Friday Vocabulary

1. dark lantern — lantern with a shutter to hide the light

“Watson, be sure to bring the dark lantern so that we can conceal our presence in the chamber after traversing the underground paths to the tomb.”

 

2. arrant — notorious, unmitigated

We have rarely heard such arrant falsehoods since Satan was imprisoned in Hell.

 

3. withe — pliant twig or stem used for binding

Before plastic, packages might be tied up with withes, one possible option for the post-plastic age to come.

 

4. vinous — relating to wine; caused by indulgence in wine

I was appalled by his vinous visage hovering so closely over my own face, the rubicund and swollen nose seeming like a diseased sinking sun.

 

5. ostler — person responsible for horses, esp. at an inn

In the darkened stables we found our young ostler, apparently kicked and killed by one of his charges.

 

6. ceorl — one of the lowest rank of freemen, in medieval times (more commonly churl)

Though he had the support of every rank from barons to ceorls, Harold could not stave off the invasion of the Normans, coming so close on the heels of his battle in the north with Harald Hardrada at Stamford Bridge.

 

7. lapidescence — petrifaction, quality of turning into stone

The shores of the salt sea shimmered in the setting sun, the sparkling lapidescence creating an eerie shine along the lifeless coastline.

 

8. contumely — scornful rudeness or abuse

If a southern gentleman is never unintentionally rude, his claim to that title was not lessened one iota by the insolent contumely he heaped upon his nemesis.


 

9. atrabilious — melancholy; splenetic

She feared that he was in an atrabilious temper this morn, and would give short shrift to the reasoned arguments she had marshaled.

 

10. Laodicean — person lukewarm in religion, politics, etc.

For all the shrill voices condemning third-party candidates, the real danger to democracy comes from the hordes of Laodiceans who constitute even at this hour an immense portion of the body politic.

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