Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Wondrous Words Wednesday - April 21, 2010

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Kathy aka Bermuda Onion where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. Feel free to join in the fun.

NEXT by James Hynes

cordillera - How it got there, under the elastic of his shorts, he had no idea, but now he had a red cordillera around the crater of his navel, a little archipelago of pustules that oozed clear liquid, and he was lying in warm water with a coffee cup full of warm Domeboro's solution on the edge of the tub. (p. 60)

cordillera: a chain of mountains, usually the principal mountain system or mountain axis of a large landmass.

caesura - He's aware that his fall represents a caesura, and it doesn't really matter whether he's been out for hours or minutes or only seconds: the break somehow stands for infinity, and now, on the other side of it, everything is strange and as sharply defined as a cartoon. (p.141)

caesura: any break, pause, or interruption.

detumescent - "I'm sorry," Kevin says, shifting in his seat, detumescent at last. (p.242)

detumescent: reduction or subsidence of swelling.

What new words did you discover this week?

4 comments:

rhapsodyinbooks said...

That sounds like quite an interesting book! I must say the cordillera quote can kind of cause one to lose one's appetite! :--)

bermudaonion said...

Next was full of new words, wasn't it? Thanks for participating, Julie!

Jo-Jo said...

Those are definitely some interesting words. I will be looking forward to your review of this book.

Dawn @ sheIsTooFondOfBooks said...

three new-to-me words, and the only one I have a hope of remembering is "cordillera" (ask me next week if I can tell you what it means!)