Yvonne
… 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 first couple of words this week, once again come from the pen of author Grace Elliot, with her latest historical fiction novel, ‘Hope’s Betrayal’.
Given Grace’s ‘day job’ as a vet, there is usually at least one technical word in her books, which is sure to flummox the unsuspecting reader and ‘Hope’s Betrayal’, is no exception!
FASCICULATIONS
The muscle fasciculations beneath his palm stopped and then Nero, as if deciding there was nothing to worry about after all, started nuzzling at his hay rack
Fasciculation … A small local involuntary muscular contraction visible under the skin, representing spontaneous discharge of fibers innervated by a single motor nerve filament.
…
NANKEEN and PELISSE
Dressed in a nankeen walking dress with matching pelisse, Hope followed their regular route.
Nankeen … A durable fabric formerly loomed by hand in China from natural cotton having a yellowish colour.
Pelisse … A long cloak or outer robe, usually of fur or with a fur lining.
A woman’s loose light cloak, often with openings for the arms.
-.-
I found this great word in an interview which Gilion@Rose City Reader, conducted with new author Lenhardt Stevens, where they were discussing Len’s debut novel, ‘The Hapless Valet’. This is an extract from one of Len’s replies to a question …
ZEITGEIST
The city has established its bona fides as a muse for writers and artists. Poets, film directors, musicians, song writers, and chefs thrive on the city’s zeitgeist.
Zeitgeist … (Historical Terms) the spirit, attitude, or general outlook of a specific time or period, especially as it is reflected in literature, philosophy, etc.
I am looking foward to checking out all your new words this week everyone!
—
All new to me and all interesting words! Thanks for sharing Yvonne.
Hi Naida,
The most intriguing word for me, is ‘fasciculation’. Unless, like Grace, you are a vet, it is quite a difficult word to casually drop into a conversation. Fun to try though!
Until I started taking part in this meme, I didn’t realise just how many new to me words there are out there. I guess that in the past, I must have just skipped over them and just guessed the general meaning of the word, from the context in which it was used.
Writing them down and sharing them is so much more fun!
Thanks for stopping by.
All great words! Thanks for dropping by and visiting.
Hi Jackie,
I always love finding new sites to visit and enjoy ‘meeting’ as many new people as possible.
I had never really taken much notice of all the new and different words I had come across, before stopping by Kathy’s site on WWW day.
Now I seem to come across at least a couple of new words in every book I read, in fact I am always alert to them now and get disappointed if I don’t come across any.
Feel free to stop by any time, all comments about whatever subject you want to discuss, will always be welcome and appreciated.
I’ve actually looked up nankeen before and remember it was a fabric only after reading the sentence you found it in. I’m guessing a fasciculation is what we would call a twitch.
Hi Kathy,
I guess like all human medical terms, in veterinary science, there are similarly long and convoluted words for something which is actually quite simple.
I really think that we should all join the Plain English Campaign and life would be so much easier ….. oh! but then we wouldn’t have any need for this great meme …. scrap that idea!!
http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/about-us.html
Thanks for stopping by, your comments are always valued.
Yay! I knew all your words today. Must be the first time ever. What a great bunch of words they are though. People have fasciculations too, it’s a medical term as well, not just a veterinary one. We have a nankeen kestrel in Australia, so named for his yellow legs, and back when they were naming things they thought it looked like they were wearing nankeen trousers.
Hi Louse,
It is quite self satisfying when you know all of someone’s words, isn’t it? and it doesn’t happen to me very often, I can tell you.
I checked out your Nankeen Kestrel and also the Nankeen Night Heron and they certainly are impressive and handsome birds. We have similar birds here in the UK, although ours are not nearly so brightly coloured or handsome looking.
Kestrels are quite regularly seen in the hedgerows around where we live, unfortunately the Heron isn’t quite as popular, as they do tend to raid our fish ponds for ‘ready-meals’! As we have two quite large ponds, we actively have to deter them with a network of wiring, which is a real shame.
Thanks for taking part and taking the trouble to leave your comment. It is always good to hear from you.
Ha ha ha – if only you knew!
Some of the words I use in my ‘day’ job could never be used in literature! Needless to say a lot of them have to do with bodily functions. In my household I hold many trump cards when it comes to ‘out-grossing’ my teenage sons if they start to talk toilet humour. *Winks*
kindest regards,
Grace x
Hi Grace,
I have never thought about the scenario before, but I can see that it must actually be quite frustrating to be the offspring of any kind of health professional, be it the human or animal kind. Having a parent whom it is almost impossible to shock or insult is bad enough, but to have one who can ‘outdo’ you, no matter how cool you think your words are, must be terrible for them!
Surely a minor triumph for you as a parent though, if you use the word, but then won’t tell them what it means, making them have to educate themselves by looking it up in their own time!!
Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your participation.