Just When You Thought I Couldn’t Learn Anymore Words From Books…

You will have probably, by now, have spotted my semi regular words posts. Where I scribble down words I don’t understand and then type them up, do a bit of Googling to bring all you lovely blog readers their meanings. Here’s 30 more words I’ve recently learnt and, as usual, tell me how many out of 30 you knew. I’m thinking I should start keeping a leaders board or something.

1. Iridescent – luminous colours
2. Acerbic – Sharp and forthright
3. Tinctures – Medicine made by dissolving a drug
4. Ampule – small, sealed glass capsule
5. Amethyst – A very pretty pink gem stone.
6. Cloisters – A covered walk in a convent, cathedral or monestry
7. Brusquely – Abrupt in speech
8. Calcifying – harden by decomposition
9. Siphoning – Draw off a liquid using a siphon. Weirdly I think we’ve had this one before.
10. Sibilant – making or characterised by a hissing sound, like a whistle
11. Susurrant – soft whistling or ruffling sound in old English. I wasn’t aware I’d read any old English books but apparently I’ve read many as the word made the list twice.
12. Porous – little gaps in rocks for air or water
13. Buttresses – stone or brick built to strengthen a wall
14. Honorific – Given as a mark of respect but having no actual duties. My university had a cat as it’s president, I think that may have been honorific.
15. Akimbo – hands on the hips and elbows turned outward. It’s that scowling pose teachers take when your five and didn’t eat your carrot sticks.
16. Acina – a berry family to which the blackberry belongs. And I don’t mean the phone.
17. Stalwart – loyal, reliable and hardworking. Well that’s going straight on my CV, bringing down the word count there.
18. Orator – a skilled public speaker
19. Derisive – express content or ridicule
20. Apex – top or highest part of something especially when forming a point like a roof.
21. Sellsword – mercenary hired to highest bidder.
22. Assent – expressing approval.
23. Penchant – a tendancy to do something
24. Visceras – internals chest organs. I may have got this one from Stalking Jack the Ripper.
25. Staccato – a music thing where each note is performed far away from the last.
26. Belied – fail to give a true impression
27. Taper – gradually lessen the thickness. Like a snake with a pointy tail 🐍
28. Portent – a warning that a terrible event will occur
29. Ire – anger but shorter in letters.
30. Kohl – a black powder used for eye makeup.