raceme

Another gift from a crossword puzzle, raceme was the answer to the clue "flower arrangement." Well, it's not exactly a flower arrangement in the sense of a bouquet, or a wreath, but it is a description of how a flower might be designed, or arranged.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Raceme
Raceme Ra*ceme" (r[.a]*s[=e]m"; 277), n. [L. racemus a bunch
of berries, a cluster of grapes. See Raisin.] (Bot.)
A flower cluster with an elongated axis and many one-flowered
lateral pedicels, as in the currant and chokecherry.
[1913 Webster]



Compound raceme, having the lower pedicels developed
into secondary racemes.
[1913 Webster]

-- From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

raceme
n : usually elongate cluster of flowers along the main stem in
which the flowers at the base open first

-- From WordNet (r) 2.0

limn

The almost unpronounceable limn just came to us from a crossword puzzle. The clue was "describe." I thought it might mean something like that but I had to look it up to be sure. A part of me thought it might have something to do with singing, but of course it's more to do with painting. Painting, singing... what's the difference.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Limn
Limn Limn (l[i^]m), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Limned (l[i^]md); p.
pr. & vb. n. Limning (l[i^]m"n[i^]ng or l[i^]m"[i^]ng).]
[OE. limnen, fr. luminen, for enluminen, F. enluminer to
illuminate, to limn, LL. illuminare to paint. [root]122. See
Illuminate, Luminous.]
1. To draw or paint; especially, to represent in an artistic
way with pencil or brush.
[1913 Webster]

Let a painter carelessly limn out a million of
faces, and you shall find them all different. --Sir
T. Browne.
[1913 Webster]

2. Hence: To picture in words; to describe in graphic terms.
[PJC]

3. To illumine, as books or parchments, with ornamental
figures, letters, or borders.
[1913 Webster]

-- From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

limn
v 1: trace the shape of [syn: delineate, outline]
2: make a portrait of; "Goya wanted to portray his mistress,
the Duchess of Alba" [syn: portray, depict]

-- From WordNet (r) 2.0

60 Moby Thesaurus words for "limn":
bring to life, cartoon, catch a likeness, chalk, character,
characterize, charcoal, chart, color, contour, copy, crayon,
crosshatch, dash off, daub, delineate, depict, describe, design,
diagram, doodle, draft, draw, evoke, express, give words to, hatch,
hit off, image, interpret, map, notate, outline, paint,
paint a picture, pencil, picture, picturize, portray, print,
profile, register, render, represent, rub, schematize, scratch,
scumble, set forth, shade, silhouette, sketch, stencil, symbolize,
take a rubbing, tint, trace, trace out, trace over, write



-- From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

trull

I saw this word in a newspaper article recently, and thought it was a typographical error. Then just now, reading Sandman for March 2000, "The Sandman presents Petrefax," I saw it again.

Another derogatory term for a certain type of female, trull seems as delightfully fresh as it is sexist, and unworthy of use in polite conversation.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Trull
Trull Trull, n. [G. trolle, trulle; cf. OD. drol a jester,
Dan. trold an elf, imp, Sw. troll a goblin, Icel. troll,
tr["o]ll, a giant, fiend, demon. Cf. Droll, Troll.]
1. A drab; a strumpet; a harlot; a trollop. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]

2. A girl; a wench; a lass. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]

-- From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

upshot

Upshot is a word that I've suppressed in my own speech, as until now I've never taken the time to look it up. It may be taken to mean outcome, or conclusion, but it certainly has the spring and bark of a more direct, even onomatopoetic, word.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Upshot

Upshot Up"shot`, n. [Up + shot, equivalent to scot share,

reckoning. Cf. the phrase to cast up an account.]

Final issue; conclusion; the sum and substance; the end; the

result; the consummation.

[1913 Webster]

I can not pursue with any safety this sport to the

upshot. --Shak.

[1913 Webster]

We account it frailty that threescore years and ten

make the upshot of man's pleasurable existence. --De

Quincey.

[1913 Webster]

-- From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

upshot

n : a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous

phenomenon; "the magnetic effect was greater when the rod

was lengthwise"; "his decision had depressing

consequences for business"; "he acted very wise after the

event" [syn: consequence, effect, outcome, result,

event, issue]

-- From WordNet (r) 2.0

85 Moby Thesaurus words for "upshot":

accomplishment, aftereffect, aftermath, answer, ascertainment,

backwash, burden, by-product, clearing up, climax, completion,

conclusion, consequence, consequent, core, corollary, cracking,

culmination, decipherment, decoding, denouement, derivation,

derivative, determination, development, disentanglement,

distillate, effect, end, end result, ending, event, eventuality,

eventuation, explanation, fallout, feedback, finding, finding-out,

finish, fruit, gist, harvest, interpretation, issue, legacy,

logical outcome, meat, offshoot, offspring, outcome, outgrowth,

pith, precipitate, product, purport, reason, repercussion,

resolution, resolving, result, resultant, riddling, sense, sequel,

sequela, sequence, sequent, short, solution, solving, sorting out,

termination, thrust, unraveling, unriddling, unscrambling,

unspinning, untangling, untwisting, unweaving, wake, working,

working-out, wrap-up

-- From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

Cataract

This wonderful word has two meanings, seemingly so distinct, so separate, one wonders if there were not originally two words, one for each, which sounded somewhat alike. Ignorance and Laziness being powers of nature on par with water and gravity, people would have begun to substitute one word for the other, eventually blurring the distinction, and begetting this monstrosity that means, on the one hand, a waterfall, and on the other, a distortion or imperfection in the lens of the eye -- fairly common among human beings these days, especially if said beings are of advanced years.

???????????????????????????????????????????????????

Cataract

Cataract Cat"a*ract, n. [L. cataracta, catarracles, a

waterfall, Gr. ?, ?, fr. ? to break down; in the passive, to

fall or rush down (of tumors) to burst; kata` down + ? to

break.]

1. A great fall of water over a precipice; a large waterfall.

[1913 Webster]

2. (Surg.) An opacity of the crystalline lens, or of its

capsule, which prevents the passage of the rays of light

and impairs or destroys the sight.

[1913 Webster]

3. (Mach.) A kind of hydraulic brake for regulating the

action of pumping engines and other machines; -- sometimes

called dashpot.

[1913 Webster]

-- From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

cataract

n 1: clouding of the natural lens of the eye

2: a large waterfall; violent rush of water over a precipice

-- From WordNet (r) 2.0

146 Moby Thesaurus words for "cataract":

Niagara, ablepsia, amaurosis, benightedness, blepharitis,

blind side, blind spot, blindfolding, blinding, blindness,

blurring the eyes, cascade, cataclysm, cecity, choroiditis, chute,

collapse, come down, comedown, conjunctivitis, crash, cross-eye,

darkness, debacle, declension, declination, defective vision,

defluxion, deluge, depriving of sight, descend, descending,

descension, descent, detached retina, dim-sightedness, dip down,

down, downbend, downcome, downcurve, downfall, downflow, downgrade,

downpour, downrush, downtrend, downturn, downward trend, drop,

drop down, drop off, drop serene, dropping, economic blindness,

engulf, esotropia, ever-during dark, excecation, eye defect,

eyelessness, fall, fall down, fall off, falling, falls, flood,

flooding, force, fresh, freshet, glaucoma, go down, go downhill,

gravitate, gravitation, gutta serena, hoodwinking, inclination,

inundate, inundation, iritis, keratitis, lack of vision, linn,

lose altitude, making blind, nappe, niphablepsia, optic neuritis,

overbrim, overflow, overrun, overwhelm, parachute,

partial blindness, pink eye, pitch, plummet, plummeting, plunge,

pounce, pour, pour down, pour out, pour over, precipitate,

psychic blindness, rain, rapids, reduced sight, retinoblastoma,

river, run over, sault, sightless eyes, sightlessness, slop, slosh,

snow blindness, soul-blindness, spate, spill, spill out,

spill over, spiritual blindness, spout, stone-blindness, stoop,

sty, submerge, swamp, sweep, swoop, torrent, total blindness,

trachoma, trend downward, unenlightenment, unseeingness, uveitis,

walleye, waterfall, waterflood, watershoot, whelm

-- From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

Rumination

Thinking of this and that, swallowing thoughts and bringing them back up, trying desperately to enhance the presentation, the word rumination occurred to me as a description of what I had written.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Rumination
Rumination Ru`mi*na"tion, n. [L. ruminatio: cf. F.
rumination.]
1. The act or process of ruminating, or chewing the cud; the
habit of chewing the cud.
[1913 Webster]

Rumination is given to animals to enable them at
once to lay up a great store of food, and afterward
to chew it. --Arbuthnot.
[1913 Webster]

2. The state of being disposed to ruminate or ponder;
deliberate meditation or reflection.
[1913 Webster]

Retiring full of rumination sad. --Thomson.
[1913 Webster]

3. (Physiol.) The regurgitation of food from the stomach
after it has been swallowed, -- occasionally observed as a
morbid phenomenon in man.
[1913 Webster]

-- From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

rumination
n 1: a calm lengthy intent consideration [syn: contemplation, reflection,
reflexion, musing, thoughtfulness]
2: (of ruminants) chewing (the cud); "ruminants have remarkable
powers of rumination"
3: regurgitation of small amounts of food; seen in some infants
after feeding

-- From WordNet (r) 2.0

Eschatology

Yet another word to thank Fred Longworth for, eschatology appears in "Pelagia," which I referred to in the last post (littoral). Final things. What happens when we die. The thing we don't know. The end of life, which everyone fears to some extent, but about which no one complains after having experienced it.




^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Eschatology
Eschatology Es`cha*tol"o*gy, n. [Gr. ? the furthest, last +
-logy.]
The doctrine of the last or final things, as death, judgment,
and the events therewith connected.
[1913 Webster]

-- From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

eschatology
n : the branch of theology that is concerned with such final
things as death and judgment; heaven and hell; the end of
the world

-- From WordNet (r) 2.0

95 Moby Thesaurus words for "eschatology":
Buddhology, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Mariolatry, Mariology,
Mercersburg theology, Z, apodosis, apologetics, canonics,
catastrophe, ceasing, cessation, coda, conclusion, consummation,
crack of doom, crisis theology, culmination, curtain, curtains,
day of doom, death, decease, denouement, destination, destiny,
dialogical theology, divinity, doctrinalism, doctrinism, dogmatics,
doom, doomsday, effect, end, end point, ending, envoi, epilogue,
existential theology, expiration, fate, final solution,
final twitch, final words, finale, finality, finis, finish, goal,
hagiography, hagiology, hierology, izzard, last, last breath,
last days, last gasp, last things, last trumpet, last words,
latter end, logos Christology, logos theology, natural theology,
neoorthodox theology, neoorthodoxy, omega, patristic theology,
payoff, period, peroration, phenomenological theology,
physicotheology, quietus, rationalism, religion, resolution,
resting place, scholastic theology, secularism, soteriology,
stoppage, stopping place, swan song, systematics, term, terminal,
termination, terminus, the Judgment, theology, trump of doom,
windup



-- From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0