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archaic, unknown, and pretty meanings particular to the text

† archaic   → origin   ♡ adored

  • acumen —the ability to make good judgments ♡
  • aerial —spending time in the air (like a bird, of Jane), atmospheric
  • amity —friendly relationship 
  • anathematized —condemned, cursed ♡
  • animadversion —critical comment or harsh criticism 
  • antipodes —the direct opposite of something ♡
  • ardor —enthusiasm or passion
  • ascendency —position of dominant power or forgiveness
  • asunder —into pieces, apart
  • atone —make amends 
  • badinage —funny or witty conversation 
  • bourne —a small stream that flows intermittently or seasonally ♡
  • brownie —of Scottish fairytales; in appearance the brownie was said to be meager, shaggy, and wild (of rochester's hair) ♡
  • chimera —something that is hoped or wished for 
  • cicatrized —healed by scar formation ♡
  • cipher —do arithmetic ♡
  • circlet —decorated metal band worn around the head (circular ornament)♡
  • colloquy —formal conversation 
  • conflagration —a very intense and uncontrolled fire
  • contumacy —stubborn refusal to obey a command
  • convolvuli —slender, twining herbs, with showy trumpet-shaped flowers ♡
    • also: bindweed from latin convolvere —to intertwine
  • corpulent —fat
  • coruscating —to give forth flashes of light
  • cravat —a short strip of fabric worn around the neck of a man under a shirt 
  • cynosure —person or thing that is the center of attention
  • dainty —something good to eat ♡
  • dear —expensive ♡
  • despot —a ruler who holds absolute power
  • despotic —tyrannical
  • dowager —widow of wealthy man
  • ebon —like ebony; dark brown or black
  • effaced —erased
  • effervesce —vivacious 
  • emulous —seeking to emulate 
  • enervate —cause someone to weaken
  • enjoined —to urge someone into something
  • entailed —to do with estates and fortunes
  • ere —before 
  • ever and anon —occasionally ♡
  • evincing —to indicate or reveal the presence of a feeling or quality 
  • exacting —making great demands of ones attention or skill 
  • expedient —a means of attaining an end, convenient but also improper/immoral
  • fell —to cause to fall, to knock down
  • forelock —part of hair growing just above the forehead (of Rochester) ♡
  • foxglove —tall plant of erect spikes of flowers, shaped like fingers of a glove ♡
    • middle english: foxes glove → old english: foxes glōfa
  • freak —unexpected event ♡
  • graven —cut or impressed into a surface
  • halcyon —a time or period of the past when ideally everything was wonderful
  • hard-hearted —unfeeling; incapable of being moved to pity or tenderness
  • heath —(a moor) open, uncultivated shrubby land of desolate character
  • hem —signal †
  • hew —conform or adhere 
  • hoary —pale silvery gray or white as if with age; moldy, mossy
  • houri —a voluptuously beautiful young woman; nymph of paradise
  • impetus —the force that makes things happen
  • inanition —exhaustion caused by lack of nourishment ♡
    • middle english: inanisioun → emptiness
  • incivility —impolite or offensive and rude
  • indefatigable —without wear
  • indigent —poor, needy
  • indissoluble —lasting
  • inexorable —impossible to prevent, to persuade
  • infantine —childish ♡
  • insensible —unaware 
  • intimation —indication or hint 
  • irids —irises ♡ †
  • janet —(of jane) used only by rochester ♡
  • lace —to hit
  • lachrymose —tearful, prone to crying
  • lea —a grassland; meadow
  • lineament —distinctive feature of the face
  • linnet —finch
  • list —piece of fabric †
  • lusus naturae —a freak or jest of nature 
  • mammon —the devil of covetousness 
  • mastered —gained control of
  • mendicant —given to begging
  • merino —fine wool
  • mien —a person's bearing or look ♡
  • ministrant —the provision of assistance or care
  • miry —muddy or boggy
  • monitress —a female monitor or mentor
  • morass —area of muddy, boggy ground
  • onding —a falling of rain or snow; a downpour
  • pelisse —woman's cloak with arm holes; reaches to the ankles  ♡
  • peremptory —bossy and with a tone
  • peri —in persian myth, a kind of mythic beauty ♡
    • persian parī → parīk —malevolent sprite
  • pertinaciously —holding firmly to an opinion
  • philter —a love potion or charm ♡
  • physiognomy —facial features
  • piquant —stimulating, pleasant to the mind
  • pith —essence of something 
  • plebeian —of lower class; a commoner ♡
  • presentiment —an intuitive feeling about the future
  • preternatural —supernatural, beyond the normal course of nature
  • purloined —to steal
  • quiz —person who is odd or eccentric in appearance (of Jane) ♡
  • raiment —dress, outfit; late mid english shortening of arrayment
  • rapture —feeling of intense pleasure
  • reft —to steal (reave)
  • remonstrance —forcefully reproachful protest 
  • repine —fret ♡
  • resplendent —attractive through being colorful/bright ♡
  • riven —split, cracked or torn
  • ruddy —having a healthy red color
  • rushlight —candle of a rush wick that emits light for a short time; a small, feeble light ♡
  • ruth —feeling of pity, disgrace, grief
  • sanctum —sacred, private place
  • saturnine —slow, gloomy, moody, showing a brooding humor (of Rochester) ♡
  • scion —descendant of a noble family
  • second-sight —clairvoyance 
  • seraglio —harem 
    • of vulgar latin serraculum —enclosure
  • sharpers —swindlers at cards
  • soporific —tending to induce sleep; drowsy ♡
  • spark —a lively young fellow; beau
  • sundered —broken apart
  • surfeited —consume too much of something 
  • sylph —in the alchemical system, imaginary soulless beings supposed to inhabit the air; a slender or graceful girl ♡
    • of → sylpha + nympha, sylvestris —of the forest
  • sylvan —pastoral, associated with wooded regions ♡
  • taciturn —quiet nature
  • tarried —to stay longer than planned
  • testatrix —woman who makes and leaves a will at death ♡
  • torpid —hibernation; mentally or physically inactive 
  • trailing —advertising or beating an opponent
  • transfix —pierced through; to render motionless, as with a fixed stare
  • twain —two
  • twelvemonth —a year
  • vapoury —full of vapor; foggy; misty ♡
  • wax —to become angrier; a fit of anger
  • wended —go in a specific direction, typically slowly
  • woodbine —climbing plant with flowers of great fragrance (honeysuckle) ♡ †
  • wormwood —anything grievous; state or source of bitterness (of jane); sweet annie herb (artemisia) ♡
jul 23 2012 ∞
oct 8 2021 +