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daguerreotype n.
1. An early photographic process with the image made on a light-sensitive silver-coated metallic plate.
2. A photograph made by this process.
from The Sound and the FuryQuote:
His hair was pale and fine. It had been brushed smoothly down upon his brow like that of children in daguerreotypes.
April 29
belles-lettres (bel-LET-ruh) noun
literary works that are beautiful and pleasing in an artistic way, rather than being very serious or full of information
Literary works valued for their aesthetic qualities rather than
information or instruction.
[From French belles (fine) + lettres (letters, literature).
source
For help understanding:
aesthetic, US ALSO esthetic adjective
1. relating to the enjoyment or study of beauty:
The new building has little aesthetic value/appeal.
2. describes an object or a work of art that shows great beauty:
furniture which is both aesthetic and functional
(Scher, please don't get mad at me! :eek: .)
necromancy noun [U]
the practice of claiming to communicate with the dead in order to discover what is going to happen in the future, or black magic (= magic used for bad purposes)
necromancer noun [C]
sourcefrom The Name of the Rose by EcoQuote:
The world all around the Abbey is rank with heresy; they tell me that on the throne of Rome there is a perverse pope who uses hosts of practices of necromancy and feeds them to his morays...
May 4th 2006
anabiosis (an-uh-bi-O-sis) noun
A return to life after death or apparent death.
A state of suspended animation, especially one in which certain aquatic
invertebrates are able to survive long periods of drought.
[From Greek anabiosis (coming back to life), from anabioun
(to return to life), from ana- (back) + bio- (life).]
link[Quote:
Many animals and plants can survive periods of extreme drought or cold.
They reach a state of suspended animation and can come back to life even
after being dormant for years. One such plant is the Rose of Jericho, also
known as Anastatica or Resurrection plant. In dry conditions, its stems curl
into a ball. When blown by the wind, it spreads its seeds along the way.
When moistened, it turns into a green plant again, even after years of
dryness. The curled ball is sold as a curiosity item.
Henotheism
In religion and philosophy, henotheism is a term coined by Max Müller, meaning devotion to a single god while accepting the existence of other gods. It is derived from the Greek heis theos, "one god". According to Müller, it is "monotheism in principle and a polytheism in fact". Variations on the term have been inclusive monotheism and monarchial polytheism, designed to differentiate differing forms of the phenomenon. Related terms are monolatrism and kathenotheism, which are typically understood as sub-types of henotheism. The latter term is an extension of "henotheism", from kath heno theon – "one god at a time". Henotheism is similar but less exclusive than monolatry because a monolator worships only one god, while the henotheist may worship any within the pantheon, depending on circumstances. In some belief systems, the choice of the supreme deity within a henotheistic framework may be determined by cultural, geographical, or political reasons.
pusillanimous adj
weak-spirited: showing a contemptible lack of boldness and resolve ( formal )
weak and cowardly; frightened of taking risks (source)
May 12th 2006
procellous (pro-SEL-uhs) adjective
Stormy, as the sea.
[From Latin procellosus (stormy), from procella (storm).]
"I likened myself to a sailor ... to brave the dangers of that
procellous sea."
a link to something
supererogatory adj
1. beyond call of duty: performed to an extent beyond what is required or expected
2. superfluous: beyond what is sufficient or necessary, and not wanted
may 23
Quire
noun 1 four sheets of paper or parchment folded to form eight leaves, as in medieval manuscripts. 2 25 (formerly 24) sheets of paper; one twentieth of a ream. 3 any collection of leaves one within another in a manuscript or book.
— ORIGIN Old French quaier, from Latin quaterni ‘set of four’
http://www.askoxford.com/results/?vi...r=score%2Cname
my knowledge of internet technology is so limited,so that means I can't say anything here? :sick: :brickwallQuote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
ululate
• verb howl or wail.
— DERIVATIVES ululation noun.
— ORIGIN Latin ululare ‘howl, shriek’.
http://www.askoxford.com/results/?vi...archtype=exact
June 1, 2006
terpsichorean (turp-si-kuh-REE-uhn, turp-si-KOR-ee-uhn, -KORE-)
adjective
Of or relating to dancing.
noun
A dancer.
[From Terpsichore, the Muse of dancing and choral song in Greek
mythology.
The word Terpsichore is the feminine form of terpsichoros (delighting
in the dance), a combination of Greek terpein (to delight) and khoros
(dance), which is ultimately from Indo-European root gher- (to grasp or to
enclose) that's also the source of chorus, carol, choir, garth, court, and
garden.]
"On the subject of Prezza: Ruskin College, Oxford, his alma mater, is
no doubt bracing itself for no end of inquiries following those
startling pictures of his terpsichorean skills. Where did he learn to dance?"
Peter Kingston; Conference Call; The Guardian (London, UK); May 2,
2006.
Of course not Apple! A good online dictionary to start with is: http://dictionary.cambridge.org When you run across interesting and complicated words, share them!
reconnoitre (US USUALLY reconnoiter ) verb [I or T] SPECIALIZED
(of soldiers or military aircraft) to obtain information about an area or the size and position of enemy forces
sourcefrom Watership DownQuote:
Later, Hazel had said that there was nothing for it but to cross the open pasture and under Silver's direction they had crossed it, with Dandelion running ahead to reconnoitre.
obsequious adj, formal disapproving
too eager to praise or obey someone
She is almost embarrassingly obsequious to anyone in authority.
cavil verb FORMAL
to make unreasonable complaints, especially about things that are not important
cavil noun [C] FORMAL
The one cavil I have about the book is that it is written as a diary.
source