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Sharing our love for authors, and the stories they are inspired to tell.

Wondrous Words Wednesday

An image for the weekly meme Wondrous Words Wednesday… Is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we have encountered in our reading.It is hosted by Kathy, over at ‘BermudaOnion’s Weblog’.You can either stop by and leave a link to your own ‘mystery’ words of the week, or just browse the eclectic mix of words that others have discovered, there is always a great selection.

Don’t forget that Kathy and the rest of us, all love to read your comments  as well, so that we can visit and share your words of the week!

My word selection this week, comes from a recently completed book, which has so much great material for this meme, that I really don’t know where to start! –  ‘St Bartholomew’s Man’ by Mary Delorme, is an obvious choice for my ‘favourites shelf’ at Goodreads, with a fully justified 5 star rating – and I do promise Mary, that I will get the review up as soon as possible!

 1.  TONSURE

The only way the community could accept such a gift would be in the certainty that you would take the tonsure.

An Image To Illustrate The Term TonsureTONSURE – is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp, as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word tonsūra (to clip, or cut) and referred to a specific practice in medieval Catholicism, abandoned by papal order in 1972.

2.  PSALTERY

Perhaps even gentler sounds could be coaxed from the psaltery, if one knew how …

Image To Illustrate a PsalteryPSALTERY – The psaltery of Ancient Greece (epigonion) was a harp-like instrument. The word psaltery derives from the Ancient Greek ψαλτήριον (psaltērion), “stringed instrument, psaltery, harp” and that from the verb ψάλλω (psallō), “to touch sharply, to pluck, pull, twitch” and in the case of the strings of musical instruments, “to play a stringed instrument with the fingers, and not with the plectrum.”

In the Christian era, a psaltery consisting of a soundboard with several pre-tuned strings that are usually plucked came into use.

From the 12th through the 15th centuries, psalteries are widely seen in manuscripts, paintings and sculpture throughout Europe. They vary widely in shape and the number of strings (which are often, like lutes, in courses of two or more strings).

In the 19th century, several related zithers came into use, notably the guitar zither and the autoharp. In the 20th century, the bowed psaltery came into wide use. It is set up in a triangular format so that the end portion of each string can be bowed.

3.  NAKERS

Even the drummer was subdued; he who could play the little nakers until they seemed to laugh

Image Illustrating NakersNAKERS – Small kettledrums that reached Europe from the Middle East in the 13th century, during the Crusades. Nakers were made of wood, metal, or clay and were sometimes equipped with snares. They were almost always played in pairs and were struck with hard sticks. They were probably tuned to high and low notes of identifiable pitch. Like the similar Arabic naqqārah, from which they derived, nakers were used in military and battle music, as well as in the softer indoor chamber music and in dance accompaniments. They continued in use through the 16th century.

4.  COTTARS

Tosti and all the cottars will have heard it now, from Hugh. King Henry has made many promises …

An Image Showing Medieval CottarsCOTTARS – Cotter, cottier, cottar, Kosatter or Kötter is the German or Scots term for a peasant farmer (formerly in the Scottish highlands for example). Cotters occupied cottages and cultivated small plots of land. The word cotter is often employed to translate the cotarius of Domesday Book, a class whose exact status has been the subject of some discussion, and is still a matter of doubt. According to Domesday, the cotarii were comparatively few, numbering less than seven thousand, and were scattered unevenly throughout England, being principally in the southern counties; they were occupied either in cultivating a small plot of land, or in working on the holdings of the villani. Like the villani, among whom they were frequently classed, their economic condition may be described as free in relation to every one except their lord.

A cottar or cottier is also a term for a tenant renting land from a farmer or landlord.

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Written by
Yvonne

I can’t remember a time, even as a child, when I haven’t been passionate about books and reading.
I began blogging, when I realised just how many other people out there shared my passion for the written word and I have been continually amazed at the wealth of books that are available and the amount of great new friends I have made, from literally 'The Four Corners Of The World'.

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Written by Yvonne