Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Wondrous Words Wednesday!



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 (please do!) Be sure to leave a link to your post over at Bermudaonion's Weblog!

All of my words come from The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan.

" The builder had not skimped and mother likes to recite the evidence-the raised quoins of each corner, the hood moldings over each window and door, the keystones cut from single pieces of stone."

1. Quoin {koin, kwoin} [noun]
1.an external solid angle of a wall or the like.
2.One of the stones forming it; cornerstone.
3.Any of various bricks of standard shape for forming corners of brick walls or the like.
4.A wedge-shaped piece of wood, stone or other material used for any of various purposes

2. Keystone {kee-stohn} [noun]
the wedge-shaped piece at the summit of an arch, regarded as holding the other pieces in place.


"She holds up a delicate tulle, a coil of rouleau, and another of soutache, all of the same luminous gray."

3. Rouleau {roo-loh} [noun, plural: -leaux, -leaus]
A roll or strip of something, as trimming on a hat brim.


"Beneath the gardens canopy of foliage, purslane spreads its weedy tendrils."

4. Purslane {purs-leyn, -lin}[noun]
A low trailing plant, Portulaca oleracea, having yellow flowers, used as a salad plant and potherb
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10 comments:

  1. Hi!
    Great words! I knew what Purslane is but the others I didn't. Thanks for sharing! Have a great day!

    Sherrie
    http://sherriesbooks.blogspot.com/2009/09/wondrous-words-wednesday_23.html

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  2. Excellent choices of words! I only knew of 'keystone' and never really knew the exact definition either.

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  3. The only word that's familiar to me is keystone and I remember it from Western Civilization class. Thanks for participating.

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  4. All these words are really, really new for me.

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  5. Great words...This was such a great story, I hope you are enjoying it!

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  6. Great words! I knew quoin and keystone from design school and purslane from Top Chef. Rouleau is a new one for me, though!

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  7. Quoin was the new one for me. I came across it reading a description of the real Glenview that I imagined as Bess's home.

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  8. Two new words for me. I must have this book!

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