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.)

All of today’s words came from The Magicians by Lev Grossman.

1. syllogism – “Once he found his way up to the clock tower and spent an afternoon watching the huge rusty iron pendulum sway back and forth, following the massive gears and levers and catchments as they turned and meshed, carrying out their mechanical syllogism, until the glow of the setting sun shone through the tremendous backward clock face.”

Syllogism is a subtle, spacious, or crafty argument.

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2.obstreperous – “They were a highly visible clique, always earnestly conferring with each other and having fits of obstreperous public laughter, conspicuously fond of themselves and uninterested in the greater Brakebills populace.”

This word seemed really familiar to me – it seems like it’s been used by someone for a WWW post, but I couldn’t find it.  Obstreperous means marked by unruly or aggressive noisiness.

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3. sigil – “Quentin watched his lab partner Surendra dust his hands with white powder (equal parts flour and beech-wood ash), draw certain invisible sigils in the air with a freshly trimmed willow wand, and then bring the wand softly down on his marble (nickname: Rakshasa!), slicing it neatly in half with one stroke, first try.”

A sigil is a sign, word or device held to have occult power in astrology or magic.

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What new words have you encountered lately?