Word-Hoard

Pillion   n. 1. (a) A light saddle women consisting chiefly of a cushion.     (b) A pad or cushion put behind a man’s saddle chiefly for a woman to ride on. 2. (British) A motorcycle or bicycle saddle for a passenger.   adv. On or as if on […]

Recrudescence  n. Breaking out afresh or into renewed activity; revival or appearance in active existence. Wowee – million-dollar word here! Despite “breaking out afresh” conjuring images for me of decayed zombie hands thrusting forth from the earth, a Google image search of “recrudescence” turns up rather a lot of scientific-looking […]

Lassitude n. 1. A condition of weariness or debility; fatigue. 2. A condition characterized by lack of interest, energy, or spirit; languor.   “Lassitude” is a great word for those “fade-to-black” scenes, as below, to describe the  sensation as someone is drugged or otherwise lulled to sleep. It’s also a […]

Schloss n. A castle or palace.   There are a number of words for castles and other great houses or fortified compounds – keep, citadel, fortress, stronghold, manor, estate, manse, etc. Sometimes, though, you may want to invoke a certain exoticism or foreignness that such words lack. “Schloss” is the German […]

Beldame n. 1. An old woman, especially an ugly one; a hag. 2. (Obsolete) Grandmother.   When I did a Google search for “beldame,” the first several pages of results mostly related to a famous racehorse from the early 1900’s, so it may be worth keeping in mind that the […]

Dray n. A vehicle used to haul goods; especially a strong cart or wagon without sides.   v. To haul on a dray.   Not too long ago we looked at a similar word – “wain.” Like “wain,” “dray” is another word for a wagon or cart, and like these […]

Shagreen n. 1. An untanned leather covered with small round granulations and usually dyed green. 2. The rough skin of various sharks and rays when covered with small, close-set tubercles.   “Shagreen” is another cool word that I first encountered through Howard’s Conan stories. The material was originally made from horse […]

It’s a shame, but I think the term “classic literature” puts off a lot of readers. I know that for my part, I long considered “the classics” ponderous books to be read in school. It wasn’t until recent years that I became intellectually curious enough to really start dipping into […]

Pellmell adv. 1. In a disorderly, headlong haste; in a recklessly hurried manner. 2. In a confused or jumbled mass, crowd, manner, etc.   adj. 1. Indiscriminate; disorderly; confused. 2. Overhasty or precipitate; rash.   n.  1. A confused or jumbled mass, crowd, etc. 2. A disorderly, headlong haste.   “Pellmell” […]

Wain n. A wagon or cart.   “Wain” seems to come from the old English wayn and the Dutch wagen. There are only so many words for “wagon” or “cart,” so when you find a nice, uncommon one like “wain,” you store it away for future use! As a matter of fact, […]