Wondrous Words Wednesday
Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. Feel free to join in the fun. (Don’t forget to leave a link in your comment if you’re participating.)
My first word this week come from The Seamstress by Frances De Pontes Peebles.
1. propolis – “The lids of the hive boxes were thick with propolis.”
Propolis is a brownish resinous material of waxy consistency collected by bees from the buds of trees and used as a cement in repairing and maintaining the hive.
My next word is from Apologize, Apologize by Elizabeth Kelly.
2. tumulus – “There was a warm breeze, lime and orange trees waving on the surrounding green hills, bodies like tumulus beneath them.”
A tumulus is an artificial hillock or mound (as over a grave).
My last word is from The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.
3. obscurantism – “People often compared the obscurantism of the new regime to the Arab invasion.”
After I looked this one up, I realized I should have been able to figure it out. Obscurantism is the practice of deliberately preventing the facts or full details of something from becoming known.
What new words have you encountered lately?
Bermudaonion's Weblog 
I like your new words today. Propolis sounds like and interesting natural product and tumulus is something I see often but didn’t have a word for.
I have several new words too. They are ready here.
Propolis sounds good to me!
Here is mine:
Wednesday: Wondrous Words/A-Z wednesday
So, is berm a synonym for tumulus? Here are mine: http://wordlily.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/words-from-my-reading-15/
Maybe I can find a way to use “obscurantism” today, if I can remember how to pronounce it.
My words today are from poetry:
http://lisanotes.blogspot.com/2009/08/wondrous-words-wednesday-poetry.html
I was thinking propolis sounded kind of gross. But then I was thinking maybe honey is gross too, so I looked it up. Check this out: http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/honey.asp
I was going to put honey on my oatmeal this morning but I changed my mind!!!
Good words. I didn’t know any of them. Mine are up, too.
Loved your words and the books that you got them from!!
All new to me. I am sure I read obscurantism somewhere.Just not able to pin it where.
Thanks for increasing my vocabulary
I guess bees have their own building materials too…my words are here:
http://jo-jolovestoread.blogspot.com/2009/08/wondrous-words-wednesday-aug-26.html
Fun meme! Interesting words, i learn something new every day.
I also had to see what a bermudaonion was LOL!!
Hope you have a great day!
Natalie :0)
Glad to have you increasing my word power.
I have one word and one term for you this week, one of which was also the main character’s name in “Whiskey Gulf” – my post is here.
Great words! My words are here.
I really like ‘obscurantism’, I like the sound of it and the meaning too.
I knew propolis and tumulus but definitely not the last one 😉
Propolis is the name of some sort of candy (which I never ate) which has an image of a beehive-pattern on it.
And tumulus I know because I studied a semester of archaeology. LOL.
I have an award for you here:
http://louspages.blogspot.com/2009/08/bingo-award.html
Those are all new words to me. ‘Obscurantism’ is a good one. My new words are here.
I haven’t heard of propolis or tumulus before.
That chat with Lev Grossman was fun. It was my first time taking part in one like that. It was quite exciting and some of Lev’s responses made me laugh. I hope you’ve enjoyed it too. =)
Propolis and tumulus were new ones for me too!
Here are my words: http://bookatopia.blogspot.com/2009/08/wondrous-words-wednesday-august-26-2009.html
Here’s mine: http://snipssnailsandpuppydogstails.blogspot.com/2009/08/wondrous-words-wednesday.html
They’re all new to me too!
These were all new to me too, but I agree that the third one becomes obvious once you look up the meaning!
These words were all new to me as well. Thanks for sharing!
I posted mine a little late, but it’s up! http://mercysnumber1fan.blogspot.com/2009/08/wonderous-words-wednesday-12.html
I love your new words. If I could ever remember to start highlighting new-to-me words, I’d definitely play!
I’m running late but I did have a post for this week!
http://myroundfile.blogspot.com/2009/08/wondrous-words-wednesday-august-26-2009.html
Great words. There are a lot of words from nature that I don’t know so I’m glad you featured these. The third one I knew. I must start keeping notes again so I can do this meme again.