Words, words, wonderful words! This is one of my favorite weekly memes, since I get to share new words I have learned and learn new words from other bloggers. This week, I’ve got a couple of words from The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann. I got this ARC last year during a busy time and it has finally made it back to the top of the pile. It reminds me a little of an older book that I enjoyed, Four Against the Arctic: Shipwrecked for Six Years at the Top of the World, because it’s both the story of an adventure and the story of researching and writing about the adventure. I have a feeling I’m going to be learning a lot about the Amazon jungle, and I will get to share those words with you!

1. Dagobas: A dome-shaped structure built over the relics of Buddha or some Buddhist saint.

“There are bricks and vanishing dagobas and inexplicable mounds, pits, and inscriptions.”

2. Dhobis: A washerman in Pakistan or India; someone who does laundry.
3. Jaggery: Unrefined brown sugar made from palm sap.

“And there were people: astrologers, peddlers, dhobis, jaggery sellers, goldsmiths, tom-tom beaters and beggars.”

4. Equerry: An official charged with the care of the horses of princes or nobles.

“A Balliol scholar and fine athlete…yachtsman, charmer and wit, equerry to the Prince of Wales…”

5. Lianas: Various climbing, woody, usually tropical vines.

“A net of vines and lianas covered the trails extending from the clearing…”

6. Aneroid: A barometer that measures pressure without using fluids.

“He also carried a kit of surveying instruments: a sextant and a chronometer for determining latitude and longitude, an aneroid for measuring atmospheric pressure, and a glycerin compass that could fit in his pocket.”

What new words did you learn this week?