lacunae (n., pl.) 1: a blank space or missing part; gap. 2: a small cavity, pit, or discontinuity in an anatomical structure. "Sadly there are many lacunae in our knowledge, but I have suggested ways in which we might restore what has been lost." (p. 437)
aureate (adj) 1: of a golden color or brilliance. 2: marked by a grandiloquent and rhetorical style. "In every spell they recorded, in every word they wrote, they were trying to re-create the glorious magic of their predecessors (those we term the Golden Age or Aureate magicians." (p. 444)
argentine (adj) silver, silvery."Martin Pale and the argentine magicians never intended to lay the foundations of English Magic." (p. 444)
Words are from Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. Definitions are from Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary.
Interesting words. I would have guessed those argentine musicians were from Argentina!
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the reference the first time that's what I thought about Argentine, but it kept coming up and that didn't make sense in the story so I looked it up.
DeleteActually, it's the other way around, Argentina comes from argentum, i.e. silver: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentina#Etymology
DeleteOh, and Mary: that book is full of Latin-based words like that. I hope you are enjoying it as much as I did!
(PS: I can't comment with my wordpress account :-( but my blog is here: http://parolediscribacchina.wordpress.com)
Three beautiful words ! Thanks !
ReplyDeleteI've heard of argentine before, not the others.
ReplyDeletehttp://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2012/03/wondrous-words-wednesday_14.html
I like the defihition of lacuna. I have a book on my shelf by Barbara Kingsolver titled The Lacuna. Now I'm intrigued by the definition and what she has written.
ReplyDeleteI know lacuna/e. The other two are very interesting. It completely makes sense that they mean gold and silver now that you point it out! Interesting too about the naming of Argentina.
ReplyDelete