Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bermudaonion's Weblog where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. Feel free to join in the fun - be sure to leave a link over at Bermudaonion's Weblog!1. From Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons: "There would have been no end of ersatz agony and preening."
Ersatz [er-zahts, -sahts] –adjective
serving as a substitute; synthetic; artificial.
2. From Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons: "The air was plangent with silent laughter."
Plangent [plan-juhnt] –adjective
resounding loudly, esp. with a plaintive sound, as a bell.
3. From The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny: "You wouldn't know it, but there's burled wood under there. You have to know what to look for. The tiny imperfections."
Burled (adj.) having burls that produce a distorted grain: burled lumber.
Burls - a dome-shaped growth on the trunk of a tree
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Your link worked! I've seen plangent before but couldn't have defined it even with the quote from the book. Thanks for participating!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know the first two until I read Off Season, but I did know burled. My husband taught me that word when I asked about the funky looking trees in our yard.
ReplyDeleteWhat useful info - thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletexxLOLA:)
I like ersatz. I think I can try that one out on my husband tonight.
ReplyDeleteFun idea! I don't have any of my own to share, but I liked reading yours.
ReplyDeletebermudaonion:
ReplyDeleteI meant to write a post after I blogged the words. I wanted to say that I'm not sure the sentence with "plangent" completely works. I chose the best definition I found but I'm thinking (hoping!) there are better definitions out there. The more I read that sentence, the less plangent seems to work in it. Of course, it's always possible I just read the sentence too many times! lol
I'm so happy my link worked! I'm figuring some things out around here!
Vicki:
Did you like Off Season? I think it's cool you know what burled wood looks like!
Nora:
I love words so bermudaonion's mem is right up my alley. It's good to know what words mean, particularly if you read a lot...now if I could only remember the definitions! lol
Margot:
I like ersatz too. Let me know how it goes with your husband!
Willoughby:
Thank you for coming by! I think it's fun to learn new words. I especially like when the word really sounds like it's definition!
I didn't know any of those. Interesting words!
ReplyDeleteWondrous Words Wednesdays
Thank you dear reader - I have another for you: tintinnabulation - I got it from an Edgar Allen Poe poem, as a child. Hint, like plangent.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great Meme - I'll have to store up some words for next week. :)
ReplyDelete