Wednesday Wordslinging

Hello fellow wordslingers.  If we were soldiers then our weapons would obviously be words.  English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton said it best when he coined the phrase "The pen is mightier than the sword."

Now, there are some authors, like King, Koontz, or Anne Rice, that own a level of vocabulary that makes me feel illiterate.  Not that big, flashy words make a great story, but if you don't have control of your words then how can you convey your message to your readers?

There is nothing wrong with a light vocabulary--at least that's what I keep telling myself--but there is also nothing wrong with trying to better yourself.

So, with that in mind, when I'm reading and I run across a word that I either have never heard before, or am familiar with but not quite sure of the exact definition, I write it down and look it up.  I've collected a good sized list.  Here are a few of my words:

ob·strep·er·ous

adj \əb-ˈstre-p(ə-)rəs, äb-\

1: marked by unruly or aggressive noisiness : clamorous <obstreperous merriment>

2: stubbornly resistant to control : unruly

— ob·strep·er·ous·ly adverb

— ob·strep·er·ous·ness noun

 

ra·con·teur

noun \ˌra-ˌkän-ˈtər, -kən-\

: a person who excels in telling anecdotes 

re·splen·dent

adj \-dənt\

: shining brilliantly : characterized by a glowing splendor <meadows resplendent with wildflowers — Outdoor World>

— re·splen·dent·ly adverb

 

Byz·an·tine

adj
\ˈbi-z^ən-ˌtēn, ˈbī-, -ˌtīn; bə-ˈzan-ˌ, bī-ˈ\

1: of, relating to, or characteristic of the ancient city of Byzantium

2: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of architecture developed in the Byzantine Empire especially in the fifth and sixth centuries featuring the dome carried on pendentives over a square and incrustation with marble veneering and with colored mosaics on grounds of gold

3: of or relating to the churches using a traditional Greek rite and subject to Eastern canon law

4: often not capitalized a : of, relating to, or characterized by a devious and usually surreptitious manner of operation <a Byzantine power struggle> b : intricately involved : labyrinthine <rules of Byzantine complexity>

 

ephem·er·al

adj
\i-ˈfem-rəl, -ˈfēm-; -ˈfe-mə-, -ˈfē-\

1: lasting one day only <an ephemeral fever>

2: lasting a very short time <ephemeral pleasures>

— ephem·er·al·ly \-rə-lē\ adverb

Noun : something that lasts for a very short time : something ephemeral; specifically : a plant that grows, flowers, and dies in a few days

These may be words that you already knew or maybe not.  Go forth, write and choose your words wisely.

Monday Muse Fuel

Today was Monday in full force.  If the M-word has given you a bad case of brain-drain and you're in need of something to tickle your muse's fancy, how about a possible UFO found on the ocean floor.

Now, don't go ripping off Michael Crichton's Sphere, but feel free to feed your muse with this story and see what she gives you.

Good job surviving another Monday.