Words I've learned because of my Kindle

[Leslie]

covert - (as a noun, not an adjective) a shelter or hiding place, a thicket in which game can hide. Leslie note: I have heard of covert operations, but I was not familiar with "the quail flying out of the covert."

numinous - having a strong religious or spiritual quality; indicating or suggesting the presence of a divinty; the strange, numinous beauty of this ancient landmark.

pinnace - HISTORICAL a small boat, with sails or oars, forming part of the equipment of a warship or other large vessel.

In this picture, the pinnace is the little ship to the left.

[Ann in Arlington]

Here's a picture from Wikipedia. . . .since L's Gutenberg one isn't showing up.



This is apparently a larger pinnace.

Ann

[Leslie]

trictrac - (historical) a form of backgammon. Late 17th cent, from French, from the clicking sound made by game pieces

xebec - (historical) a small three-masted Mediterranean sailing ship with lateen and sometimes square sails. Leslie note: I actually knew xebec from playing Scrabble, but this is the first time I've ever seen it in a book.

[Sweet-P]

I love being able to look up words spontaneously!

My new word for today: 

hagiography: adulatory writing about another person, the writing of the lives of saints, a biography idealizing its subject.

How's that for a unique word! Kindle is making me SMART 

[drenee]

saprophyte - Biology, a plant, fungus, or microorganism that lives on dead or decaying organic matter. 

[Edward C. Patterson]

Gee, I though hagiography was a book about famous withches. he he I couldn;t resist.

Edwrd C. Patterson

[russr19]

Despotic : a ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises in a cruel or oppressive way.

[Leslie]

coxcomb - (dated) a vain and conceited man; a dandy

kickshaw - (archaic) a fancy but insubstantial cooked dish, esp. one of foreign origin

thurifer - an acolyte carrying a censer

[jpmorgan49]

"Have you skinned your Kindle"?  Thank God WE know what that means.
jp

[Annalog]

The thread about first book read on the Kindle reminded me that one of the reasons I have noted words looked up while reading the Kindle was to post them on this thread. After being away from home for months, I then could not find this thread and forgot about it.

Starting with words from the first book I read on the Kindle:

lascar - n. DATED a sailor from India or Southeast Asia.

moiety - n. FORMAL or TECHNICAL each of two parts into which a thing is or can be divided. (I knew the Anthropological definition but not this one.) However, the specific usage in the book required looking the phrase up on-line.

moiety of property - half ownership, multiple individual owners.

[Annalog]

I did not note any words in the second book, but the third book had a couple.

fantod - n. INFORMAL a state or attack of uneasiness or unreasonableness. "Thinking about it gave him the fantods."

caldo - clear broth soup (Spanish)

EDIT: The next eight books did not have any lookup words noted. That covers the 11 books read on the Kindle the first month I had it. 

[Malweth]

na na na na na na na na...

bat·man /'batmən/

* n. (pl. -men) dated (in the British armed forces) an officer's personal servant.
ORIGIN: mid 18th cent. (originally denoting an orderly in charge of the bat horse 'packhorse' that carried the officer's baggage): from Old French bat (from medieval Latin bastum 'packsaddle') + MAN.

[Digital Tempest]

Good one, Malweth. 

I've come across a few that I wasn't familiar with:

ratiocination (noun) - The process of logical reasoning
logorrhea (noun) - Pathologically incoherent, repetitious speech.
pari passu (adverb) - At an equal pace or rate.

[3boysnagirl]

ptarmigan - n. a northern grouse of mountainous and Artic regions, with feathered legs and and feet and plumage that typically changes to white in winter.

Which led me to look up...

grouse - n. a medium to large game bird with a plump body and feathered legs.

From Going Rogue by Sarah Palin.

[BTackitt]

ptarmigan - n. a northern grouse of mountainous and Artic regions, with feathered legs and and feet and plumage that typically changes to white in winter.

Ah.. You must never have read the Clan of the Cave Bear series, ptarmigan is mentioned many times, and with much more detail about them than what you were given.
Oh, and please, if this sparked your interest in the series, please do NOT watch the Darryl Hannah movie based on the books.. it was the 80's.

[Annalog]

...
bat·man /'batmən/

* n. (pl. -men) dated (in the British armed forces) ...

Very nice Malweth!
How did you get the pronunciation guide? Did you type it, capture from Kindle, Kindle app, online source, other source? When I tried to capture definitions from my K2, the pronunciation guide was left out. TIA, Anna

[3boysnagirl]

Ah.. You must never have read the Clan of the Cave Bear series, ptarmigan is mentioned many times, and with much more detail about them than what you were given.
Oh, and please, if this sparked your interest in the series, please do NOT watch the Darryl Hannah movie based on the books.. it was the 80's.

Thanks!  I'll check that out when/if it comes to Kindle! 

[Malweth]

Very nice Malweth!
How did you get the pronunciation guide? Did you type it, capture from Kindle, Kindle app, online source, other source? When I tried to capture definitions from my K2, the pronunciation guide was left out. TIA, Anna

I just read it from my K1 and typed it out!!

[sebat]

I not sure if I learned this word because of my Kindle or because of Thumper! 

charybdis - a dangerous whirlpool in a narrow channel of the sea, opposite the cave of the sea monster Scylla.

[Annalog]

I just read it from my K1 and typed it out!!

I was particularly impressed by the 'ə' in '/'batmən/'.

[Malweth]

I was particularly impressed by the 'ə' in '/'batmən/'.

Yeah, I had to turn the keyboard upside-down. 

Ok... I actually copied the schwa from Wikipedia and the small dot (syllable separator) from "character map" in Windows. I do these sorts of things often for technical writing (greek letters, et al.)... which is why I much prefer LaTeX publishing.

[Annalog]

 

[Annalog]

cul·ly /ˈkəlē/

• n. (pl. -lies) BRIT., INFORMAL (often as a form of address) a man; a friend.

<ORIGIN> mid 17th cent. (denoting a person who is imposed upon): of unknown origin.

chthon·ic /ˈTHänik/ (also chtho·ni·an /ˈTHōnēən/

• adj. concerning, belonging to, or inhabiting the underworld: a chthonic diety.

<ORIGIN> late 19th cent.: from Greek Khthōn 'earth' + IC.

ga·nef /ˈgänəf/

• n. a variant spelling of GONIF.

gon·if /ˈgänəf/ (also gon·iff, gan·ef)

• n. INFORMAL a disreputable or dishonest person (often used as a general term of abuse).

<ORIGIN> mid 19th cent.: from Yiddish ganev, from Hebrew gannābh 'thief'.

ro·ta /ˈrōtə/

• n.
  
  • 1 CHIEFLY BRIT. a list showing when each of a number of people has to do a particular job: a cleaning rota. Compare with ROSTER.
  • 2 (the Rota) The supreme ecclesiastical and secular court of the Roman Catholic Church.

<ORIGIN> early 17th cent.: from Latin, literally 'wheel'.

spin·ney /ˈspinē/

• n. (pl. -neys) BRIT. a small area of trees and bushes.

<ORIGIN> late 16th cent.: shortening of Old French espinei, from an alteration of Latin spinetum 'thicket', from spina 'thorn'.

[Leslie]

Thanks for reviving this thread!

pel·lu·cid  (p-lsd)
adj.
1. Admitting the passage of light; transparent or translucent.
2. Transparently clear in style or meaning: pellucid prose.

hoyden, hoiden [ˈhɔɪdən]
n
a wild boisterous girl; tomboy

[Annalog]

Thanks for reviving this thread!

You are welcome! Some more words from the same book:

bar·ken·tine /ˈbärkənˌtēn/ (BRIT. bar·quen·tine)

• n. a sailing ship similar to a bark but square-rigged only on the foremast.
  

<ORIGIN> late 17th cent.: from BARK³ on the pattern of brigantine.

car·rack /ˈkarək/

• n. a large merchant ship of a kind operating in European waters in the 14th to the 17th century.
  

<ORIGIN> late Middle English.: from Old French caraque; perhaps from Spanash carraca, from Arabic, perhaps from karākīr, plural of kurkūra, a type of merchant ship.

scrof·u·la /skrȯfyələ/

• n. CHIEFLY HISTORICAL a disease with glandular swellings, probably a form of tuberculosis. Also formerly called KING'S EVIL.
  

<DERIVATIVES> scrof·u·lis /-ləs/ adj.
<ORIGIN> late Middle English.: from medieval Latin, diminutive of Latin scrofa 'breeding sow' (said to be subject to the disease).

ob·lo·quy /ˈäbləkwē/

• n. strong public criticism or verbal abuse: he endured years of contempt and obloquy.
  <SPECIAL USAGE> disgrace, esp. that brought about by public abuse: conduct to which no more obloquy could reasonably attach.
  

<DERIVATIVES> ob·lo·qui·al /äbˈlōkwēəl/ adj.  ob·lo·qui·ous /äbˈlōkwēəs/ adj.
<ORIGIN> late Middle English.: from late Latin obloquium 'contradiction', from latin obloqui, from ob- 'against' + loqui 'speak'.