Happy Wednesday! I have got some words this week – all from my latest read, Tutankhamun: The Book of Shadows
For more new-to-you words, check out BermudaOnion’s Weblog.
1. Execration – the act of cursing
“And why, strangely, did all this remind me of an old ritual of execration, in which our ancestors used to damn their enemies, first by smashing clay tablets on which were written their names and titles, and then by executing and burying them, decapitated, upside down?”
2. Moringa – a genus of flowering plants and trees
“The girls followed, dressed in their finest linens, their hair shining shining and scented with moringa and lotus oil.”
3. Electrum – an alloy of gold and silver
“Rings of gold and electrum flashed on her delicate fingers.”
4. Iconoclasm – The belief in, participation in, or sanction of destroying religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives
“It implies knowledge of writing, and of the power of names, and of the effect of iconoclasm.”
5. Natron – a naturally occurring salt used in ancient times for embalming, cleaning, and making ceramic paste
“Twice a day and twice a night, the priests have to sprinkle themselves with water, and wash their mouths out with a little natron.”
6. Clerestory – part of an interior wall rising above the adjacent roof with windows admitting light
“From the clerestory windows the burning light of late morning blazed down into the stone chamber.”
7. Invidious – discriminatory, envious
“We find ourselves in the invidious position of being unable to support and encourage our crucial alliances in the region.”
8. Stentorian – loud, powerful, booming, suitable for giving speeches to large crowds
“‘But in any case,’ said Simut, in his slow, stentorian voice…”
What new words did YOU learn this week?