Words that were new to me in the books that I’ve read.
shoutout to Julia May Jones for making me look up the entirety of “Vladimir”
A
adroitness:
cleverness or skill
Source: Vladimir by Julia May Jones
aegis:
the protection, backing, or support of a particular person or organization
Source: The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
alacrity:
brisk and cheerful readiness
Source: Vladimir by Julia May Jones
asceticism:
severe self-discipline and avoiding of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons
Source: Vladimir by Julia May Jones
august:
respected and impressive
Source: Vladimir by Julia May Jones
austere:
severe or strict in manner or attitude
Source: The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
C
caipirinha:
a Brazilian cocktail made with cachaca, lime or lemon juice, sugar, and crushed ice
Source: Vladimir by Julia May Jones
captious:
tending to find fault or raise petty objections
Source: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
cathexis:
the concentration of mental energy on one particular person, idea, or object (especially to an unhealthy degree)
Source: Consumed by David Cronenberg
celestial:
positioned in or relating to the sky, or outer space as observed in astronomy
Source: Chameleon in a Candy Store by Anonymous
coalesce:
come together to form one mass or whole
Source: Closer by Dennis Cooper
compunction:
a feeling of guilt or moral scruple that prevents or follows the doing of something bad
Source: Ring Shout (or Hunting Ku Kluxes in the End Times) by P. Djeli Clark
D
daguerreotype:
a photograph taken by an early photographic process employing an iodine-sensitized silvered plate and mercury vapor
Source: Vladimir by Julia May Jones
E
egret:
a heron with mainly white plumage, having long plumes in the breeding season
Source: English Lit: Poems by Bernard Clay
ennui:
a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement
Source: Try by Dennis Cooper
exegesis:
critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of scripture
Source: Vladimir by Julia May Jones
F
feuilleton:
a part of a newspaper or magazine devoted to fiction, criticism, or light literature
Source: The Delivery by Peter Mendelsund
fusillade:
a series of shots fired or missiles thrown all at the same time or in quick succession
Source: This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
G
gossamer:
a fine, filmy substance consisting of cobwebs spun by small spiders, seen especially in autumn
Source: The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
guayabera:
an open-necked Cuban or Mexican shirt with two breast pockets and two pockets over the hips, typically having short sleeves and worn untucked.
Source: Vladimir by Julia May Jones
H
hirsute:
hairy
Source: Vladimir by Julia May Jones
K
kudzu:
a quick-growing East Asian climbing plant with reddish-purple flowers, used as a fodder crop and for erosion control
Source: English Lit: Poems by Bernard Clay
L
lothario:
a man who behaves selfishly and irresponsibly in his sexual relationships with women
Source: Vladimir by Julia May Jones
M
misanthrope:
a person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society
Source: Address Unknown by Katherine Kressmann Taylor
N
niggle:
cause slight but persistent annoyance, discomfort, or anxiety
Source: The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
nonce:
(derogatory, informal) a person convicted of a sexual offense, especially child molesting
Source: Boy Parts by Eliza Clark
P
parsec:
a unit of distance used in astronomy, equal to about 3.26 light years (3.086×10^13 kilometers). one parsec corresponds to the distance at which the mean radius of the earth’s orbit subtends an angle of one second of arc
Source: English Lit: Poems by Bernard Clay
pashmina:
a shawl made from fine-quality goat’s wool
Source: Vladimir by Julia May Jones
pedagogy:
the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept
Source: The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
precis:
a summary or abstract of a text or speech
Source: The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
prevaricate:
speak or act in an evasive way
Source: Vladimir by Julia May Jones
R
reticent:
not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily
Source: Lie With Me by Philippe Besson, translated by Molly Ringwald
S
samizdat:
the clandestine copying and distribution of literature banned by the state, especially formerly in the communist countries of eastern Europe
Source: The Delivery by Peter Mendelsund
sangfroid:
composure or coolness shown in danger of under trying circumstances
Source: The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
scintillate:
emit flashes of light; sparkle
Source: English Lit: Poems by Bernard Clay
Sisyphean:
denoting or relating to a task that can never be completed
Source: Your Black Friend & Other Strangers by Ben Passmore
solipsistic:
very self-centered or selfish
Source: Vladimir by Julia May Jones
stultify:
cause to lose enthusiasm and initiative, especially as a result of a tedious or restrictive routine
Source: Vladimir by Julia May Jones
T
tome:
a book, especially a large, heavy, scholarly one
Source: We Had To Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets
torpor:
a state of physical or mental inactivity; lethargy
Source: Vladimir by Julia May Jones
troglodyte:
(especially in prehistoric times) a person who lived in a cave
Source: Your Black Friend & Other Strangers by Ben Passmore
One Million Pages 