Shrive verb ARCHAIC (of a priest) hear the confession of, assign penance to, and absolve (someone). "none of her chaplains knew English or French enough to shrive the king"
hibernaculum - (Latin, "tent for winter quarters") is a place in which a creature seeks refuge, such as a bear using a cave to overwinter. The word can be used to describe a variety of shelters used by many kinds of animals, including insects, toads, lizards, snakes, bats, rodents, and primates of various species. [I didn't know there are primates that hibernate.]
libero: a volleyball player who typically specializes in defense, only playing in the back row of the court.
Cryptozoology noun the search for and study of animals whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated, such as the Loch Ness monster and the yeti. Liquescent adjective LITERARY becoming or apt to become liquid.
Putrescence A putrescent character or condition. Putrid matter. Putrescent character or condition; tendency to putridity or decay; a putrid state. Famously used in a sentence by Poe (and spoken in slightly different form by Vincent Price): As I rapidly made the mesmeric passes, amid ejaculations of "dead! dead!" absolutely bursting from the tongue and not from the lips of the sufferer, his whole frame at once—within the space of a single minute, or even less, shrunk—crumbled—absolutely rotted away beneath my hands. Upon the bed, before that whole company, there lay a nearly liquid mass of loathsome—of detestable putrescence. Source I don't remember which Vincent Price movie it was, they tended to mix and match elements of different Poe stories. What I do remember quite clearly is that he said oozing putrescence. It left a lasting impression on my sister & I that neither of us ever forgot.
Tessellated adjective denoting or characterized by a pattern of repeated shapes, especially polygons, that fit together closely without gaps or overlaps. "a tessellated sidewalk"
Unctuous adjective (of a person) excessively or ingratiatingly flattering; oily. "...the kind of unctuous tone that I've heard often at diplomatic parties."
I always think of the spermaceti in Moby Dick (spoiler wrapped because it's a long passage): Spoiler: Unctuous Spermaceti
Hence unction is to anoint someone with something oily. Unless you're staining them with a tincture, in which case it would be tinction. And if you cancel a tinction, it becomes an ex-tinction.
I can't believe they made us read that in the 7th grade. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is it painfully wordy. Just those few sentences made me want to punch myself.
Munificence noun the quality or action of being lavishly generous; great generosity. "we must be thankful for his munificence"
I never liked that one. "Largesse" always sounded better to me, though that technically refers to money.
Can be misunderstood in conversation though. "Were you impressed by Kayleigh's largesse?" "I prefer slimmer ladies."
excarnation noun ex·car·na·tion | \ ˌekˌskärˈnāshən \ plural -s Definition of excarnation 1: removal of flesh (as by putrefaction) 2: separation of soul from body (as at death)
exsanguination n. Loss of blood; bloodlessness. n. Bloodletting n. Slaughter of an animal by cutting its throat and allowing it to bleed out, especially for the production of halal and kosher meat.
There's a street in St. Louis named Olivette. Now I know what it means. He baltered about, flailing like a fish on dry land, battering the ground repeatedly with those clumsy oafish feet.
And now I'm wondering if stepping on someone's feet while you dance with them should be called assault and baltery...
Crwth - noun - (/ˈkruːθ/ or /ˈkrʊθ/), also called a crowd or rote, is a bowed lyre, a type of stringed instrument, associated particularly with Welsh music and with medieval folk music of England, now archaic but once widely played in Europe
Every good scrabble player knows this word. Well, they know how to spell it. Most probably don't know the definition.
