New Words Learned from Librivox

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ColleenMc
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Post by ColleenMc »

In both recording and prooflistening, I've been so intrigued by the number of words that are completely new to me. Old-time writers seem to have so much richer vocabularies! I'm a pretty voracious reader, and I was a spelling bee competitor in grade school, so I have a pretty good grasp of word roots, suffixes, and prefixes, and the ability to figure out words from context -- so I rarely have to consult a dictionary to figure out a word's meaning.

I've noticed with Librivox reading, I've found myself turning to my dictionary far more than I ever have the past. So I thought I'd start a thread for recording the discovery of words, in one's native language, that are so completely new to you that you had to look them up and find out their definition. Share the word and a brief definition, okay?

Here's my first contribution, and the one that inspired this thread:

lixiviated - archaic chemistry term for the separation of a substance into soluble and insoluble components by percolation of liquid.

Context in the piece I was reading: "...only in the higher regions with greater falls of moisture, and by the banks of rivers, is the soil sufficiently lixiviated to be fit for cultivation."

Your turn!

Colleen
Colleen McMahon

No matter where you go, there you are. -- Buckaroo Banzai
mightyfelix
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Post by mightyfelix »

Ooh, what a good thread topic! I know I've come across several, but I can't think of any right now. I'll definitely post the next one I see, though! :D
ColleenMc
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Post by ColleenMc »

Two more -- from the same section as my first entry here!

dolichocephalic - having a longer than average skull

mesocephalic - having a medium sized skull

Colleen
Colleen McMahon

No matter where you go, there you are. -- Buckaroo Banzai
realisticspeakers
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Post by realisticspeakers »

...it is to have the right, tinder the new plan, of appealing to the Interstate Commerce Commission.

In the State Of The Union Addresses By United States Presidents series, it seems to be used as a preposition.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/tinder

It almost kinda makes sense as a verb, but in every dictionary online I've looked at, and I've looked at a few, there is no entry as a verb.
Even the etymology does not reveal it as a verb:
tinder (n.)
"dry, inflammable substance," Old English tynder, from or related to tendan "to kindle," from Proto-Germanic *tund- "ignite, kindle" ...


It is close to tender, but in these contexts it only barely makes sense as an intransitive verb.

Tinder a definitive source, it is a mystery.
Truth exists for the wise, Beauty for a feeling heart: They belong to each other. - Beethoven
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mightyfelix
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Post by mightyfelix »

In the quote above, it kind of seems like a printer's error. Under, rather than tinder, would make sense. And it's not hard to see how the one could be mistaken for the other, especially from a handwritten manuscript.
realisticspeakers
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Post by realisticspeakers »

mightyfelix wrote: October 19th, 2020, 5:41 am In the quote above, it kind of seems like a printer's error. Under, rather than tinder, would make sense. And it's not hard to see how the one could be mistaken for the other, especially from a handwritten manuscript.
ooh, yeah! Now I'm going to have to search all of the previous hundred or so years to see if it works with all the occurrences....probably want to re record them all too "eek:emoji"
Truth exists for the wise, Beauty for a feeling heart: They belong to each other. - Beethoven
Disclaimer:
"Kind reader, if this our performance doth in aught fall short of promise, blame not our good intent, but our unperfect wit."
mightyfelix
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Post by mightyfelix »

:lol: Well, even if my guess is right, I wouldn't worry about rerecording them. It's not our job to fix printer's errors, frankly. And I may be way off anyway.
realisticspeakers
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Post by realisticspeakers »

mightyfelix wrote: October 19th, 2020, 1:26 pm :lol: Well, even if my guess is right, I wouldn't worry about rerecording them. It's not our job to fix printer's errors, frankly. And I may be way off anyway.
You are quite correct. Every occurrence of "tinder" in the SOTUs works for "under".
I may lose sleep.
Truth exists for the wise, Beauty for a feeling heart: They belong to each other. - Beethoven
Disclaimer:
"Kind reader, if this our performance doth in aught fall short of promise, blame not our good intent, but our unperfect wit."
annise
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Post by annise »

unless you are reading from a scan it is more likely to be an OCR error not picked up by those preparing OCRs for "publishing" . It is more difficult to pick up errors that make real words - the ones I've done I have started by doing a spell check which flags many OCR mistakes but I've not done it "professionally", there may be better ways. If it is a PG text, they like being told - there is a procedure for reporting errors.
Anne
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Post by SonOfTheExiles »

Sonia certainly learnt some new words, not to mention a new orthography, not so long ago when she PLed my Australian novel-in-verse project by C. J. Dennis.

And she thought she knew “Romeo and Juliet”. :lol:

https://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/dennis-c-j-clarence-james/poems/the-play-0098005

Cheers,
Chris
Currently on sabbatical from Librivox
Sue Anderson
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Post by Sue Anderson »

New words! Yeah! :) PLing definitely can treat you to some that you don't know. The last thing I PL'd was, yesterday, Soupy's contribution to the Short Nonfiction Collection, "The Diggers' Manifesto" from 1649, which contains this phrase "Woods, Heath, Turf or Turfeys."

Since what Soupy read matched the text in Gutenberg, I didn't question the word "turfey." However, prompted by this thread, I looked it up, first on the web (not found) and in my OED (not found). It seems most likely to me that "turfey" is a variant spelling of "turfy" [OED "of the nature of or having much peat"]? But there is also an ancient family name "Turfey" in Britain [per the web] So I'm left wondering.
ColleenMc
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Post by ColleenMc »

I think you are right that it is a variant spelling. Spelling was pretty much make it up as you go along until the first dictionaries in the 1800s started to codify things.

Colleen
Colleen McMahon

No matter where you go, there you are. -- Buckaroo Banzai
ColleenMc
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Post by ColleenMc »

And thanks for joining in on this thread! :D
Colleen McMahon

No matter where you go, there you are. -- Buckaroo Banzai
jennlea
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Post by jennlea »

Came across a word I had never seen until today while browsing a potential book to read.

Hoydenish- having qualities or traits that are traditionally considered inappropriate for a girl or woman; a bold, boisterous girl.

Can also refer to a girl who is a tomboy but the above definition applies to the main character in the book which is about a girl who starts her own business in New York helping writers come up with ideas.
-Jenn B.
My Recordings
ColleenMc
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Post by ColleenMc »

That sounds like an interesting book!

Colleen
Colleen McMahon

No matter where you go, there you are. -- Buckaroo Banzai
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