Is this a British term....or am I just way, way out of the loop ?!
I have never seen or heard this word used before.
The Maisie Dobbs series certainly has introduced me to some really unusual new ones.

(Appears several times in The Private Patient by P. D. James.)

I've heard preprandial, but more often postprandial as in an after-dinner drink. It is a bit formal, isn't it?

Let's revolt and teach them actual words with more than two letters !

yoyobon included after the word (pr-prnd-l), which I assume is the pronunciation. But it does me absolutely no good. How on earth are you supposed to figure out how to say a word when no vowel sounds are indicated?! Should all the consonants just be slurred together? I went to the Oxford "talking dictionary" to listen and the two speakers (one British, one American) both definitely pronounced vowels, just slightly differently. I hate trying to guess how a word should be pronounced when I have only read and not heard it.

If you get kids at the right age, they are delighted to learn big words, especially if the adults in their lives praise this. However, I must mention that today this now-adult daughter texts continually, just like the rest of her generation. But she does still have a good vocabulary.

Rosefolly

I discovered on a dictionary site that since 1945 it occurs zero times in one million words seen or heard.

Apparently it is an older word more popular in the 20's.

Words, how I torture family.

Casuistry (kazh 'oo i stree) specious, deceptive, or oversubtle reasoning

Good for you cece, it has got to be worthwhile to keep a child's vocabulary developing. Here in the UK and I expect in the US/Aus etc most converstations seem to be carried on in little more than 'grunt' talk.
More disturbingly I read in the paper recently of an older woman who 'listened in' on the conversation of a very young Mother with her toddler, to be surprised that the girl was teaching the baby '4 letter words' then laughing when the child managed to repeat them. What a way to start out in life.

My favorite story involves a trend back in the 80's with kids calling each other "dildos". I was so offended by it that one day I selected one of the more egregious students and wrote them a pass to the library, asking them to look up the word 'dildo' in the dictionary there and then come back and define it for the class. The student who returned was a bit less cavalier than the one that left! She chose not to share the definition personally and let me share with the class what this meant. Needless to say, most willingly dropped that from their choice words.

Another ploy I would use to decrease the use of putdowns and insults in class was to quote the elementary child's favorite comeback:
"You are what you say !".
Or quote another favorite:

There's so much bad in the best of us,
And so much good in the worst of us,
That it doesn't behoove any of us,
To talk about the rest of us!

Ah children........such a challenge.
Humor is always the best approach, in my experiences.

Well done yoyobon with the definition of dildo for the children. The term I hear now that I dislike as a personal putdown is douchebag, which especially in Australia is very unlikely to be understood, as I have rarely seen the word here. It's something I learned from US magazines, I think.

Below a clip from a production at Sydney Opera House

My mum said that when I was about six, I would always get "coincidental" and "catastrophe" mixed up which must have created some funny sentences! And I well remember the time about the same time that I said "cr*p" very loudly at a big lunch without knowing quite how rude it was and thinking it was just another way to describe the degree of something...

My English nephew, when he was about 4, knew that DH and I were related to him somehow, but couldn't quite work out the specific relationship. So he would call us "Auntie Liz" and "Auntie Dave" to cover his bases. It was so brilliantly funny and makes complete sense when you look at that level of development in a child...

Any other funny kid/word stories?

* Immanent - I thought this was a typo, but it's a real word which means "indwelling" or "inherent"
* carapace - hard bony covering
* tabula rasa - a chance to start afresh (among other things)
* augury - divination; ascertaining the will of the gods
* Ilizaroc apparatus - apparatus used in orthopedic surgery to lengthen or reshape limb bones
* Theory of mind - (never heard of this) - ability to attribute mental states (beliefs, intents, knowledge etc.) to oneself and others and understand that others have beliefs that are different from one's own.
* palimpsest - a piece of scroll etc that has been scraped clean of old text and used again
* atavistic - reverting to characteristics of a remote ancestor or primitive type
* bricolage - construction of creation of a work from a diverse range of things...
* apiary - bee yard, where beehives of honey bees are kept (should have known this one)
* frangible - an object that tends to break up into fragments; also means easily broken

These were all from The Tiger book by John Vallient.

* Silver turnip watch - another name for a Victorian silver pocket watch. (Wasn't sure the link for turnip...)

* Suzerainty - occurs when a region/people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. (I am still fuzzy on this, as it was a 1950's domestic village novel - nothing about foreign affairs...)

Risible riz-uh-buhl adj. invoking laughter. At this stage in life I mostly look up words to check the pronunciation. I had thought more contempt was implied by the word.

* cordovan - type of leather in shoes etc. (in the context of this book). It has other meanings as well.
* factotum - general servant or person having many diverse responsibilities
* impasto - application of thick layers of pigment to canvas or other surface in painting
* apse - similar to "arch" in architecture
* pertinacious - stubborn, obstinate, perversely persistant
* elliptical (in regards to a person) - extremely concise in speech or writing (sometimes so concise as to be difficult or impossible to understand)
* a tonsure - partially shaved head (as in a monk in some orders)
* Collins (something written) - Hmm. Nothing on line about writing, but could, perhaps, be a nickname for a thank you letter or note? (Guessing here from context.) It's not the drink. :-)
* beaglers - unknown. Any ideas? It was used in the context of a noun...
* burberry - not the brand name but a general item. Hmm. It seems that it's a general name for a blanket, but not nec a Burberry brand one...

These are from Illyrian Spring by Ann Bridges. With a title like that, it is not such a big surprise that she has a large vocab!

lemonhead - I was curious about beagler, and did you know there is actually an online magazine called "The American Beagler"?

The Neighbors are partying and I'm reading Stendahl's "Red and the Black". ( I got several pges of notes).

"I hear Cher..."!? I think I'm going to party.

* estaminet - small cafe'
* pantechnion - English moving van - didn't know that!
* leporine - characteristic of a rabbit or a hare
* losel - one that is worthless; a scoundrel
* louring - to look angry, sullen or threatening
* proscenium - area of modern theater that is located between the curtain and the orchestra
* rancorously - long-lasting resentment
* recreant - cowardly, unfaithful
* costiveness - suffering from constipation (!)
* pard - leopard or panther
* traduced - tp cause humiliation or defame through falsity
* anthropic - of or relating to humans or human life
* flocculent - like a clump or tuft of wool
* minatary - having a menacing like quality
* seawrack - some kind of herb with medicinal qualities
* tumid - swollen or enlarged

(This is a mix taken from both Bates' Fair Stood the Wind... and Banville's The Sea...)

You might like this bit:
After a certain point, you teach yourself to read. You arrive at an unfamiliar word, and usually don't look it up. You sort of flow with it in the context, and in time it teaches itself to you.

an·o·mie/ˈanəˌm�"/Noun: Lack of the usual social or ethical standards in an individual or group.

The latest word I looked up. Walter Russel Mead used it today in an essay on the plight of urban centers.

You have a good point to consider. Yes, a lot of times I can work out the definition by context... Normally, I really like to find the exact definition so I can be ready for next time.

Haven't heard of the word you looked up so happy to add another one to my stack of new words. :-)

Saw this in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, self-explanatory that one is!

* cerements - cloth or clothing in which the dead are wrapped for burial etc.
* rufous - strong yellowish pink to moderate orange color
* rubescent - turning reddish
* brims (re: waves in the sea) - the upper surface of a body of water
* craquelured - term used in painting (but not clear to me)... anyone?
* groynes - a wall or jetty built out from shore or bank to control erosion
* blench - to move back or shy; go pale
* coevals - of the same or equal age or duration
* horrent - covered with bristles or bristles standing up
* cinereal - ash-colored (presumably similar to cinders..?)
* anabasis - a military advance moving inland from the coast
* transmutation vs. transubsantiation - transmutation (process of changing from one form to another); transubstantiation (non-religious meaning: process of changing from one form to another)...
* vituperation - outburst of violently abusive/critical language
* prelapsarian - time before Adam and Eve lose their innocence in Garden of Eden
* anaglypta - type of thick embossed wallpaper
* glair - adhesive substance made from egg white and used in bookbinding
* ovine - relating to sheep
* perfidy - deliberate treachery
* homunculus - very small human being; miniature person inside an egg (as thought by early biologists)
* soughing - soft murmuring sound or rusting sound (like wind in trees)
* plangent - making a loud and resonant sound
* mittleuropan - no idea what this is... anyone?
* catafalque - raised platform for a coffin
* crepitant - making a crackling sound
* refection - light meal or a portion of food
* bombazine - twilled/cotton and worsted material, usually dyed black
* caducous - falling off in the early stages (e.g. leaves of a plant etc.)
* congeries - a collection of things
* casuistry - misleadingly subtle reasoning to justify something
* mephitic - offensive to smell; poisonous

Jimeney Crickets. I thought I was quite well-read before this book, but wow. I am so not. :->

I am familiar with Mitteleuropa, which is the Deutsch designation for the part of Middle or Central Europe with Germany at its core. It indicates geographical position but also a pervasive cultural and political mindset in the region. In the twentieth century it was a term fraught with implications that Germany was going to dominate its neighboring ethnic groups and, perhaps, all of Europe. That subsided some after the end of WWII, but it has been resurrected with the reemergence of Germany as an economic and political powerhouse. It can be both a neutral, place-associated term and a worrisome political one, specific to Germany.

That's the way I condense the meaning for my own benefit, Liz, but I'm sure that there are subtleties that I haven't even touched on. Does any of my idea fit the context of Banville's The Sea? I'm curious.

You know, there was absolutely no mention of Germany (or its environs) during the whole novel. I think perhaps he was using Mitteleuropa as a metaphor for something... But not sure as I have slept since then. :-)

Thanks for the definition - will help next time I come across it...

Why did you think I was reading N-F? Was it a particular area of N-F that you were thinking? Just curious.

chiasmus - reversal of the order of words in a second or parallel phrase.
zeugma - figure of speech in which a word is used to modified or govern two or more words although appropriate to only one of them eg "Mr Pickwick took his hat and his leave."
occultation - temporary disappearance of one celestial body as it moves out of sight behind another body.
Bet you're glad to know all that.

I don't think I could have got through a book such as Banville's if I had needed a dictionary always to hand. I did start it some years ago . . . but gave up. ;-(
You mentioned the word 'seawrack' earlier. I think it just means a variety of seaweed
And 'bombazine' used to be worn by widows and elderly females.

However, anabasis, transmutation vs transubstantiation, perfidy, vituperation, plangent and casuistry threw me off, but I would still have guessed some sort of history.

I have not read The Sea, but I did read The Untouchable, Banville's novel about the aging spy. I recall that his vocabulary was prodigious in that one as well.

Veer - Banville does have this huge vocab, but it didn't really interfere with the ongoing narrative. I just wrote the words down in a notebook, and kept on going, looking up the words the next day. I did think the actual amount of vocab was a bit overboard in places tho'. But as I mentioned, it was a Broccoli book. (Not that tasty, but good for you.)

* Corsuscating - to give forth flashes of light or sparkles
* Sumptuary laws - laws attempting to restrict extravagence
* Pryyhic victory - victory with devastating cost to the victor (Sort of knew this one, but a bit fuzzy)
* ersatz - an imitation or substitute, usually inferior
* libertine - one devoid of moral constraints
* cranching - to crush or grind noisily
* flexile - flexible, pliant, adaptable. (Why not use "flexible"?...)
* sagacious - discerning, perceptive
* nonpareil - having no equal. (Question: why would the almonds at the grocery store be called "nonpareil"? They are just normal almonds.)

Tim, re mizzle To me it is something less than drizzle. It has certainly been mizzling this morning.

Liz, don't know why the almonds should have been so described, unless they were the favourite of the writer/character in book.
Also re John Banville. Did you know he also writes 'pseudonymously' as Benjamin Black? No, me neither. He has just done his fourth crime novel set in the back streets of 50's Dublin

And then found this article from the NYT about the most lookup words for their readers.

I should have known this one but had to look it up. In one of those funny twists, I saw it in three places in the same day.

Picard, however, did not use it as a proper noun. Hers was lowercase and non-italicized, so I'm guessing that she meant it in a generic sense. I did get a whiff of disparagement, so it must have been that the 'sassenachs' were considered ignorant. Xenophobia was as rampant then as now.

* drugget - coarse rug made of wool or cotton and wool
* clemming - to be starving
* endued - to invest or endow with some quality
* noddies - a stupid person (sing: noddy). Note: Is the Enid Blyton character Noddy stupid? I can't remember.
* the squab = newly hatched or unfledged pigeon; a soft cushion
* fustian-cutting - "Fustian" is a term for a variety of heavy woven cotton fabrics...

Words from North and South by Gaskell:

* Charybdis (of passion) - (Greek myth) A sea monster (who was also a whirlpool)
* expiation - make pious and implies removal/cleansing of skin
* a dree - (chiefly Scottish) endure, suffer
* fettling - to cover or line the hearth with loose material (such as gravel)
* tapis - tapestry used as a curtain or tablecloth etc.
* a craddy - not sure what this...
* separate the Una from the Duessa - characters in Spenser's The Faerie Queen
* veriest - in a high degree, extremely (This makes sense.)
* vis inertiae - that property of matter which makes it resistant to change
* contumelies - rudeness or contempt arising from arrogance
* Vashti - (noun) Queen of Persia who refused to obey the command of her husband
* Mordecai - bloke in the Bible
* thridded - to pass through in the manner of a needle or thread
* bosky - having an abundance of bushes, shrubs etc
* conduced - to continue or lead to a specific result

I clearly have a hole in my brain about the mythology of the world!...

which emails me a word a day (surprise!) with its pronunciation, meaning, usage and etymology, and then at the end of the week, any emails they have had in response. It's quite interesting.

Re: Sassenach......for some reason I seem to think that it is a Scottish word .
I might have seen it used in OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon.
That was a long time ago ! I am surprised that I recall it.

I am GOOD !!!
Yvonne ;0)

* farouche - fierce, wild
* zenobia - Queen of Palmyrene Empire who led a revolt against the Romans
* garniture - embellishment, trimming (makes sense: garnish etc.)
* cash nexus - the reduction of all human relationships to monetary exchange
* apotheosis - exaltation of a subject to divine level
* haybox cookery - a hay box or fireless cooker that utilizes the heat of the food being cooked to complete the cooking process
* Fabian - British socialist movement
* planchette (re: Spiritualism) - small heart-shaped piece of wood used to move around the Ouija board to spell out words etc.
* certificated -to testify or authorize by certificate
* Suffragette vs. Suffragist - ..gette is a woman who advocates suffrage for women; ..ist more of an American term for suffragettes.

* gibbous - more than half illuminated (re: the moon) or bulging
* hoary - covered with pale/grey/white hairs. Heard of this as in "hoary frost" and finally now what it really means...
* lubberly - a clumst person or inexperienced sailor (Perhaps linked with "landlubber"..?)
* acclivity - an upward slope on a hill
* animadversions - criticisms esp those reproaching someone
* rodomontade - boastfulness
* votaries -person bound by vows to a religious way of life
* eulogiums - formal expression of praise for someone who has died (similar, I would imagine to eulogy)
* arrogate - to claim something without the right to do so

* ebon - black in colour; ebony
* cynosure - something that strongly attracts attention by its brilliance
* dimity (in ref to curtains) - a type of cotton fabric with a striped/checked texture produced by weaving together yard of different thicknesses
* chevelure - a head of hair
* gallimaufry - a hodge-podge of various things/people
* guerdon - a reward
* lucre - money, wealth, profit (stands to reason - think lucrative etc.)
* disseizin - depriving someone of land that rightfully belongs to them
* poison-combs (type of jewellry) - something that the bad witch used to poison Snow White, but what? Is it literally a poisoned comb of some kind?
* bosky - having an abundance of bushes, shrubs etc.
* houris - a voluptuous alluring woman; one of beautiful virgins mentioned in the Koran
* vocable - capable of being spoken (Makes sense really.)
* cavil - to object for no good reason; carping criticism
* deliquium - a melting or dissolution into the air; a sinking away
* cits (noun) - a noun in Hinduism of pure consciousness
* vassalage - condition of being dependent/subordinate to someone or something else
* logerity - quickness of mind or body

So many new words to explore... :-)

It means stoutness or plumpness !

It would appear french in origin ?

I don't know what any of them actually mean, but I can guess from the context.

I have no intention of using any of these words in conversation, rest assured!

Used in Rushdie's The Moor's Last Sigh to describe the walls filled with Aurora's drawings after she had been locked several days in her room as punishment...

* eidetic - able to recall with startling accuracy
* pertubation - cause of trouble or being disturbed
* injera -a flat Ethiopian bread resembling a large pancake
* lancinating - to stab or pierce (i.e. lancing a boil etc.)
* chitinous - protective outer coating
* chatelaine - woman who is head of large household or a woman's key chain usually worn at waist
* groynes - a breakwater running seawards from the land constructed to prevent erosion. I knew this was a geographical/rock thing, but not exactly what it was...
* bourdon -the bass pipe on an instrument
* objuration - a binding by oath
* experto crede - (Latin) Believe one who has tried it or who speaks from experience
* cleek - a large hook (like over a fire to boil a pot of water). Scottish/Northern England.
* lambrequin - ornamental hanging; decorative border on a vase; scarf attached to knight's helmet
* attar - essential oil from flowers, esp rose petals

My words from (The New Grub Street by Gissing - hi PAM):

* afflatus - creative inspiration, usually thought of as divine
* simpitica - of like mind or temperament; presumably this is a female equivalent..?
* whelmed - cover with water; I have heard of "overwhelm" and "underwhelm", but not "whelmed". Sounds like a word from Seinfeld... :-)
* ephermerides - table listing the positions of planets
* merum sal - true good sense, pure salt.
* procrustean - enforcing conformity
* tonsured - act of shaving head esp as preliminary to entering monastic order
* metrical - relating to poetical meter or measurement

Rosefolly

* ptarmigan - medium-sized gane bird in grouse family
* en brosse (re: hair)- cut short so as to stand up like brush bristles
* scudding - to move swiftly and smoothly
* chaffing - to mock or tease in good-natured way
* catamounts - any of various mountain lion family
* nostrums - an ineffective or quack remedy
* ash-hoppers -a large container filled with ashes and straw; water is poured through and as it seeps through the ashes, it's chemically transformed into lye
* mucilage - glue
* scapular - (in devotional sense)large length of cloth suspended both front and back from shoulders of wearer (in this case, a nun)which can vary in shape, color, size and style

* subtilize - to refine something
* recked - to care or mind about something
* mauvaise honte - shame or bashfulness
* cumbrous - large and unwieldy (Makes sense: think of cumbersome)
* malgre lui - despite himself or herself...
* hebdomadal - weekly, occuring on a weekly basis
* thews - muscle or muscular strength
* exoteric vs. esoteric - exoteric - understood by all; esoteric - difficult to understand
* sub dio - under the open sky
* toxophilites - an archer or archery enthusiast
* defalcation - to embezzle or misuse funds

(These are mostly from the Barchester Chronicles by Trollope. Those Victorians knew a lot more (or different) words!)

lych-gate - gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English church
enconium - a formal expression of high praise
matutinal - of or relating to the morning/early part of the day
puisne - one of lower rank than others, usu. Judges
moideres - a former Portuguese/Brazilian coin that was current in UK in early 18th century
emolument - payment for work
incubus - a mythological demon who forces sex on sleeping women
mangel - a large coarse yellow-ish beet grown chiefly as food for cattle
philogents - could not find any definition for this
concatenation - the state of being interconnected
whilom - having once been (in a professional positon), the former ... .

One more puzzling thing: money gets mentioned, of course, but Trollope writes it in this way: 50L.... What does the "L" mean? I thought perhaps it was Roman numerals (L being 50), but that doesn't fit the context... I can't seem to track it down on the net anywhere. Any ideas?

* peroration - to speak at great length; conclude a long speech.
* probity -adherence to the highest principles; uprightness.
* rasterize - only mention of this is in reference to working in PhotoShop which I feel fairly safe in assuming that Wharton did not have access to... :-) Any ideas?
* "dog in the manger"(saying) - one who prevents others from enjoying what one has no use for. Had not heard of this before. Anyone else?
* meed - a fitting result or wage of some kind. Had only heard of this as "mead" which I recognize is something else entirely. :-) (But could be given as wages at some point, I suppose.)
* chary (type of person)- dear or treasured; slow to accept or grant something.
* empyrean - the highest heaven, thought to be full of fire. (Heard of this before, but was not sure of it exactly.)
* sapolio - Type of soap that was available then?
* cuirassed - a defense or protection; type of armour for protecting breast and backbone.
* ormulu - 18th C term for applying very finely ground gold in mercury mix to object of bronze.

Saplolio was a type of soap--the suffix is the giveaway. Means fatty, material needed for soap.

vapid, not worthy of notice.

Meed is an archaic word for reward or recompense

rasterize/raster seems to be a German word connected to horizontal lines on a TV screen unless Ms Wharton was referring to the big hairdos and woolly hats worn by Rastafarians . . . both seem unlikely. ;-)

The Washington Post recently published a contest for readers in which they were asked to supply alternate meanings for various words, similar to the Devil's Dictionary entries. The following are some of the winning entries:

Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.
Circumvent (n.), the opening in the front of boxer shorts.
Coffee (n.), a person who is coughed upon.
Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.
Flatulence (n.) the emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.
Frisbatarianism (n.), The belief that, when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck there.
Gargoyle: An Olive-Flavored Mouthwash
Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.
Negligent (adj.) , describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightie.
Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddish expressions.

* Herdic (re: transportation) - type of horse-drawn carriage (late 1880's US)
* Vicegerent - official administrative duty of a rule or head of state
* Enfiladed - gunfire directed along the whole length of a target (e.g. down a straight trench from end to end etc.)
* Fatuities - self-satisfied unintelligence combined with complacency
* Vaticanations - the art of prophesying. (Link with the Vatican/Catholic church somehow?)
* Aigrettes - tuft or plume of feathers used in head dress
* Sacerdotal - related to priests or priesthood
* Encaustic - related to art using wax
* Philippic - a fiery damning speech delivered to condemn political person
* Miry - swampy damp ground
* Sneck (re: gate) - door latch (in Northern UK and Scotland 13th century)
* Plethoric - overfull, turgid. (Related to "plethora" as in "a lot")
* Adumbrations - to give a sketchy outline or foreshadow
* Surcharged ceiling? - Was there a ceiling tax at some point? (Similar to the old window tax in UK?)
* Lemtta - ??
* Gnomic - resembling or containing proverbs or other aphorisms

I underline words I don't know while reading and then write the definition right next to them in the book (short version, of course.)

If I can't pronounce a word easily, I never start using it...but some words I just love to know and use...not to impress anyone, just love the sounds of them.

Thanks for putting the definitions to these in your posts...saved me hours of looking them up...LOL!

nola_anne

I love words and learning new ones so reading lots of new vocab is actually fun for me...! But I am a word nerd. I accept that. :-)

New ones from the anthology of "Great American Short Stories" edited by Corinne Demas:

This selection is taken from the "Great American Short Stories" book, edited by Corinne Dema (published by Barnes and Noble).

�Tabouret � either a cabinet or a stool that is portable
�Roseate � resembling a rose; overly optimistic
�Pulchitrude � physical beauty
�Tumbrel � cart carrying prisoners to be executed (usually by guillotine)
�Septuagesima Sunday (1870) � a 17-day preparation for the season of Lent which is a preparation for Easter. Some countries, it is the start of the Carnival season culminating in Shrove Tuesday.
�Hoydenism � unladylike or tomboyish behavior
�Eternal white horses (re: possessions) -- ?
�Sybarite � person devoted to luxury and pleasure
�Conge � act of taking leave, farewell
�Lares and Penates (myths) � gods who protected the household (Roman); another name for the actual valuables within a household
�Espiegle (French) � word for prankster, rogue
�Desuetude � condition of not being used
�Old Christmas Day (1802) � not sure. The story referenced "New Christmas Day" which implies, perhaps, a change in calendar dates or something?
�Sibyl � prophetess or woman who divines. Greek.

****

Nola-Anne -
I love words and learning new ones so reading lots of new vocab is actually fun for me...! But I am a word nerd. I accept that. :-)

New ones from the anthology of "Great American Short Stories" edited by Corinne Demas:

This selection is taken from the "Great American Short Stories" book, edited by Corinne Dema (published by Barnes and Noble).

* Tabouret - either a cabinet or a stool that is portable
* Roseate - resembling a rose; overly optimistic
* Pulchitrude - physical beauty
* Tumbrel - cart carrying prisoners to be executed (usually by guillotine)
* Septuagesima Sunday (1870) -a 17-day preparation for the season of Lent which is a preparation for Easter. Some countries, it is the start of the Carnival season culminating in Shrove Tuesday.
* Hoydenism - unladylike or tomboyish behavior
* Eternal white horses (re: possessions) - -- ?
* Sybarite - person devoted to luxury and pleasure
* Conge - act of taking leave, farewell
* Lares and Penates (myths) - gods who protected the household (Roman); another name for the actual valuables within a household
* Espiegle (French) - word for prankster, rogue
* Desuetude - condition of not being used
* Old Christmas Day (1802) - not sure. The story referenced "New Christmas Day" which implies, perhaps, a change in calendar dates or something?
* Sibyl - prophetess or woman who divines. Greek.

That word sounds like some nasty , obnoxious attitude.
"He had the pulchritude to ask her to dance."

It sure doesn't make me think of physical beauty !!

"There is a pulchitrudious hodynistic Sibyl sitting on the tabouret waiting for the tumbrel"?

And no one would actually really know what you're talking about. :-)

* Druggett - a coarse woolen fabric felted or woven and printed on one side
* Colliers (boats) - should have recognized this one. It refers to people involved in producing (digging/mining etc.) coal. Don't remember any coal-mining talk though in the book.
* Timon (myth) - reference to Shakespearean play called "The Life of Timon of Athens" (Haven't read of this, but think it's about the fortunes of some rich Athenian guy...
* Pallas Athene (in the manner of) - another name for Athena (Greek goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration etc.)
* Burnous (clothing) - a cloak of coarse woolen fabric with a hood, usually white
* Isingclass (food)- product of gelatin and used in confectionary and other desserts
* Tocsin - an alarm sounded by means of bells
* Figured silk (type of dress) - silk material ornamented with a pattern of some type
* Hurt bushes (flora) - not sure. The only mention that I could find was to do with the Super Mario Wiki game!
* Chorically - of or pertaining to a chorus; linked with style of Greek chorus...

There may well be variant spellings of "burnous/burnoose"... I was reading a copy on Project Gutenberg so perhaps it varies as to who is typing it up and/or proofs it..?

Either way, it was a new word for me. :-)

"extreme preoccupation with and indulgence of one's feelings, desires, etc.; egoistic self-absorption"

from dictionary.com

From all over the place the last couple of weeks or so... Quite a few from Tess of the D'Urbervilles and some from Sherlock Holmes...

I think someone puts some Nepenthe in my coffee in the mornings lately. I keep forgetting things. :-)

"viz." - I've seen this a lot in older books, but finally looked it up in my old Webster's dictionary. It means "namely".

And yes, Donnamira - I was reading Poe! Good catch.

The pictures on the recommended websites are wild. I don't know how one could miss noticing such an object upon first visit, as the book suggests.

From Wikipedia: A tulipiere or tulip-holder is an ornate flower-holder that is usually made of hand-crafted pottery, classically delftware. They are typically constructed to accommodate one single flower stem per spout with a larger common water reservoir base.

ENROACHMENT ( I was certain that it must be encroachment)

meaning : inroad

You learn something every day ( if you're paying attention!_