Bize - noun.

While bize will win you some Scrabble points, a better spelling is la Bise and it refers to a cold, dry wind felt in Switzerland and Southeastern France. It occurs in winter or summer as a result of wind blowing from the mountains.

This la Bise is not to be confused with the other la bise, which is the traditional kiss greeting in ( Read more... )

aubade [oh-bad, oh-bahd; French oh-bad]

noun:
1 a song or instrumental composition concerning, accompanying, or evoking daybreak.
2 a poem or song of or about lovers separating at dawn.

Examples:

The celebration ended with an aubade performed by 20 children aged between five and 12, dressed in traditional clothes singing national and ( Read more... )

ichor [ahy-kawr, ahy-ker]

noun:
1 (Classical mythology) an ethereal fluid believed to supply the place of blood in the veins of the gods
2 an acrid, watery discharge, as from an ulcer or wound
3 (literary) any bloodlike fluid

Examples:

On my way home the blood coursed through my veins like an immortal ichor of the gods, full of sweet and ( Read more... )

munificence [myoo-nif-uh-suhns]

noun:
the quality of being exceedingly generous; liberality in bestowing gifts; extremely liberal and generous of spirit

Examples:

Spending money freely demonstrated generosity to one's friends and supporters. This munificence was an expression of the dignity of the noble estate, emphasizing the gulf in values ( Read more... )

efflorescence [ef-luh-res-uhns]

noun:
1 the action or process of developing and unfolding as if coming into flower; blossoming
2 rapid growth or development
3 the migration of a salt to the surface of a porous material, where it forms a coating

Examples:

Then there were years as the impoverished, frustrated father of 12 children (six died), ( Read more... )

Devoré - noun, when referring to the fabric.

Another artsy crafty word for your enjoyment, devoré is a technique where certain fabrics are treated with a gel containing sodium hydrogen sulphate to burn away fibres to create the pattern.

If you guessed that the word has French origins, you're right. The past participle of dévorer means "to devour ( Read more... )

pejorative [< pi-jawr-uh-tiv, -jor-, pej-uh-rey-, pee-juh-]

noun:
a word or phrase that has negative connotations or that is intended to disparage or belittle
adjective:
having negative connotations, tending to disparage or belittle, depreciatory

Examples:

Pillsbury once employed 1,800 employees, including Richmond's father, John, and ( Read more... )

deucedly [doo-sid-lee,dyoo-]

adverb:
(chiefly British, informal) devilishly, damnably: extremely

Examples:

It's deucedly hard to contemplate a Rolls-Royce without putting it on a pedestal, because they never feel like mere motorcars, somehow transcending glass and metal to symbolise fine taste, high achievement, or whatever it is you want ( Read more... )

louche [loosh]

adjective:
1 not reputable or decent
2 disreputable or sordid in a rakish or appealing way

Examples:

His notoriously louche lifestyle revolved around Soho drinking dens and turbulent love affairs. (Rachel Spence, Francis Bacon at the Royal Academy - a painter for our times, The Financial Times, January 2021)

This louche, ( Read more... )

anamorphic [an-uh-mawr-fik]

adjective:
producing, relating to, or marked by intentional distortion by having or producing unequal magnifications along two axes perpendicular to each other.

Examples:

Looked at from a certain angle - like an anamorphic skull - this essay is concerned with literary criticism. (Will Self, A Posthumous Shock, ( Read more... )