Wondrous Words Wednesday

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading.  If you want to play along, grab the new button (or the old graphic), and join the fun!  (Don’t forget to leave a link in your comment if you’re participating.)

My first two words this week came from Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly.

1. varietals – “The wine aisles had overhead signs displaying varietals and world regions of wine, and there were no gallon jugs stacked at the end.”

Varietal means: of, relating to, or characterizing a variety.  (I feel like I should have known that one!)

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2. gimballed – “Besides the wheel, Bosch saw glowing dials, double radar screens, twin throttles, and a large gimballed compass.”

Carl was able to tell me what this one meant.  A gimbal is a device that permits a body to incline freely in any direction or suspends it so it will remain level when its support is tipped.

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Taking a lesson from Margot, I found my last word on a blog. This one came from Jill of Rhapsody in Books review of Sisters in War by Christina Asquith.

3. hegemonic – “The author recounts in detail the mishandling of the invasion by the Americans: appointments were based on political loyalty to the Bush Administration rather than competence, experience, or facility with Arabic; emphasis was placed on establishing an immediate democracy without any consideration to groundwork or more pressing needs (Americans seemed oblivious to the fact that Iraqis were more concerned with safety, schools, medical care, and which form of Islam would be hegemonic rather than with forming “democratic” organizations); troop levels were too low to ensure order among the simmering tribal and religious rivalries that had been held in check by Saddam; and many hired contractors were low-lives who needed to get out of the U.S.: they often built shoddy facilities knowing there was no rule of law to stop them, and they threw their weight around in an offensive manner with respect to the locals in general and woman in particular.”

Hegemony means preponderant influence or authority over others: domination.

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What new words have you encountered lately?