GLOSSARY OF POSSIBLY UNFAMILIAR WORDS IN WEISS’S TEXT (ALL ENTRIES TAKEN FROM THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY, EXCEPT WHERE OTHERWISE NOTED)

GLOSSARY OF POSSIBLY UNFAMILIAR WORDS IN WEISS’S TEXT (ALL ENTRIES TAKEN FROM THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY, EXCEPT WHERE OTHERWISE NOTED)

Aria-NOUN: A solo vocal piece with instrumental accompaniment, as in an opera. An air; a melody.

Bastille- NOUN: A prison; a jail. ETYMOLOGY: French, from Old French, fortress, alteration of bastide, from Old Provençal bastida, from bastir, to build, of Germanic origin

Bodice- NOUN: The fitted part of a dress that extends from the waist to the shoulder. A woman's laced outer garment, worn like a vest over a blouse. Obsolete A corset.

Carmagnole-(http://www.haussite.net/haus.0/PROGRAM/02/mshtml/glossary_E.html) short vest worn during the revolutionary period; dance of the revolutionary period; song accompanying the dance.

Charlatan- NOUN: A person who makes elaborate, fraudulent, and often voluble claims to skill or knowledge; a quack or fraud. ETYMOLOGY: French, from Italian ciarlatano, probably alteration (influenced by ciarlare, to prattle), of cerretano inhabitant of Cerreto a city of Italy once famous for its quacks

Concord- NOUN: Harmony or agreement of interests or feelings; accord. A treaty establishing peaceful relations. Grammar Agreement between words in person, number, gender, or case. Music A harmonious combination of simultaneously sounded tones. ETYMOLOGY: Middle English concorde, from Old French, from Latin concordia, from concors, concord-, agreeing : com-, com- + cor , cord-, heart; see kerd- in Indo-European roots

Copulation- cop•u•late intr.v. cop•u•lat•ed , cop•u•lat•ing , cop•u•lates. To engage in coitus or sexual intercourse. ADJECTIVE: (-lt) Coupled; joined. ETYMOLOGY: Latin cpulre, cpult-, to join together, from cpula, link OTHER FORMS: copu•lation (Noun), copu•la•.

Corset- NOUN: A close-fitting undergarment, often reinforced by stays, worn to support and shape the waistline, hips, and breasts. A medieval outer garment, especially a laced jacket or bodice. TRANSITIVE VERB: cor•set•ed , cor•set•ing , cor•sets To enclose in or as if in a corset.

Dais- NOUN: A raised platform, as in a lecture hall, for speakers or honored guests.ETYMOLOGY: Middle English deis, from Anglo-Norman, platform, from Late Latin discus, table, from Latin, discus, quoit ; see disk

Dilettante- NOUN: pl. dil•et•tantes , also dil•et•tan•ti (-tänt, -tn-) A dabbler in an art or a field of knowledge. See Synonyms at amateur. A lover of the fine arts; a connoisseur.

Fetter-NOUN: A chain or shackle for the ankles or feet. Something that serves to restrict; a restraint. TRANSITIVE VERB: fet•tered , fet•ter•ing, fet•ters To put fetters on; shackle. To restrict the freedom of. See Synonyms at hamper 1. ETYMOLOGY: Middle English feter, from Old English; see ped- in Indo-European roots.

Gaols- (gaol) NOUN & VERB: (Chiefly British )Variant of jail.

Geed- (gee) INTERJECTION: Used to command a horse or ox to turn to the right. intr.v. geed , gee•ing , gees (To turn to the right).

Gesticulate- VERB: ges•tic•u•lat•ed , ges•tic•u•lat•ing , ges•tic•u•lates VERB: intr. To make gestures especially while speaking, as for emphasis. VERB: tr. To say or express by gestures.

Guillotine- NOUN: A device consisting of a heavy blade held aloft between upright guides and dropped to behead the victim below. An instrument, such as a paper cutter, similar in action to a guillotine. TRANSITIVE VERB: guil•lo•tined , guil•lo•tin•ing , guil•lo•tines To behead with a guillotine. To cut with or as if with a guillotine. ETYMOLOGY: French, after Joseph Ignace Guillotin (1738-1814), French physician

Indulgent- ADJECTIVE: Showing, characterized by, or given to indulgence; lenient.

Liquid fluidium-(Geiger, Beth Current Science, Oct 10, 2003) Possibly an anachronistic reference to the what a “lava lamp” looks like—the phrase is redundant, as it uses the term “liquid” and the Latin form of its synonym “fluid” to form a term.

Liturgy- NOUN: A prescribed form or set of forms for public religious worship.

Malcontent- ADJECTIVE: Dissatisfied with existing conditions. NOUN: A chronically dissatisfied person. One who rebels against the established system: "immature malcontents who have long since sold out to conformity" (John M. Wilson).

Orifice- NOUN: An opening, especially to a cavity or passage of the body; a mouth or vent. ETYMOLOGY: Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin rificium : Latin s , r-, mouth; see s- in Indo-European roots + Latin -ficium, a making, doing (from facere, to make; see dh- in Indo-European roots).

Pate de foie- NOUN: pl. pâ•tés de foie gras (pä-t) KEY A paste made from goose liver, pork fat, onions, mushrooms, and often truffles.

Prostrate- TRANSITIVE VERB: pros•trat•ed , pros•trat•ing , pros•trates

To put or throw flat with the face down, as in submission or adoration: "He did not simply sit and meditate, he also knelt down, sometimes even prostrated himself" (Iris Murdoch). To cause to lie flat: The wind prostrated the young trees. To reduce to extreme weakness or incapacitation; overcome: an illness that prostrated an entire family; a nation that was prostrated by years of civil war. ADJECTIVE: Lying face down, as in submission or adoration. Lying flat or at full length. Reduced to extreme weakness or incapacitation; overcome. Botany Growing flat along the ground.

Scruple- NOUN: An uneasy feeling arising from conscience or principle that tends to hinder action. See Synonyms at qualm. Abbr. sc. or scr. A unit of apothecary weight equal to about 1.3 grams, or 20 grains. A minute part or amount. INTR.V.: scru•pled , scru•pling , scru•ples To hesitate as a result of conscience or principle: "A man who could make so vile a pun would not scruple to pick a pocket" (John Dennis).

Squall- NOUN: A brief sudden violent windstorm, often accompanied by rain or snow. Informal A brief commotion. INTR.V. squalled , squall•ing , squalls To blow strongly for a brief period.

Tableau- NOUN: pl. tab•leaux or tab•leaus (tblz, t-blz) A vivid or graphic description: The movie was a tableau of a soldier's life. A striking incidental scene, as of a picturesque group of people: "New public figures suddenly abound in the hitherto faceless totalitarian tableaux" (John McLaughlin). An interlude during a scene when all the performers on stage freeze in position and then resume action as before. A tableau vivant. ETYMOLOGY: French, from Old French tablel, diminutive of table, surface prepared for painting ; see table.