Words
“I cannot live without books” – Thomas Jefferson
Commonplace Book – Pages 2-7
Acedia: (n) Extreme mental or spiritual sloth
Ad hoc: (adj) (Latin) “This purpose”; special; impromtu
Aeolian: (adj) Pertained to or caused by winds
Affatus: (n) Any creative inspiration or impulse
Agnus Dei: (n) (Latin) The figure of a lamb, as an emblem of Christ
Agog: (adj) In a state of eager curiosity
Algid: (adj) Cold
Ambrosia: (n) In Greek mythology, the food of the gods, giving immortality
Ampersand: (n) The character ”&” meaning “and”
Ancephalon: (n) The brain
Antediluvian: (n) An old-fashioned person
Ante meridiem: (adj) (Latin) Before noon
Apiary: (n) A place where bees are kept
Arbalest: (n) A medieval crossbow requiring a mechanical appliance to bent it
Arspoetica: (n) The art of poetry
Aught: (n) A cipher; zero
Barbate: (adj) Bearded
Berceuse: (n) A lullaby
Bibelot: (n) A small, decorative, and often rare object or trinket
Braggadocio: (n) One who boasts
Brakes: (n) An area of thick undergrowth; a thicket
Breakneck: (adj) Likely to cause an accident
Cachinate: (v) To laugh immoderately or noisily
Cacography: (n) Bad handwriting or spelling
Caledonia: (n) (poetically) Scotland
Cathay: (n) (poetically) China
Chancel: (n) The space around the altar enclosed by a railing
Cipango: (n) (poetically) Japan
Coppice: (n) A grove of small trees
Covert: (n) Woodland
Crags: (n) A steep, rugged mass of rock projecting upward
Cynthia: (n) (poetically) The moon
Diaphonous: (adj) Translucent
Erin: (n) (poetically) Ireland
Fells: (n) A barren or stony hill
Fraticide: (v) To kill one’s brother
Frump: (n) A dowdy, often ill-tempered woman
Fogyish: (adj) Old-fashioned
Genocide: (n) The extermination of a race of people
Girt: (n) A sarcastic remark
Gorget: (n) A piece of armor for the throat
Guile: (n) A trick or stratagem
Gusto: (n) An individual’s particular taste
Haberdasher: (n) A shopkeeper who deals in men’s clothing
Habitant: (n) A farmer in Canada or Louisiana
Hagiography: (n) The study of the lives of saints
Harikiri: (v) To commit suicide by disembowelment
Harangue: (n) A lengthy, loud, and vehement speech
Hauberk: (n) A long, defensive shirt of chain mail, to the knees
Heath: (n) A tract of uncultivated land, covered in low shrubs
Hemidemisemiquaver: (n) A 64th note in music
Hew: (v) To cut down with an ax
Hibernia: (n) (poetically) Ireland
Hidalgo: (n) A Spanish nobleman of lower rank than a grandee
Hispania: (n) (Latin) The region comprised of Spain and Portugal
Hoarfrost: (n) Frozen dew
Hyson: (n) A green tea from China
Idiosyncrasy: (n) A habit, mannerism, expression, etc peculiar to an individual
Idyl: (n) A poem, usually short depicting simple scenes of pastoral, domestic, or country life
Illyria: (n) An ancient country bordering the East coast of the Adriatic
Imago: (n) An infantile, unconscious concept of a parent or loved one persisting in the adult
Impecunious: (adj) Having no money
Inamorata: (n) A woman who is loved or in love
Introit: (n) The opening of Mass worship, consisting of a psalm excerpt followed by Gloria Patri
Izzard: (n) The letter “z”
Lissomly: (adj) Nimble
Lorry: (n) (Brit.) A truck
Mantic: (adj) Having the power of divination
Marten: (adj) Carnivorous
Matins: (n) First canonical hour; daybreak
Matricide: (v) To kill one’s mother
Miasma: (n) The poisonous effluvium once supposed to rise from swamps
Mirth: (n) Gladness & gaiety, esp. laughter
Misogamy: (n) Hatred of marriage
Misogamy: (n) Hatred of women
Myriad: (adj) Countless
Necropolis: (n) A cemetery
Nolime: (n) A warning against touching or meddling
Nonagenarian: (n) A person between 90-100 years old
Nonperson: (n) A person whose existence is entirely ignored
Octodemo: (n) The page size of a book made up of printer’s sheets folded into 18 leaves
Octogenarian: being between 80-90 years of age
Olio: (n) A miscellaneous collection of musical pieces
Olympiad: (n) The interval of 4 years between 2 successive Olympic games
Pabulum: Any substance giving nourishment
Paginate: (v) To number the pages of a book
Palate: (n) Sense of taste
Panacea: (n) A cure-all
Patricide: (v) To kill one’s father
Phosphor: (n) (poetically) The morning star
Pollex: (n) The thumb
Pollyanna: (n) One who persistently finds good in everything
Poltroon: (n) A coward
Potation: (n) The act of drinking
Prosaic: (adj) Dull
Pukka: (adj) Genuine
Regicide: (v) To kill a monarch
Shaw: (n) Thicket
Spate: (n) A sudden almost overwhelming outpouring of emotion
Stalwart: (adj) Firm and resolute
Subtlest: (adj) Crafty or sly
Sunder: (v) To sever
Surcoat: (n) A tunic worn by a knight over his armor
Surmise: (n) An idea based on insufficient evidence
Swarthy: (adj) Having a dark complexion or color
Unchancy: (adj) Dangerous
Virtual literacy: (n) The capacity to understand the world
Wight: (adj) Valorous (n) A living being
