This week it's Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen for Austen in August.
"A small court was the whole of its demesne in front; and a neat wicket gate admitted them into it." pg 30
demesne
noun
historical
A piece of land attached to a manor and retained by the owner for their own use.
A piece of land attached to a manor and retained by the owner for their own use.
"But I have no inclination for the law, even in this less abstruse study of it." pg 87
abstruse
adjective
- difficult to understand; obscure.
"Mrs Ferrars looked exceedlingly angry, and drawing herself up more stiffly than ever, pronounced in retort this bitter phillippic...." pg 187
philippic
noun
LITERARY: A bitter attack or denunciation, especially a verbal one
LITERARY: A bitter attack or denunciation, especially a verbal one
"The impertinence of these kind of scrutinies, moreover, was generally concluded with a compliment, which though meant as its douceur, was considered by Marianne as the greatest impertinence of all. " pg 197
douceur
I have read Sense and Sensibility so I should know all of these words :) I had definitely forgotten philippic.
ReplyDeleteSo is demesne pronounced just like it sounds? I'm trying to put my tongue around it. I've never hear of the word douceur.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter has been on an Austen kick since I introduced her to Pride and Prejudice this spring. I'll have to share these words with her! Abstruse reminds me of obtuse (dull or dumb). Something abstruse would be particularly difficult for the obtuse reader. :)
ReplyDeleteI read Sense and Sensibility last year, but don't remember those words. Probably because my brain couldn't absorb them! Thanks for looking them up for all of us.
ReplyDeleteNever heard or read these words. I really like the "p" one that means an attack. I like the way it's spelled. Thanks for the words.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I read Sense And Sensibility a while back, I did not know these words.
ReplyDeleteAusten is always good for some great words. I knew the first two, demesne I did for a past WWW, but not your last one. I miss WWW I need to get back to it.
ReplyDeleteI love unusual words hence I love this meme.
ReplyDeleteI really like "philippic"
This is a neat bunch that you have picked. I will actually attempt to use one in conversation today.
I had the unfortunate opportunity to use philippic in a sentence today :-/
DeleteHow did you go Brian?
Thank you -- I am usually too lazy to look up these words. I thought "douceur" meant something quite different, and I had only a vague notion about "phillippic." I will try to be more attentive in future!
ReplyDelete