New (old) Words
Listed here are forgotten and newly acquired words discovered while reading Dangerous Liaisons by, Pierre Choderlos de Laclos.
We are reading Dangerous Liaisons in celebration of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's birthday: October 18, 1741 “Humanity is not perfect in any fashion; no more in the case of evil than in that of good. The criminal has his virtues, just as the honest man has his weaknesses.”
FATUOUS: silly and pointless
ReplyDeleteGAUCHE: awkward
ReplyDeleteFICHUS: triangular scarves fashioned to cover low neck lines
ReplyDeletePERFIDIOUS: deceitful and untrustworthy
ReplyDeleteSERAGLIO: a Turkish or Ottoman palace, especially the Sultan's court and government offices at Constantinople.
ReplyDeleteLOQUACIOUS: tending to talk a great deal; talkative.
ReplyDeleteMALODOROUS: smelling very unpleasant.
ReplyDeleteSCLERA: the white outer layer of the eyeball. At the front of the eye it is continuous with the cornea.
ReplyDeleteLIBERTINE: Dissolute person
ReplyDeletePIQUANCY: a pleasantly sharp and appetizing flavor.
ReplyDeletePANEGYRIC: formal speech or poem of praise
ReplyDeleteCALUMNIATE: make false and defamatory statements about.
ReplyDeleteFAIN: rather
ReplyDeleteDINT: force or effort; interchangeable with 'means' in the expression 'by means of'
ReplyDeleteSANG-FROID: self-possession
ReplyDeleteGIRD: tease or goad
ReplyDeletePEDANT: a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning.
ReplyDeleteIGNOMINY: public shame or disgrace.
ReplyDeleteSTINT: spare any of
ReplyDeleteWHILOM: former; of another time
ReplyDeleteDOLOROUS: feeling or expressing great sorrow or distress.
ReplyDeleteCHIMERAS: Illusions; chimeras were female monsters of Greek mythology.
ReplyDeleteINGENUE: naive young woman
ReplyDeletePROBITY: decency
ReplyDeleteSALLIES: quips
ReplyDeleteLASSITUDE: exhaustion
ReplyDeleteCAJOLERY: sweet talk
ReplyDelete