I’ve been pretty lax about posting new words that I’ve found in my readings. Here’s an update:
From Reading Lolita in Tehran:
erudite (adj.) – Characterized by extensive reading or knowledge; well instructed; learned.
banal (adj.) – Commonplace; trivial; hackneyed; trite.
solipsism (n.) – Philosophical theory that the self is all that you know to exist
imam (n.) – (Islam) Man who leads prayers in a mosque; for Shiites an imam is a recognized authority on Islamic theology and law and a spiritual guide
sycophant (n.) – A servile self-seeker who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people
sinewy (adj.) – Lean and muscular; strong and vigorous
BONUS: sinew (n.) – A tendon
From Guns, Germs, and Steel:
proselytize (v. tr.) – To convert (a person) from one belief, doctrine, cause, or faith to another
atoll (n.) – A ringlike coral island and reef that nearly or entirely encloses a lagoon
adze (n.) – An edge tool used to cut and shape wood
effete (adj.) – marked by excessive self-indulgence and moral decay
From Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom:
depilate (v.) – To remove hair from the body
pith (n.) – The essential or central part; the heart or essence; strength; vigor; mettle
solicitous (adj.) – Full of anxiety and concern; Showing hovering attentiveness
fugue (n.) – Dissociative disorder in which a person forgets who who they are and leaves home to creates a new life; during the fugue there is no memory of the former life; after recovering there is no memory for events during the dissociative state
gestalt (n.) – A physical, biological, psychological, or symbolic configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts
cowl – (n.) a loose hood or hooded robe (as worn by a monk)
