Wondrous Words Wednesday is hosted by BermudaOnion each week. It's an opportunity to share new words you've encountered in your reading, or highlight words that you particularly enjoy.
These 2 words were in a recently finished read. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. I had seen the first word in Ms Meyers first book of the Lunar Chronicles, "Cinder". But I did not look it up, just formed my own definition based on the usage in the story. I was a tiny bit off.
This is an ARC that is a traveling book at Ladies & Literature on Goodreads, so the cover does not look like the book that is in stores or on library shelves. But I highly recommend it.
thaumaturge: noun
1. a person who supposedly works miracles.
I thought is was a bad wizard-type person, under the spell of an evil queen.
runes: noun
any of the characters of any of several alphabets used by the Germanic peoples of the 3rd - 13th century.
as an adjective: in decorative interlaced effect.
In the book the word was used to describe the robes of the "thaumaturge". So I envisioned gold braid in an entwined pattern, like a Celtic cross.
This story was set in a future century, so it is interesting that the "runes" on the cloak sleeves or robe hems were based on Germanic alphabets in the 3rd to the 13th century.
I finished the book for my F2F bookclub, Claiming Ground by Laura Bell. It was amazing. Now on to fulfilling a March challenge of four books to spell the word, GOLD. Can you guess what my choices might be? I'll post them as I finish.
Another new word: from The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.
unctuous: adj.
1. fatty or oily
2. smooth and greasy in texture or appearance.
3. full of unction - especially : revealing or marked by a smug, ingratiating. or false earnestnes or spirituality.
I knew what a loathsome person he was, one of those unctuous worms who work for The London Hue and Cry.This is a quote from one of the characters, Susan Scott in a letter to the publisher of Juliet's books. I am sure she meant the 3rd description, but maybe all 3 would have applied!!! LOL
Until Next Time
Stay Busy and Stay Happy
I know I've encountered unctuous before but I couldn't define it. I need to figure out how to pronounce it so I can use it.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoyed the book. The words are a bit challenging but I like a good story with new and interesting words.
ReplyDeleteI knew runes from books I've read with my son, and unctuous is one of my favourite words. Thaumaturge is new for me too.
ReplyDeleteI love unctuous - I've seen it before but didn't quite know the meaning. I could of sounds like it means!
ReplyDelete* It kind of sounds...*
Delete