Wondrous Words Wednesday, hosted by Kathy from Bermudaonion's Weblog, is an enjoyable and educational meme. One of my pleasures is reading the dictionary, and today's words are from The Random House College Dictionary. (I know, I deserve the Nerd-of-the-Week award!)
1. graminivorous: feeding on grass or the seeds of grass
"Sheep and goats are graminivorous, but sheep browse assiduously and steadily, whereas goats shift their ground rapidly, and browse only on the tips of the herbage."
~ The History of Animals, Aristotle
2. hedgehop: to fly an airplane at a very low altitude, as for spraying crops, low-level bombing in warfare, etc.
To hedgehop is to fly low (at the level of hedge tops?) and to avoid obstacles as necessary. I think that a plane that does this type of flying is referred to as a hedgehopper.
3. quadruped: a four-footed animal, creature, or machine (noun or adjective)
While many animals are quadrupeds, humans, birds, crustaceans, snakes, and insects are not quadrupeds, although there are a few exceptions. Among insects, the praying mantis is classified as a quadruped.
4. relume: to light or illuminate again; rekindle
Nightly in October, my youngest daughter wishes to relume the candles to make our house cozy, inviting, and fragrant.
I like the elegance of this word, and will ask my daughter to relume the candles this evening. Hopefully, the word may be used in this manner.
What wondrous new words have you encountered during recent reading?
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