javanese -

caff -

dragee -

sugarplum -

upas -

brittle - adjective. hard but liable to break or shatter easily; noun. a candy made from
nuts and set melted sugar.

comfit - noun. dated. a candy consisting of a nut, seed, or other center coated in sugar

fondant -

gumdrop - noun. a firm, jellylike, translucent candy made with gelatin or gum arabic

criollo - a person from Spanish South or Central America, esp. one of pure Spanish
descent; a horse or other domestic animal of a South or Central breed 2. (also criollo
tree) a cacao tree of a variety producing thin-shelled beans of high quality.

silex -

ricebird -

trinil man -

mustard plaster -

horehound - noun. a strong-smelling hairy plant of the mint family,with a tradition of

use in medicine; formerly reputed to cure the bite of a mad dog, i.e. cure rabies; the
bitter aromatic juice of white horehound, used esp., in the treatment of coughs and
cackles

Christmas Week Words Dec. 24, Christmas Eve

gorse - noun. a yellow-flowered shrub of the pea family, the leaves of which are
modified to form spines, native to western Europe and North Africa

pink cistus - noun. Botany. Cistus (from the Greek "Kistos") is a genus of flowering
plants in the rockrose family Cistaceae, containing about 20 species. They are perennial
shrubs found on dry or rocky soils throughout the Mediterranean region, from Morocco
and Portugal through to the Middle East, and also on the Canary Islands. The leaves are
evergreen, opposite, simple, usually slightly rough-surfaced, 2-8cm long; in a few
species (notably C. ladanifer), the leaves are coated with a highly aromatic resin called
labdanum. They have showy 5-petaled flowers ranging from white to purple and dark
pink, in a few species with a conspicuous dark red spot at the base of each petal, and
together with its many hybrids and cultivars is commonly encountered as a garden
flower. In popular medicine, infusions of cistuses are used to treat diarrhea.

labdanum - noun. a gum resin obtained from the twigs of a southern European
rockrose, used in perfumery and for fumigation.

laudanum - noun. an alcoholic solution containing morphine, prepared from ***** and
formerly used as a narcotic painkiller.

manger - noun. a long open box or trough for horses or cattle to eat from.

blue pimpernel - noun. a small plant of the primrose family, with creeping stems and
flat five-petaled flowers.

broom - noun. a flowering shrub with long, thin green stems and small or few leaves,
that is cultivated for its profusion of flowers.
blue lupine - noun. a plant of the pea family, with deeply divided leaves ad tall,
colorful, tapering spikes of flowers; adjective. of, like, or relating to a wolf or wolves

bee-orchis - noun. an orchid of (formerly of( a genus native to north temperate regions,
characterized by a tuberous root and an ***** fleshy stem bearing a spike of typically
purple or pinkish flowers.

campo santo - translation. cemetery in Italian and Spanish

runnel - noun. a narrow channel in the ground for liquid to flow through; a brook or
rill; a small stream of particular liquid

arroyos - noun. a steep-sided gully cut by running water in an arid or semi-arid region.

January 14th, 2014

spline - noun. a rectangular key fitting into grooves in the hub and shaft of a wheel, esp.
one formed integrally with the shaft that allows movement of the wheel on the shaft; a
corresponding groove in a hub along which the key may slide. 2. a slat; a flexible wood
or rubber strip used, esp. in drawing large curves. 3. (also spline curve) Mathematics. a
continuous curve constructed so as to pass through a given set of points and have a
certain number of continuous derivatives.

4. verb. secure (a part) by means of a spine

reticulate - verb. rare. divide or mark (something) in such a way as to resemble a net or
network

November 20, 2013

flout - verb. openly disregard (a rule, law, or convention); intrans. archaic. mock; scoff
ORIGIN: mid 16th cent.: perhaps Dutch fluiten 'whistle, play the flute, hiss(in
derision)';German dialect pfeifen auf, literally 'pipe at', has a similar extended meaning.
pedimented - noun. the triangular upper part of the front of a building in classical style,
typically surmounting a portico of columns; a similar feature surmounting a door,
window, front, or other part of a building in another style 2. Geology. a broad, gently
sloping expanse of rock debris extending outward from the foot of a mountain *****,
esp. in a desert.

portico - noun. a structure consisting of a roof supported by columns at regular

intervals, typically attached as a porch to a building ORIGIN: early 17th cent.: from
Italian, from Latin porticus 'porch.'

catafalque - noun. a decorated wooden framework supporting the coffin of a

distinguished person during a funeral or while lying in state.

cortege - noun. a solemn procession esp. for a funeral