Wednesday, November 13, 2013

~ ~ Wondrous Words Wednesday ~ ~


Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bermudaonion's Weblog where we share words that we’ve encountered in our reading. Feel free to join in the fun and be sure to leave a link to your post over at Bermudaonion's Weblog.


These words are from The Pumpkin Eater by Daphne Merkin 

She was nineteen at the time, a dark, gamine beauty who years later would be momentarily mistaken by a waiter for Audrey Hepburn. 

1. Gamine   {noun}
[gam-een, -in, ga-meen]
1. a neglected girl who is left to run about the streets.
2. a diminutive or very slender girl, especially one who is pert, impudent, or playfully mischievous.

 
Despite the discord at home, the family was featured as a gleaming image of fecundity on all fronts for numerous newspaper and magazine articles, with John becoming ever more renowned for his plays and prowess at the bar. 

2. Fecundity  -noun
[fi-kuhn-di-tee]
1. extant copies of books produced in the earliest stages (before 1501) of printing from movable type.
2. the earliest stages or first traces of anything.
 
 
I must say that for a young man with his life in front of him to saddle himself with a brood of children and a wife as plain feckless as this daughter of mine seems to me lunacy.
 
3. Feckless  ~ adjective
[fek-lis]
1. ineffective; incompetent; futile: feckless attempts to repair the plumbing.
2. having no sense of responsibility; indifferent; lazy.
 
"It was a mere peccadillo," Jake said abruptly, as though about to recite.
"What?"
"Peccadillo. Bagatelle."
 
4.Peccadillo ~ noun
[pek-uh-dil-oh]
1. a very minor or slight sin or offense; a trifling fault.
 
5.Bagatelle ~ noun
1. something of little value or importance; a trifle.
2. a game played on a board having holes at one end into which balls are to be struck with a cue.
3. a short and light musical composition, typically for the piano.
 
 
 

4 comments:

  1. I think I've heard of most of those words but the only one I truly knew the meaning of was peccadillo and I couldn't have spelled it. Great words today!

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  2. I knew all but bagatelle. My first thought was baguette - those yummy little breads. Could it be the word is related? I'm a gamer but never heard bagatelle is a game. I'll have to check that out. And, a musical composition? Very versatile word you found. Amy.

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  3. All new for me today.

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  4. I do remember looking up several words which surprised me for such a short novel...LOL

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