Friday Vocabulary

1. toast-and-water — water in which toast has been soaked, thought to be cooling and refreshing (also seen as toast-water)

I availed myself of some toast-and-water from the pitcher near at hand, attempting to calm my febrile brain and efface the frightening visions.

 

2. glaucous — pale grey-green or greenish-blue

In the crepuscule of the evening the bushes beneath the ground floor windows attained an eerie glaucous hue.

 

3. pretermit — to suspend or abandon (a customary action)

Also at this time, Bob pretermitted the weekly poker game, as required by the conditions of his parole.

 

4. purfling — a decorated border, such as an inlaid border around the back of a violin

The purfling of Satan’s fiddle was tricked out in gold and ruby highlights.

 

5. tripudiate — to dance in joy, triumph, or contempt

No, Snoopy, there is no reason to tripudiate upon your dog house, for the Red Baron is merely wounded.

 

6. sempiternal — eternal

And so another battle in the sempiternal war of the sexes came to its desultory end, resolving nothing.

 

7. alinea — another name for the pilcrow, a typographical mark used to designate a paragraph (“¶”)

Within each section the separate paragraphs began with an alinea followed by the number for that sub-topic.

 

8. actinic — of or relating to radiation causing chemical or biological effects; of light which causes exposure of monochrome film

The amber lantern provided non-actinic light by which to develop the incriminating images.

 

9. achalasia — inability of a circular muscle, esp. of the esophagus or rectum, to relax, causing the structure above the muscular constriction to widen

His refusal to credit logic and science led to a peculiar psychic achalasia, leaving his mind filled only with trifles, superstitions, and discreditable ideas.

 

10. sciolism — superficial knowledge

His petty sciolism, derived from Pinterest posts and Wikipedia articles, provided him with no insight into actual construction of a working Murphy bed.

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