Word Play

I love it when I find new words. Not in a "oh look, she's learned to say 'cat'!" sort of way. But a novel, or article, or even a blog ticks up in points for me when I have to look up a new word it's used.

I started keeping track of new words in Oxford. This is a direct influence of my MJ who was, at the time, reading some of the best and most dense novels out there for her literature tutorials, like George Eliot's oeuvre and Salinger's The Lovers to name two that just popped out of my 15-year-old memory file marked "Oxford". During my semi-annual cleaning fits, I always find scraps of paper with words scribbled willy nillly on them. I once tried to make an alphabetical list complete with definitions by keeping a spiral bond book of index cards nearby to jot down new discoveries. That didn't last long.

Now, I follow the RSS feed for Webster's dictionary, and yesterday's word was lapidary, "of or pertaining to the art of cutting stones or engraving on them." Also, "of or pertaining to the refined or terse style associated with inscriptions on monumental stone," and, as a noun, "one who cuts, polishes, and engraves precious stones."

Yeah, that one's working it's way into the WIP. I do love me a good 5-point word.