eloquent... exotic... esoteric... (please provide definitions)

I always think of Zounds as being more popular in the Stuart era (although I see that it did first come into use in the late Elizabethan) and wasn't it supposed to be rather a mild sort of oath?

My favorite, in the way of minced oaths and archaic profanities, has been, since I was a teenager and first encountered it, Odd's Fish, which looks like a contraction of "God's fish" (which would be odd indeed), but actually began life as "God's face."

malediction 1. the act of calling down a curse invoking evil 2. to speak evil of; slander

imprecation a curse invoking the divine; a prayer that someone be harmed

lurid garishly vivid; melodramatic, sensational, or shocking; revolting or gruesome
 
Some terms related to orbit, orbital motion, and astronomy:

Perigee (Perihelion) : The point in an orbit when the satellite (i.e. Earth) is closest to the sun.

Apogee (Aphelion) : Point in orbit when the satellite (i.e. Earth) is farthest from the sun.

Sidereal: of, relating to, or expressed in relation to stars or constellations.

Sidereal Day: A sidereal day is the amount of time it takes the Earth to rotate once on it axis relative to the stars. A mean sidereal day is equal to 0.99727 mean solar days. (because the earth also moves roughly 1/365 with respect to the sun as it spins, the "Solar Day" is 24 hours.)

Meridian: An imaginary line on the surface of the Earth running from the north pole to the south pole through any given point on the Earth.

Equinox A condition, occurring twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the Sun being vertically above a point on the Equator. The term equinox can also be used in a broader sense, meaning the date when such a passage happens.

Eccentricity : Half of the distance between the foci of an ellipse divided by the semi-major axis. Think of it as a measure of how "out of round" an ellipse is.

Ecliptic: The plane of the Earth's orbit around the sun. The ecliptic is the apparent path of the sun across the celestial sphere over the period of one year.

Albedo : The ratio of the light reflected in all directions by a surface to the light incident on it. A perfectly reflecting surface has an albedo of 1, a perfectly absorbing surface has an albedo of 0.

Antapex - The direction in the sky away from which the Sun is moving. Because of the Sun’s motion, nearby stars appear to converge toward the antapex.

Azimuth : The angular distance between the northernmost point on the horizon eastward around the horizon to the point on the horizon nearest to the direction of a celestial body (i.e. the moon). Azimuth has also been more generally defined as a horizontal angle measured clockwise from any established base direction line on a fixed reference plane to a specified point on that reference plane.

Zenith : The point on the celestial sphere directly above an observer.

Quasar : A distant galaxy, seen as it was in the remote past, with a very small, luminous nucleus.

Pulsar : A rotating neutron star with beams of radiation emerging from its magnetic poles. When the beams sweep past the Earth, we see "pulses" of radiation.

Neutron Star : A star composed primarily of neutrons and supported by the degenerate pressure of the neutrons.

Parallax : The shift in the direction of a star caused by the change in the position of the Earth as it moves about the Sun
 
I like to use Zenith as well but with this definition behind it:
the point of culmination; the greatest height; the height of success or prosperity.
(Example: He had reached the Zenith of his life, The moon was just reaching its Zenith, etc)
I also like Exacerbate: To increase the severity, violence, or bitterness of; aggravate.
(Example: The mans ignorance was very Exacerbating, The severity of the wariors violent swipes Exacerbated the scene, etc)
And how about Mollify: To calm in temper or feeling; soothe. To lessen in intensity; temper. To reduce the rigidity of; soften
(Example: As the proud barbarians walked over the ridge and stood before the scene of absolute beauty they became mollified, Her caresses to his brused and battered body were mollifying, etc)

Hope you like those ones!
 
Hmmm, looks like this thread has fallen into disuse.


panegyric a speech, discourse, or writing in praise of a person or thing; an eulogy; a formal commendation

paen a song of praise; a hymn of joy or triumph

encomium* an expression of high praise; a tribute

*a word I have never seen used outside of a Regency novel



farrago a confused mixture; a hodgepodge

hodgepodge a jumble; a motley assortment

motley having elements of great variety or incongruity; multi-colored; the parti-colored garb of a court jester

incongruous inappropriate; out of keeping or place; unbecoming; not harmonious
 
And let us not forget the opposite of Zenith - nadir.

Othello's harmatia (his Achilles heel which brings about his downfall) is his insane jealousy. My rather more prosaic (commonplace in the sense of less heroic/dramatic and more parochial -of the everyday) harmatia is my inability to get anywhere on time, which is possibly the result of my hubris (overweening arrogance), in that I fondly believe that everyone else has nothing better to do than to wait for me.
 
Lope - Long, easy strides, such as a wolf or horse might make while moving at a canter.

Taciturn - Normally reserved in speech - silent - un-talkative.

Circuitous - Marked by indirect, confusing or inefficient direction, as in speech or design.

Victual - Food, nourishment. (this word makes me hungry)

Cacophony - A dissonant array of sounds lacking harmony, or even regular design or pattern.

Recalcitrant - Resistant or stubborn against authority.
 
Teresa Edgerton said:
encomium* an expression of high praise; a tribute

*a word I have never seen used outside of a Regency novel
Click to expand...

I confess to having used it an an email earlier in the year. I also tried hard to wrangle it into a first draft of novel 2 but in the end I had to admit defeat and use 'eulogy' instead - some words just don't fit no matter how much you want them.

hodgepodge a jumble; a motley assortment
Click to expand...
We tend to say hotchpotch Teresa -- probably the result of dialectical differences when the word was taken over to the US -- but I've also heard people use hybrids such as 'hotchpodge'. Another defintion is of a mutton stew, so I imagine it's itself a variation of hotpot which is a meat and vegetable stew/casserole -- I'm not sure if that's a word in common currency outside of the UK, though. An interesting thing (to me anyway) is there is a technical legal term of hotchpot bound up with the same idea of an assortment -- where, say, at someone's death, various assets are taken together to ensure equal division to those inheriting.

Another good - but rarely used nowadays - legal term is tontine, which is where a fund is created by a number of people who receive the income equally during their lives, so as each person dies, the remainder receive bigger shares, and which pays out to the last survivor. Perhaps a bit obvious for a murder mystery nowadays, though I know of one Miss Marple story which involves it.

Two more legal words which can be of no possible help to anyone, but which I love for their mouth-feel:

Mandamus -- a writ ordering a person to perform a statutory duty

Certiorari -- a writ by which a court reviews a decision of an inferior court

J
 
The Judge said:
Two more legal words which can be of no possible help to anyone, but which I love for their mouth-feel:

Mandamus -- a writ ordering a person to perform a statutory duty

Certiorari -- a writ by which a court reviews a decision of an inferior court

J
Click to expand...

Appropriate choices for one who goes by a screen-name such as yours. :)

Chinook

1. A moist warm wind blowing from the sea in coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest.
2. A warm dry wind that descends from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, causing a rapid rise in temperature.
3. A member of a Native American people who controlled the mouth of the Columbia river; they were organized into settlements rather than tribes.
4. A Penutian language spoken by the Chinook people.
5. The pink or white flesh of large pacific salmon.
6. A large pacific salmon valued as food; adults die after spawning.


Periphery

1. The outermost boundary of an area; the fringe
2. the outside surface of something
3. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Anatomy) Anatomy the surface or outermost part of the body or one of its organs or parts
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boneman
Isn't a Chinook a helicopter, as well?
Click to expand...
It's a military transport helicopter.
Click to expand...
I left that out on purpose because, for example, a Mustang was a horse before they named a car after it.


Reverie

1. state of dreamy meditation or fanciful musing: lost in reverie.

2. a daydream.

3. a fantastic, visionary, or impractical idea: reveries that will never come to fruition.

4. Music. an instrumental composition of a vague and dreamy character.

Dexterous

1. Ready and expert in the use of the body and limbs; skillful and active with the hands; handy; ready; as, a dexterous worker.

2. Skillful in contrivance; quick at inventing expedients; expert; as, a dexterous manager.

Parsimonious

1. Excessively sparing or frugal.

2. Penurious; avaricious, covetous.
 
Peter Graham said:
...the result of my hubris (overweening arrogance)...
Click to expand...

Surely you've abridged (truncated, shortened, simplified) this definition a tad. (Never mind. Now that I've looked it up, I should rather compliment you on summing it up in such short order. )
 
Can a précis ever be precise (as opposed to being accurate)**.

Précis n. Summary, abstract, especially of speech or written work.

Precise a. Accurately expressed, definite, exact; punctilious, scrupulous in in observance of rules***, etc.

Accurate a. Careful, precise; in exact conformity with a standard or with truth.



** - I was taught that one can be precise without being accurate. (In stating that a mile is 1.609344 kilometres, one is being both precise and accurate; in saying that it is 1.60606060606060606 kilometres, one is implying precision, but being inaccurate.)

*** - In this sense, Henry's assist with the French goal against the Republic of Ireland might have involved accuracy (the cross), but wouldn't be precise. ;):)
 
Seems only appropriate that I list some more now :p

Interpolate - The obtaining of a value in a question through experimentation, combined with prior knowledge of known limits. For example: An artillery team can know where a shot will land on a battle-field because they have fired test shots over a range at various angles, and since they know that their machine is operating within a consistent range, within tolerances, they will know roughly what angle to fire at to have their shot land on points between their known points.

Castigate - Severe punishment, reproof or criticism.

Apostrophe - To address someone who is either not present or dead, or something which is non-human as if the addressee were present and could respond.

Colliery - A coal mine and its related facilities.

Trollop - A woman of ill repute or questionable ethics - A woman who engages in sexual acts promiscuously or for money.

Countersink - A conical indentation for a nail or screw in which the head of the said device rests when in place - created to allow for screws or nails to lay flush with a surface.

Flush - Square, level or straight, as in smooth with no irregularities.

Coquettish - Flirtatious, inclined to tease for positive attention from others.

Mollycoddle - Either (A) To be overly-protective or (B) One who is pampered or overprotected, usually a male (read: sissy).
 
A couple of words which are common in themselves, but which have other meanings which are anything but:

Access - an attack or outburst of emotion eg ''an access of shame''.

Obtain - 'be prevalent, customary or established' is how I've seen it defined eg ''these conditions are very different from those which obtain elsewhere in such societies''. Also it can mean to be valid or true in the sense 'this comments still obtains'.

And one which I learnt from Nik in a critiques post:

Stoop - (of a bird of prey) to swoop down on a quarry.

J
 
probe - a long thin instrument used by doctors and dentists for exploring or examining

Portent - an indication that something, often something unpleasant, is going to happen

Dally - to act in an amorous, flirtatious, or playful manner
 
obfuscate to evade or obscure; to make something so confusing that it is difficult to understand, to intentionally create ambiguity; to darken or dim

masticate to chew; to grind; to reduce to a pulp by crushing or kneading

prevaricate to stray from the truth; to mislead or misrepresent, to deliberately create a false impression; to lie


salutary favorable to health; promoting some beneficial purpose

salacious lecherous; (or art or literature) obscene or indecent

sally n. a sortie of troops out of a besieged fortification; a sudden outward rush; an outburst of passion or fancy; a quip or clever retort; a trip or excursion
v. to rush out or leap forth; to issue suddenly from a defensive or besieged position to attack an enemy; to make a witticism; to set out on a trip
 
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A sally is also the thick woven handle at the end of a bell-rope...funny how identical words have such radically different meanings.

Ellis and Pritchards
 
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