dep·re·date
\ˈde-prə-ˌdāt\
[Late Latin depraedatus, past participle of depraedari, from Latin de- + praedari to plunder]

transitive verb
1: to lay waste: plunder, ravage

intransitive verb
1: to engage in plunder

Tags: i.love.words

From jalenstrix and dmacabre

"The best fantasy is written in the language of dreams. It is alive as dreams are alive, more real than real... for a moment at least... that long magic moment before we wake.

Fantasy is silver and scarlet, indigo and azure, obsidian veined with gold and lapis lazuli. Reality is plywood and plastic, done up in mud brown and olive drab. Fantasy tastes of habaneros and honey, cinnamon and cloves, rare red meat and wines as sweet as summer. Reality is beans and tofu, and ashes at the end. Reality is the strip malls of Burbank, the smokestacks of Cleveland, the parking garage in Newark. Fantasy is the towers of Minas Tirith, the ancient stones of Gormenghast, the halls of Camelot. Fantasy flies on the wings of Icarus, reality on Southwest Airlines. Why do our dreams become so much smaller when they finally come true?

We read fantasy to find the colors again, I think. To taste strong spices and hear the song the sirens sang. There is something old and true in fantasy that speaks to something deep within us, to the child who dreamt that one day he would hunt down the forests of the night, and feast beneath the hollow hills, and find a love to last forever somewhere south of Oz and north of Shangri-La.

They can keep their heaven. When I die, I'd sooner go to Middle Earth."

~ George R.R. Martin

Tags: writing

di·aph·a·nous
\dī-ˈa-fə-nəs\ adjective
[Medieval Latin diaphanus, from Greek diaphanēs, from diaphainein to show through, from dia- + phainein to show]
1: characterized by such fineness of texture as to permit seeing through (diaphanous fabrics)
2: characterized by extreme delicacy of form : ethereal (painted diaphanous landscapes)
3: insubstantial, vague (had only a diaphanous hope of success)

Tags: i.love.words

New Words: 403 words on "Chosen"
Reason for stopping: Bedtime
Sustenance: Made chili today, so that was dinner, with a little sour cream
Drinking: Water

Total Words: 51,533

sigh

Here's hoping next weekend gets back up in the 3000-4000 words, which is where I was before vacation.

Tags: chosen, writing

To all mothers-who-are, mothers-who-have-been, and mothers-who-will be. May your children grow strong and wise under your wing.

sus·pire
\sə-ˈspī(-ə)r\ intransitive verb
[Middle English, from Latin suspirare, from sub- + spirare to breathe]
1: to draw a long deep breath: sigh

Tags: i.love.words

knout
\ˈnau̇t, sometimes ˈnüt\ noun
[Russian knut, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse knūtr knot; akin to Old English cnotta]
1: a whip used for flogging

It can also be used as a verb.

Tags: i.love.words

as·sid·u·ous
\ə-ˈsij-wəs, -ˈsi-jə-\ adjective
[Latin assiduus, from assidēre]
1: marked by careful unremitting attention or persistent application (an assiduous book collector) (tended her garden with assiduous attention)

And the noun

as·si·du·ity
\ˌa-sə-ˈdü-ə-tē, -ˈdyü-\
1: the quality or state of being assiduous: diligence
2: persistent personal attention — usually used in plural

Tags: i.love.words

ex·tir·pate
\ˈek-stər-ˌpāt\ transitive verb
[Latin exstirpatus, past participle of exstirpare, from ex- + stirp-, stirps trunk, root]
1a: to destroy completely : wipe out
1b: to pull up by the root
2: to cut out by surgery

Tags: i.love.words

stul·ti·fy
\ˈstəl-tə-ˌfī\ transitive verb
[Late Latin stultificare to make foolish, from Latin stultus foolish; akin to Latin stolidus stolid]
1 archaic: to allege or prove to be of unsound mind and hence not responsible
2: to cause to appear or be stupid, foolish, or absurdly illogical
3a: to impair, invalidate, or make ineffective : negate
3b: to have a dulling or inhibiting effect on

Tags: i.love.words