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.
All of this week’s words come from Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz.
1. fecund – “The artist (and dope dealer) had cast aside his own familial trappings and invested his tuition money (originally intended – O irony for Princeton) in a particularly fecund patch of Northern California, where a hale and potent strain of cannabis grew as cheerfully as kudzu back home.”
I had this one written down and then found it defined on Reviews by Bobbie – it means highly fertile.
2. abstemious – “But while there were utilitarian things around them, things they needed, things to make life simpler or better organized, Susannah seemed thoroughly averse to the idea of acquisition for its own sake and terribly proud of her abstemious character.”
Abstemious means marked by restraint.
3. defenestrate – “In the past month alone, she had come across “defenestrate” more times than she cared to remember.”
Defenestrate means to throw out of a window.
4. lacuna – “Besides, how long was this odd lacuna of inactivity going to last?”
A lacuna is a blank space or missing part.
What new words have you discovered lately?
I’ve always loved the word “fecund,” though I couldn’t tell you why. It conjures up images of a warm sunny day in a lush, green meadow with lovely women with flowers in their hair dancing and laughing and smiling… sounds like May Day, lol.
“defenstrate,” on the other hand, reminds me of the In Living Color skits where Damon Wayans is the incarcerated “self-edumacated” man who makes up words to sound smarter. He might “defenstrate” in his cell’s potty.
Ain’t vocab funny!
The sentence seemed to be using defenestrate as a noun until I realized that the character must be thinking that she comes across that word all the time.
Interesting. I wonder whether I will remember that one.
you have some interesting words this week, for sure! Actually, I *like* defenestrate; it rolls of the tongue…now, I just need to find a way to work it into conversation, without thinking of thekoolaidmom’s “definition” LoL…
Anyway, mine are here; I had four this week, as well.
Happy Reading, everybody!
Great words. Fecund is one that I see around a lot. If I participated “impetus” would be on my list this week–I think it is used on almost every page of Middlemarch!
I had abstemious this week too! This is my first week to participate in this and I’m excited. Check out my post.
Fecund always reminds me a bit of fetid – it brings to mind something overly lush and humid. It’s funny the way words can bring on feelings and smells and sounds.
My words are here.
Defenestrate is one of my favorite words! Fecund, on the other hand, sounds way too much like feces. (I’m guessing they come from the same root word.)
I love the word defenestrate. I just think it’s crazy there’s a word for throwing something out the window. Don’t we all want to defenestrate our computers some days, though? :p The origins of the word are much sadder, though.
Here are my words for this week.
Defenestrate is my favourite word this week too, although I can’t imagine having much cause to use it. It does seem like a fancy word for something that one doesn’t do all that often!
My words are here:
http://shereadsandreads.blogspot.com/2009/04/wondrous-words-wednesday-april-29.html
I’m thinking I need to use abstemious more often, especially when it comes to spending so much time surfing blogs.
My words are here.
I hope that I have a fecund garden this year…for growing vegetables that is! My new words are here:
http://jo-jolovestoread.blogspot.com/2009/04/wondrous-words-wednesday-april-29.html
I knew two out of the four…about half seems my normal score…
Great words this week. Mine are here
Lacuna is the newest one to me- and my favorite of all those words! My wondrous words are here
awesome words. The first one I think I have read and heard the most.. the others, not so much. I had a word for this Wednesday from Follow me and I lost it…shucks..
Thanks for teaching me something today!
My new words!
I love defenestrate. I can just picture the looks I’d get if I used it, though. I only have one word this week.
http://carolsnotebook.wordpress.com/2009/04/29/wondrous-words-wednesday-9/
Those are all very good words. I always think defenestrate sounds like something you’d do to a chicken before you stick it in the oven. My two words are here:
http://jlshall.blogspot.com/2009/04/wondrous-words-wednesday_29.html
I have seen fecund, but that is not what I thought it meant at all! Thanks for the heads up.
I ran across “fecund” the other day and couldn’t remember what it meant. I’ve been meaning to Google it, but always remember after I turn off the computer. (My three print dictionaries are feeling very unloved right now.)
hese are great words, Kathy. My five words (whooo hooo! a record for one week!) are here:
http://bettyboochronicles.blogspot.com/2009/04/wondrous-words-wednesday.html
Whoops … meant to type “these are great words”, not “hese.” (It has been a long day.)
I think I’ve just found a new favorite word: defenestrate. Cool.
This makes the SAT words I teach look easy! Please come by my blog as I have an award for you. Thanks!
The only word I knew was fecund. Defenestrate cracked me up- it sounds like something painful. 😀
Defenestrate is one of my all time favorite words! Did you know Fenster is window in German? Pretty similar!
I’m so behind on my reading schedule, that I couldn’t participate for the past two weeks.
please join the Community Virtual Book Sale & Giveaway going on May 4 – 15 with a Twitter party May 8th!
Here is the info to join:
http://www.shebecameabutterfly.net/?p=3123
Pass it on to your other book-lover friends!
I really like the word fecund!