Today's new words for Wondrous Words Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Kathy from Bermudaonion's Weblog, come from two different sources.
The first is from a wonderfully written blog I discovered a few months ago.
1. chary: very cautious, wary, careful
"I am very chary about saying this too loudly, but I think we may have the phone problem solved."
~Ann from Table Talk
Ann has a sophistication about her that shines through her writing. Table Talk is a blog I hope to frequent more often in the future.
2. grandiloquent: full of fine words, flowery language, and fancy expressions (as found in much 19th century poetry); use of impressive-sounding but mostly meaningless words and phrases (political rhetoric)
"Sometimes Tacy enlivened the envelope by putting the stamp on upside down to signify love, or by addressing her with some grandiloquent string of names such as Miss Elizabetha Gwendolyn Madeline Angeline Rosemond Ray, or by adding BC for Best Chum or HHAS for Herbert Humphreys Admiration Society."
~Heaven to Betsy, Maud Hart Lovelace
I think this word sounds very much like its meaning. I won this very enjoyable book, which contains two Betsy-Tacy novels, Heaven to Betsy and Betsy in Spite of Herself, on Kate's Book Blog. I've finished reading Heaven to Betsy and am currently reading Betsy in Spite of Herself. Having never read these charming classics as a child, I am relishing them for the first time now. Harper Collins has recently republished books from the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace.
3. triumvirate: a government of three officers; any group or set of three
"What, Betsy wondered, was a Triumvirate?"
~Heaven to Betsy, Maud Hart Lovelace
Of course, tri means three, but I didn't remember reading or hearing this word before. A quadrumvirate means--you guessed it--a governing or managing group, coalition, or set of four people.
What wondrous new words have you encountered during recent reading?
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I would have guessed that's what chary meant, but I've never heard it used.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I won't know all these words if I don't tumble on this post by accident:))
ReplyDeleteBy the way, my blog is giving away free books and jewelry, please feel free to participate.
I knew triumvirate, but the other two are new to me. I love chary and will try to use it soon. Thanks for participating!
ReplyDeleteOh WOW! I like he sound of all three today!
ReplyDeleteAnd I found a word too. It is "addlepated". it means confused, eccentric, peculiar :)
I hope u like it!
I encountered so many words that were new to me when I read The Waves by Virginia Woolf. I put them in the post I wrote, which won't be published until the 26th of February, but it was a wonderful exercise.
ReplyDeleteWill you still love me if I don't use words like 'chary' when I blog? I work with third graders most days. ;)
I love "chary", too. What a great word. Thanks for sharing these three words with us!
ReplyDeleteAll three of your words are great but I like grandiloquent the best. It sounds like one of those beautiful fluff words I would not be able to pull off. Chary I can handle.
ReplyDeleteJulie, I hadn't heard chary used before either. Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteChina, I will definitely stop by your blog to investigate. :)
Bermudaonion, thanks for hosting this fabulous meme! I now find myself more aware of new words as I read; I jot down words to look up on Post-it notes.
Veens, I've never encountered addelpated before--great word!
Dolcebellezza, I look forward to your post on The Waves, although it sounds as if you ought to post it on a Wednesday. :)
Lisa, thank you so much for stopping by.
Margot, I feel the same way.
Thanks for all the comments. More welcomed.
I guess the one thing I am concerned with reading on-line books is the possible dissapointment of losing a link. Thank you for those references too. You go to such lengths so often. xo
ReplyDeletegreat post suko :) interesting!
ReplyDeletehttp://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/
I had never heard of the word chary, but now I will be able to use it in a sentence if needed! Thanks, Suko!
ReplyDeleteOf your list, I only knew triumvirate, because Rome was a triumvirate before Caesar became emperor. Though I can't think of any other triumvirates beyond ancient Rome.
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