Oooo- Chaucer! My daughter has quite a bit of Medieval literature. I read the Canterbury Tales a few years back and thought, Hmm- interesting!

Chaucer - not boring and dry at all! LOL

Does your daughter have a favorite medieval author or work? Interesting words can be found in medieval writing!

I'd have to ask her...

I remember a literature course program on TV where the prof referred to the Wife of Bath as the Medieval Liz Taylor.

I also remember reading a sort of postscript from Chaucer, an apology for the vulgarity of some of his works (not sure if it was the Canterbury Tales or not), as it sounded like he had regretted writing what he wrote in case his words were an avenue for others to head downward morally.

As I said, Interesting!

haruspex (heh-RUS-pehcs), noun , also haruspice
A Roman priest who divined omens by inspecting the organs of sacrificed animals.

1584, from L. "soothsayer by means of entrails," first element related to L. hernia "rupture," Gk. khorde "gut," Skt. hira "entrails;" second element from L. spic- "beholding, inspecting" The practice is Etruscan.


haruspical (heh-RUS-peh-k’l)
of or acting as or like a haruspex

haruspication noun, also haruspicy

the art or act of divining omens by inspecting the entrails of animals
synonyms: hepatoscopy or hepatomancy, extispicy

haruspicate not in most dictionaries; sometimes used as a verb, adj. or noun.

" To report the behaviour of the sea monster,
Describe the horoscope, haurispicate or scry,
Observe disease in signatures, evoke
Biography from the wrinkles of the palm
And tragedy from fingers…" T. S. Eliot, Four Quartets, The Dry Savages, V.

"No Haruspex Needed to Demystify the Fiduciary," 24th Annual U. Income tax planning for trust and estate distributions by Barnett, Bernard / The Tax Adviser

“Amidst the sacred but licentious crowd of priests, of inferior ministers, and of female dancers, who were dedicated to the service of the temple, it was the business of the emperor to bring the wood, to blow the fire, to handle the knife, to slaughter the victim, and, thrusting his bloody hands into the bowels of the expiring animal, to draw forth the heart or liver, and to read, with the consummate skill of an haruspex , imaginary signs of future events. The wisest of the Pagans censured this extravagant superstition, which affected to despise the restraints of prudence and decency.” - Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“I wonder how one haruspex can keep from laughing when he sees another.” – Cato

“(…he takecups the communion of sense at the hands of the foregiver of trosstpassers and thereinofter centelinnates that potifex miximhost with haruspical hospedariaty ...).” James Joyce, Finnegans Wake: part 2, Episode 10, page 345

hospitate (HAHS-peh-tate), [L. hospitatus, p.p. of hospitari to be a guest, fr. hospes guest.]

1. v.i To receive hospitality; to be a guest. [Obs.] Grew. 1913 Webster’s

2. v. t. To receive with hospitality; to lodge as a guest. [Obs.] Cockeram. 1913 Webster’s

“While visiting in Brazil we hospitated in the home of a hospitable church family for three days.”

“In the Hotel there is also a restaurant (open only for booking) a room for tasting wines, a big meeting room (it can hospitate over 200 people) and other rooms.” - http://hotels.itwg.com/hotel98410?gm=1

descry (dih-SKRY), transitive verb:

1. To catch sight of, discern (distant or obscure objects).
2. To discover by observation; to detect.

[OE. descrien, discrien, to espy, prob. from the proclaiming of what was espied, fr. OF. descrier]

The first mate of the ship was standing watch in the crows nest when he descried land in the misty distance.

"The future appears to us neither as impenetrable darkness nor as broad daylight, but rather in a half-light, in which we can descry the rough form of the nearest objects, and vague outlines farther off." -- Robert Conquest, Reflections on a Ravaged Century

Descry comes from Middle English, from Old French descrier, "to cry out, to proclaim." The Middle English word was originally applied to shouting one's discovery of an enemy, of game, or of land.

Synonyms: To see; behold; espy; discover; discern

Related: descrier , noun; one who descrys

-http://onlinedictionary.datasegment.com/word/descried
-Dictionary.com

orison (AWH-ruh-zuhn / OR-uh-zuhn), noun

prayer to a deity

[Middle English orisoun, from Old French orison, from Late Latin ōrātiō, ōrātiōn.]


Leave me to myself to-night;
For I have need of many orisons. – Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

"The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons be all my sins remember'd" Shakespeare, (Hamlet, "To or not to be" soliloquy, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act III, Scene I).

I sweetly sleep;
And, ere the day unclose his golden eye,
Waking, pour forth my pure heart's orisons;
- Continuation of Ben Jonson’s Sad Shepherd by F. G. Waldron

Lowly they bowed, adoring, and began Their orisons, each morning duly paid. --Milton.

Who’s this? fair Abigail, the rich Jew’s daughter,
Become a nun! her father’s sudden fall
Has humbled her and brought her down to this:
Tut, she were fitter for a tale of love,
Than to be tired out with orisons. – Christopher Marlowe, The Jew of Malta

"God wot," quoth he, "labour'd have I full sore;
And specially for thy salvation
Have I said many a precious orison,
And for mine other friendes, God them bless. –Chaucer, The Sompnour's Tale

Anthem for Doomed Youth
What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
-Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells;
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,-
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.
What candles may be held to speed them all?
Not in the hands of boys but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of good-byes.
The pallor of girls’ brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.
–Wilfred Owen, KIA, 1918

http://www.wjpbr.com/washvf5.jpg Geo. Washington at prayer

Dignity and Impudence, by Sir Edwin Landseer, 1839


I must not here omit the particular Whim of an Impudent Libertine, that
had a little Smattering of Heraldry; and observing how the Genealogies
of great Families were often drawn up in the Shape of Trees, had taken a
Fancy to dispose of his own illegitimate Issue in a Figure of the same
kind. – The Spectator, No. 203. Tuesday, October 23, 1711. Addison.

impudent (IM-pyoo-dent), adjective

c.1386, from L. impudens (gen. impudentis), from in- "not" + pudens (gen. pudentis), prp. of pudere "to cause shame."

1. originally, immodest; shameless
2. shamelessly bold, with contempt or disregard of others; saucy; insolent

Synonyms: Shameless; audacious; brazen; bold-faced; immodest; rude; saucy; impertinent; insolent.

related words:
impudence, noun
impudency, noun
impudicity, noun
impudentness, noun
impudently, adverb

“They both, man and wife, were impudent, speaking their minds thoughtlessly; caring not a shred for the opinion nor the feelings nor even the welfare of anyone besides themselves.” –anon.

“Every single incident in his life bears out what we have learned from
his works. In all his writings he praises lords and gentlemen, and runs
down the citizens and common people, and in his life he spent some
years, a good deal of trouble, and many impudent lies in getting for his
father a grant of arms and recognition as a gentleman--a very pitiful
ambition, but peculiarly English. Shakespeare, one fancies, was a
gentleman by nature, and a good deal more.” – Frank Harris, The Man Shakespeare

“The imbecility of men is always inviting the impudence of power” – Ralph Waldo Emerson,

“Long live impudence. It was my guardian angel in this world.” - Albert Einstein

“The great man ignored Karsh and went on smoking, so the diminutive photographer snatched the cigar from the Prime Minister's mouth and snapped the image of Churchill as Roaring Lion, the very personification of belligerent leadership. … Churchill got over Karsh's impudence and let him take another picture, this time smiling, but steadfastly refused for the rest of his life to grant Karsh a further sitting despite the photographer's many visits to London. “ – Tom Rosenthal, book review in Daily Mail, 07 April 2008

“I am surprised, however, that the book at which such an example of the specious misuse of analogy should seem most naturally leveled should have occurred to no reviewer; neither shall I mention the name of the book here, though I should fancy that the hint given will suffice.” Samuel Butler, Erewhon, preface to 2nd edition

specious (SPEE-shuhs), adjective

1. seeming to be good, sound, correct, logical, etc. without really being so; plausible but not genuine.
2. [obsolete] pleasing to the eye, beautiful


[c.1400, "pleasing to the sight, fair," from L. speciosus "good-looking, beautiful," from species "appearance". Meaning "seemingly desirable, reasonable or probable, but not really so" is first recorded 1612. -Online Etymology Dictionary]

speciously, adverb
speciousness, noun
speciosity, noun

synonym: plausible
antonym: genuine

“Avaunt all specious pliancy of mind
In men of low degree, all smooth pretence!
I better like a blunt indifference,
And self-respecting slowness, disinclined
To win me at first sight: . . . “ - William Wordsworth

“. . . so Marlowe puts into the mouth of Barabas the following specious plea in defense of his own practice:
‘It’s no sin to deceive a Christian;
For they themselves hold it a principle:
Faith is not to be kept with heretics. –
But all are heretics that are not Jews.
This follows well.’
- [The Jew of Malta] Act ii. sc. 3.” - Adolphus William Ward, A History of English Dramatic Literature to the Death of Queen Anne, p. 343

“In my opinion, writers have been overexposed, caricatured, asked specious questions to elicit amusing answers, their faces printed on coffee mugs.” – Anne Beatty, Writers on Writing, Vol. 2

“The green emerald, the purple amethyst, and other expensive gems were successfully imitated; a necklace of false stones could be purchased at a Theban jeweller’s, to please the wearer or deceive a stranger, by the appearance of reality; and the feelings of envy might be partially allayed, and the love of show be gratified, by these specious substitutes for real jewels.” - Sir John Gardner Wilkinson, The Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians, p. 147

“Yet all was coloured with a smooth pretence
Of specious love, and duty to their prince.” - John Dryden, Absalom and Achitophel

“As the humor of herbs, when distilled in an alembick, concedes a virtuose quintessence, very subtile, very exquisite; so, natural speciosity [2nd def. ‘beauty ‘ is used in this quote], when digested in a mind inspired by the genius of artifice, will be reproduced in artificial speciosity [‘beauty’] subsimilar to the natural.” -Frederick William Rolfe (1860-1913), Don Renato: An Ideal Content, De Arte Picturae (1907-8, printed 1909 but not published, posthumously published 1963)

"In this refulgent summer, it has been a luxury to draw the breath of life. The grass grows, the buds burst, the meadow is spotted with fire and gold in the tint of flowers." -Ralph Waldo Emerson, Address to the seniors of Harvard Divinity School, 1837

fulgent (FUHL-juhnt), adjective
[L. fuglens, p.pr. of fulgere, to flash, reflect, shine]
very bright, radiant

fulgently, adverb
fulgentness, noun

effulgent (ehf-FUHL-juhnt) , adj.
[L. ,ef < ex- forth + fulgere, to flash, reflect, shine]

to shine out from

effulge, verb
effulgence

refulgent (ri-FUHL-juhnt), adj.
[L. < re, back + fulgere, to flash, reflect, shine]

to shine or reflect back very brightly

refulgence, adj
refulgency, refulgentness, nouns
refulgently, adverb


‘Marvelously researched, meticulously annotated, sensitively illustrated and delivered in clear, refulgent prose. Every reader will be stimulated and provoked.’ New Theatre Quarterly, advertising copy for ‘ Lucas Erne’s book , Shakespeare as Literary Dramatist

“Shakespeare was a busy little dramatist, working away on the fringe of the great light cast by the effulgent majesty of Elizabeth.” - Arthur Ransome, Oscar Wilde, A Critical Study, 1912, p.21

‘August Derleth dubbed him "the Grand Viscount of the Grotesque" and applauded his "refulgently fanciful imagination and magical command of the English language." ‘ – from an article on MATTHEW PHIPPS SHIEL (1865-1947), W. Indian Novelist found at http://www.alangullette.com/lit/shiel/family/Shiel_Matthew_Phipps.htm

“The lights of two massive chandeliers throw a bewitching refulgence over a scene at once picturesque and mysterious; and from four tall mirrors secured between the windows, is reflected the forms and movements of the masquers.” – Francis Colburn Adams, An Outcast, chapter VII

“Her voice was a lyric soprano of gorgeous refulgence and limpidity, extending in her early years to the D above the stave.” - From the obituary of Victoria de los Angeles, 17 Jan, 2005, Timesonline.co.uk