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) ♡