Word of the Day – Arch

She arched a brow. His brow arched in question.  Arched, as in, brow raise in question, disbelief, sarcasm… or whatever other reason you would arch a brow. I don’t know, just ask Seven of Nine. She did it all the time!  I use arched now instead of cocked because my dictionary doesn’t recognize ‘cocked’ as being a word. Go figure, because something can be cock-eyed, but not a brow. So now I use arched. And when I say I use it…. I mean ALL. THE. TIME.  I probably go overboard, but since I can do it so well with my left brow, I figure every one of my characters should.

 

¹arch

noun \ˈärch\

: a usually curved part of a structure that is over an opening and that supports a wall or other weight above the opening

: the raised area on the bottom of the foot that is formed by a curved section of bones

: something that has a curved shape

Full Definition of ARCH

1

:  a typically curved structural member spanning an opening and serving as a support (as for the wall or other weight above the opening)

2

a :  something resembling an arch in form or function; especially :  either of two vaulted portions of the bony structure of the foot that impart elasticity to it

 b :  a curvature having the form of an arch

3:  archway

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Word of the Day – Murmur

Murmur; murmured.  There are only so many words to use for someone talking softly.  And in an intimate situation, murmur is the perfect word. All my characters murmur at some point. I probably over use the word.

¹mur·mur

noun \ˈmər-mər\

: a low sound made when many people are speaking

: a quiet expression of an opinion or feeling

: speech or a way of speaking that is quiet and soft

1:  a half-suppressed or muttered complaint :  grumbling

2a :  a low indistinct but often continuous sound

 b :  a soft or gentle utterance

3:  an atypical sound of the heart typically indicating a functional or structural abnormality

I use definition 2b as my meaning of the word, though as I happen to have a minor heart murmur, I suppose when I talk with my doctor, I do use that…..  Moving on.

My hero murmurs into the heroine’s ear.  My heroine murmurs her agreement. I literally use murmur all the time instead of just ‘said’ or ‘said with some adverb’  (Damn you Stephen King for making me restrain myself with adverbs!)

If anyone has another good synonym for ‘murmur’ I’d love to know!

Writing on

~Kate

Word of the Day – Seriously

Seriously.  No, seriously, you want me to seriously use seriously in a sentence?  Okay. 🙂  I use this word too much in my regular vernacular.  “That is seriously messed up.” “I seriously think that needs to change.” “You can’t be serious?”

Those are all things I say, way too much.  I would go so far as to say that I use seriously as most girls use ‘like’. I love it. I think the way I use it isn’t the correct form of the word, but  hey, I’m being serious!

se·ri·ous·ly

adverb

: in a serious way

: to a large or great degree or extent

1:  in a sincere manner :  earnestly <speaking seriously>

2:  to a serious extent :  severely, extremely <seriously injured>

Writing on……seriously

~Kate

 

Word of the Day – Impulsive

Okay, I’m going to attempt to be back at writing. So for the get back into the swing of things, the word of today is Impulsive.

im·pul·sive

adjective \im-ˈpəl-siv\

: doing things or tending to do things suddenly and without careful thought : acting or tending to act on impulse

: done suddenly and without planning : resulting from a sudden impulse

1:  having the power of or actually driving or impelling

2a :  arising from an impulse <an impulsive decision>

 b :  prone to act on impulse <an impulsive young man>

3:  acting momentarily

I love the word impulsive. I use it in my writing, when I can remember, because half the time I forget that I love this word. I love when someone kisses someone impulsively.  I love when someone goes and get’s a coffee impulsively.  It’s that word that takes the control out of the writer, because the character has a mind of their own.  Being all impulsive and such.

Writing on

~Kate

Word of the Day — Desultory

James Jones (From Here To Eternity)

I found this word while reading Who the Hell is Pansy O’Hara? by Jenny Bond and Chris Sheedy.  It was in the chapter about James Jones and thank goodness I had my dictionary handy.

des·ul·to·ry

adjective \ˈde-səl-ˌtȯr-ē also -zəl-\

: not having a plan or purpose

: done without serious effort

1:  marked by lack of definite plan, regularity, or purpose <a dragged-out ordeal of…desultory shopping — Herman Wouk>

2:  not connected with the main subject

3:  disappointing in progress, performance, or quality <a desultory fifth place finish> <a desultory wine>

A quick look in my Websters said a synonym was ‘random’, which is what I filled in the sentence with instead of desultory.  It had to do with college classes on writing.  Honestly, I doubt I will remember what this word actually means.  It is probably one that I need to write a small definition in the margins.  I do that occasionally.  With a pencil, mark what a word means. Especially if I plan to come back and read the book later.

Have you run into any fun or forgettable words this week?  If so, post them in the comments. I’m always on a lookout for odd words.

Signing off

~Kate

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Word of the Day — Ill

Ill. Sick, unwell, evil, suffering, distress.  One three letter word that has nothing going for it other than we all pretty much know what it means.  Now that I’m interested, ill always makes me thing of Virginia Woolf‘s essay  ‘On Being Ill‘, though I have yet to read it. I want to, but haven’t found a copy yet.

 

¹ill

adjective \ˈil\

: not well or healthy : sick or unhealthy

of health : not normal or good

: harmful or damaging

worse worst

Full Definition of ILL

1a chiefly Scottish :  immoral, vicious

b :  resulting from, accompanied by, or indicative of an evil or malevolent intention <ill deeds>

 c :  attributing evil or an objectionable quality <held an ill opinion of his neighbors>

2 a :  causing suffering or distress <ill weather>

  b comparative also ill·er superlative also illest (1) :  not normal or sound <ill health> (2) :  not in good health; also :  nauseated

3a :  not suited to circumstances or not to one’s advantage :  unlucky <an ill omen>

 b :  involving difficulty :  hard

4a :  not meeting an accepted standard <ill manners>

 b archaic :  notably unskillful or inefficient

5:  unfriendly, hostile <ill feeling>

Why a sick word today?  Good question. Probably because I am ill myself. Ill with a cold.  At least I’m not the ill of my mother…. pneumonia.

Signing off

~Kate

Word of the Day — Livid

When I think livid, I think angry, but it can mean a color as well.  Who would have thought of using it to describe gladiolas… see below in the definition?  I wouldn’t have. I always think livid and someone is ready to scream, blow up, or storm out of the house.  He was livid, and she knew that if she didn’t shut up, the house was going to come crashing down.

liv·id

adjective \ˈli-vəd\

: very angry

: having a dark purplish color

1:  discolored by bruising :  black-and-blue <the livid traces of the sharp scourges — Abraham Cowley>

2:  ashen, pallid <this cross, thy livid face, thy pierced hands and feet — Walt Whitman>

3:  reddish <a fan of gladiolas blushed livid under the electric letters — Truman Capote>

4:  very angry :  enraged <was livid at his son’s disobedience

I don’t often write about someone that was so angry they could be described as livid, but I love thinking in terms of that. Go figure.

Signing off

~Kate

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Word of the Day — Bevy

I need a bevy of Owl Posts

I could have sworn there was a chapter in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone titled ‘A Bevy of Owls’.  Apparently not.  Bevy. It’s one of those words that means a large group… So for me, a lot of owls, with letters included, means a bevy.  A bevy of deer.  Though apparently it’s more birds that is bevy than large mammals.  Either way, bevy always brings to mind the mass of letters Harry receives from Hogwarts. Wonderful wax sealed letters.

bevy

noun \ˈbe-vē\

: a large group of people or things

plural bev·ies

1

:  a large group or collection <a bevy of girls>

2

:  a group of animals and especially quail 

You know? I’d like someone to send me a bevy of owls bearing letters from people, friends, acquaintances, people who I know nothing about. Did I ever mention I love getting letters in the mail?  On a side note, I’m not as good at replying to said letters…

Signing off

~Kate

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Word of the Day — Ism

Ism.  A small word that’s more of an ending in some instances than an actual word. However, a word it is.

Ism. Running through the dictionary tonight after thinking about every word that ends in those three letters, I’ve yet to find a word that has a good meaning with -ism attached to it. Racism, antagonism, egotism, extremism, fanaticism, totalitarianism, alcoholism, nationalism, communism, fascism, absolutism,  sexism,socialism, Darwinism….. and some would add in Impressionism and Cubism. I would definitely agree with Cubism, I just looked it up.  Whoo, that is a bit scary.

ism

noun \ˈi-zəm\

: a belief, attitude, style, etc., that is referred to by a word that ends in the suffix -ism

1

:  a distinctive doctrine, cause, or theory

2

:  an oppressive and especially discriminatory attitude or belief <we all have got to come to grips with our isms — Joycelyn Elders>

It’s funny how isms usually do not mean something good.  Speaking of good, if you add -ism to the end of good, does the word cancel itself out?  There are a few -ism words out there that do not mean something that is negative, but very few.  It’s amazing how such a small word can make such a big difference.

It’s like that Delta Air Lines commercial ‘Up’. As the first lines say, “Up, a short word that’s a tall order,”. Think about that. Oh, and because I love the commercial, even though it doesn’t relate to -ism, I wanted to include it.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm6iyOq0v-Y

Word of the Day — Chartreuse

Now that’s a chartreuse dress!

Ah, color. Apparently this is a color week what with lavender, puce, and now Chartreuse.  There used to be a Crayola crayon that was chartreuse, then I think they retired that name, but I loved using it because it was oh so French.  And a very pretty color.  Why that color today?  Well, driving to the vets yesterday, there was one field that was completely this color. A gorgeous bright spring green. Neon knock  your socks off.

char·treuse

noun \shär-ˈtrüz, –ˈtrüs\

Definition of chartreuse

:  a variable color averaging a brilliant yellow green

OR

Chartreuse trademark

—used for a usually green or yellow liqueur

And another meaning of the word via Wikipedia because I’m too lazy to write it out tonight.  Plus I have All Quiet on the Western Front and a Maisie Dobbs book I want to get into before bed.

Chartreuse (US /ʃɑrˈtruːz/, /ʃɑrˈtruːs/ or RP /ʃɑːˈtrɜːz/;^[2] French pronunciation: ​[ʃaʁtʁœz]) (the web color) is a color halfway between yellow and green that was named because of its resemblance to the green color of one of the French liqueurs called green chartreuse, introduced in 1764. Similarly, chartreuse yellow is a yellow color mixed with a small amount of green that was named because of its resemblance to the color of one of the French liqueurs called yellow chartreuse, introduced in 1838.^[3]

I love using or thinking about using this color word partly because it’s fun to say. But it means some of the prettiest greens out there. Like the word mint. I love mint because it’s such a pretty color, or celery green. Yes, I love greens. So, when was the last time you thought about the color chartreuse?

Signing off

~Kate

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