Autumn arrived in Seattle a few days ahead of schedule. This weekend, a low-pressure system cruised in with gusts that rattled the windows and whistled through the trees. Standing at the window, watching the maples dance, I thought to myself, “It’s a blustery day.”
Blustery.
The word brought back a memory of the first time I encountered it. I was a child, reading a Winnie-the-Pooh book — The House at Pooh Corner — when I came across the word describing a very fine “Winds-day.” It was the perfect word, filled with plosives and sibilants, and from that moment on, Milne’s word was my word, too.
Now, fifty years later, standing at my window, I remembered that word, that book, and that moment, and it all got me wondering: Decades of reading has increased my vocabulary, no doubt about it, but are there other words I got from specific books?
I pondered it for a few days and found other words I got from specific books.
Frank Herbert’s Dune gave me “melange.” H.P. Lovecraft gifted me with “ichor,” “foetid,” and “noisome.” From David Eddings I learned “spavined” and “bifurcated.” Edgar Allan Poe introduced me to “maelstrom.”
(You can see the kind of books I read as a child.)
Reading continues to expand my vocabulary. Just this month I picked up another. As I was finishing up Barbara Tuchman’s A Distant Mirror I stumbled across the word “usufruct,” which is when you have the free right to use property that isn’t yours, i.e., you can enjoy the use and fruits of the thing. It’s a well-packed word with tons of meaning stuffed into a relatively small size.
As I continue to ponder the question, I recall more and more book/word origins. This is remarkable, as it is indicative of the power of books and of reading. But then, I enjoy learning a new word, especially when it’s the perfect word; doesn’t everyone?
I do not “dumb down” the prose in my books. I don’t go all high-falutin’ and pack my books with twenty-dollar words just to show off, but I don’t shy from using “diaphanous” or “debouched” if that’s exactly the word I want.
But am I the only reader who remembers when and from what book I accrued specific words? Surely not…
How about you?
k
Having grown up on science fiction written between 1955 and 1985… I’m still familiar with lots of the words those guys used, though many of the words are pretty useless in conversation.
LikeLike
Blaster. Raygun. You don’t use those words in casual conversation?
😉
LikeLike
I’ll always remember when I first learned the word “repentless”. Damnit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don’t blame me!
LikeLike
Similar, here. I do however, admire those who effortlessly infuse pages with rich vocabulary– think Ivan Doig and Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog…
LikeLike
I prefer a lyrical, evocative prose and am not put off by unfamiliar words, but I can see how some folks who don’t read as much might get frustrated. It’s an excuse to _keep_ reading, though, to learn those words and understand better the author’s meaning. You can pick a bad one, though. Dan Brown threw the word “chthonic” into his latest work and got most of his readers to scratch their heads and say WTF?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I first encountered “chthonic” via the Taiwanese metal band of the same name.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Much more apropos, that.
LikeLike