gwynhefar | May. 13th, 2006

May. 13th, 2006

appanage: (n) 1. The provision made for the maintenance of the younger children of kings, princes, etc.; it was originally a province, jurisdiction, or lucrative office, but the grant has also been made in money. in apanage: in possession as an apanage.
2. A specially appropriated possession; a perquisite.
3. A territory or property in the dependent condition of an apanage in sense 1; a dependency.
4. A specially appointed, and hence, a natural or necessary, adjunct, accompaniment, endowment, or attribute.

lief: (adj) 1. Beloved, dear, agreeable, acceptable, precious.
2. Desirous, wishful, willing, glad.
(n) 3. A beloved, a dear one; a friend, sweetheart, mistress; occas. a wife. Similarly in the compar., one who is dearer.
(adv) 4. Dearly, gladly, willingly.
5. I had rather.

lustral: (adj) 1. Pertaining to the Roman lustrum or purificatory sacrifice; hence, pertaining to, of the nature of, or used in rites of purification; purificatory.
2. Occurring every five years; quinquennial.
(n) 3. A lustrum or period of five years.

lustrum: (n) 1. A purificatory sacrifice made by the censors for the people once in five years, after the census had been taken. Hence, the census itself.
2. A period of five years.

rede: (n) 1. Counsel or advice given by one person to another.
2. Counsel, decision, or resolve taken by one or more persons; a plan, design, or scheme devised or adopted.
3. A scheme, plan, or method for attaining some end; a principle or course of action, mode of procedure.
4. Occurrence, event, hap, lot.
5. What is advisable, advantageous or profitable for one; aid, help, succour; remedy.
6. The faculty of deliberation, or the exercise of this; judgement, prudence, reason.
7. The act of taking counsel together, or of assembling for this purpose; a council.
8. Tale, narrative, story; a saying, proverb.
9. Speech.
10. Interpretation.

sain: (v) 1. To make the sign of the cross on (a thing or person) in token of consecration or blessing; or for the purpose of exorcizing a demon, warding off the evil influences of witches, poison, etc.
2. To cross (oneself).
3. To bless.
4. To secure by prayer or enchantment from evil influence.

nard: (n) 1. A fragrant ointment or perfume prepared from the rhizome of the plant of the same name and much prized by the ancients.
2. An aromatic plant; spec. that from which the ointment nard was prepared, probably the Himalayan plant Nardostachys grandiflora (family Valerianaceae).
3. Chiefly with distinguishing word: any of various other aromatic plants chiefly of the family Valerianaceae; the root of any of these plants.

gloze: (v) 1. To make glozes or glosses upon; to discourse upon, expound, interpret. Also, to interpret (a thing) to be (so and so).
2. To interpose a gloss or explanation; to comment.
3. To veil with specious comments; to palliate; to explain away, extenuate.
4. To talk smoothly and speciously; to use fair words or flattering language; to fawn.
5. To tell speciously.
6. To clothe (words, etc.) with specious adornment.
7. To flatter, deceive with smooth talk; to coax, wheedle.
8. To look earnestly and fixedly; to gaze with pleasure; to peer.
9. To shine brightly, to blaze; also, to gleam.
10. To cause to shine.

inexpiable: (adj) 1. Of an offence: That cannot be expiated or atoned for; of which the guilt cannot be done away.
2. Of a feeling, etc.: That cannot be appeased by expiation; implacable, irreconcilable.

accompt: (n) Archaic form of "account".

losel: (n) 1. A worthless person; a profligate, rake, scoundrel; in weaker sense, a ragamuffin, ne'er-do-well.
(adj) 2. Good-for-nothing, worthless.

batten: (v) 1. To grow better or improve in condition; esp. (of animals) to improve in bodily condition by feeding, to feed to advantage, thrive, grow fat.
2. To feed gluttonously on, glut oneself; to gloat or revel.
3. To thrive, grow fat, prosper (esp. in a bad sense, at the expense or to the detriment of another); to gratify a morbid mental craving.
4. To grow fertile (as soil); to grow rank (as a plant).
5. To improve, feed to advantage, fatten up.
6. To fertilize (soil).

Book #18 -- Aeschylus, Agamemnon, 75 pages.

The first of nine Greek dramas that I must read for the Harvard Classics reading track I'm on. I'm not big on Greek drama -- I'd rather see the action than have it told to me by a chorus, but it's still worth reading. Just hope I can get through the other eight without going crazy :)

Progress toward goals: