Wondrous Words Wednesday - Jan 13 2006

One of my reading goals this year is to do a better job of keeping track of new-to-me words in I come across. I decided I should share them here every week or so, and as I considered the idea, it occurred to me that this would be a great weekly meme. And of course, if it really is a good idea, someone out there must be doing it already. So I went on a meme-hunt, and sure enough, someone is! No need to reinvent the wheel, so I will be participating in Wondrous Words Wednesday hosted by Kathy at Bermuda Onion as often as I have words to share. Sometimes this words will 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 first week. These were all discovered in my reading of The Secrets of Lizzie Borden by Brandy Purdy.

odalisque - female slave; concubine in a harem

“...sitting wretchedly at his feet, like an odalisque in a tyrannical sultan’s harem…”  - page 138

lorgnette - pair of eyeglasses attached to a handle

“...and I had some lovely lorgnettes, silver and gold, with enameled and jeweled accents that I wore on long glittering chains around my neck…”  - page 234

frisson - a sudden strong feeling or emotion

“The moment our eyes met...it was electricity and ectasy, a quivering, rapturous frisson rippling through our bodies head to toe.”  - page 245

peccadillo - small mistake or fault that is not regarded as very bad or serious

“And everyone she knew had her own peccadilloes…” - pg 252

mousseline - a fine sheer fabric (as of rayon) that resembles muslin

“...just like a dream, in a flowing gown of soft pink mousseline…” - pg 254

What new-to-you words have you discovered this week?