’s Wednesday and that means it’s time to learn some new words! Wondrous Words Wednesday, hosted by Kathy at Bermuda Onion, is a meme which encourages us to share words we have learned while reading. The words I share will sometimes be completely new to me, and other times they will be words I am familiar with, and maybe even use correctly, but when I think about how to explain the meaning, I’m lost — I have to look it up. It’s all about expanding my vocabulary!

Here are the words I want to share this week.

This first word was discovered while reading The Secrets of Lizzie Borden by Brandy Purdy.

ephemeral - lasting a very short time
“...a moment’s delight, then puff! it is gone, the beautiful, fleeting ephemeral fancy vanished into the ether…”  - page 281

These words were discovered while reading The Witch of Lime Street by David Jaher

discarnate - having no physical body
“And astral cigars. Raymond had seen a discarnate man smoke one.”  - page 10

stalwart - very loyal and dedicated; physically strong
“At six feet four inches, he towered over his listeners, appearing as stalwart as a Connecticut farmer.”  - page 14

callow - lacking adult sophistication
“Yet she did not seem vain, like the doctor’s second wife, or callow.” - pg 18

nebbish - a timid, meek, or ineffectual person
“The nebbish had cried like a spanked babe.” - pg 34

What new-to-you words have you discovered this week?
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4 comments:

  1. I've heard a few of those words but could only define stalwart. I think I can work callow into my vocabulary. Thanks for playing along!

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  2. Most of your words are new to me. Ephemeral surprised me. I was thinking it meant that something was hazy.

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    1. That one surprised me, too! I thought it meant 'ghostly' or 'other-worlds'.

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  3. I like Kathy, had heard some of your words, but could not define them. Yea! for vocabulary expansion!

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