51吃瓜 of the Day
diablerie
noun
diabolic magic or art; sorcery; witchcraft.
More about diablerie
English diablerie is a borrowing from French diablerie 鈥渕ischief,鈥� from Old French diablerie, deablerie 鈥渁n act inspired by the devil, sorcery.鈥� French diable comes from Late Latin diabolus 鈥渢he devil鈥� (in the Vulgate and church fathers), from Greek 诲颈谩产辞濒辞蝉 鈥渟landerer; enemy, Satan鈥� (in the Septuagint), 鈥渢he Devil鈥� (in the Gospels). Diablerie entered English in the 17th century.
how is diablerie used?
This tragedy, which, considering the wild times wherein it was placed, might have some foundation in truth, was larded with many legends of superstition and diablerie, so that most of the peasants of the neighbourhood, if benighted, would rather have chosen to make a considerable circuit, than pass these haunted walls.
He was, to one friend, “cometlike from some other world of diablerie, burning himself out upon our skies.”
ossature
noun
the arrangement of bones in the skeleton or a body part.
More about ossature
Ossature is a borrowing from French ossature, probably modeled on French musculature. The base of ossature is the Latin noun os (stem oss-) 鈥渂one,鈥� which comes from the Proto-Indo-European root ost- 鈥渂one.鈥� Greek derives from the same root 辞蝉迟茅辞苍 鈥渂one鈥� (as in osteology), 贸蝉迟谤补办辞苍 鈥減otsherd鈥� (as in ostracize), and 贸蝉迟谤别辞苍 鈥渙yster鈥� (the English noun comes from Greek via Old French and Latin). Ossature entered English in the 19th century.
how is ossature used?
The ossature of its wings had been like the exquisite work of some Japanese cabinet-maker …
… thus the whole vault was furnished with an ossature or skeleton of ribs which was clothed upon by filling in with with arched masonry the triangular spaces or panels between rib and rib.
necropolis
noun
a cemetery, especially one of large size and usually of an ancient city.
More about necropolis
Necropolis, Greek for 鈥渃ity of the dead, corpse city,鈥� first appears in the works of the Greek historian and geographer Strabo (c 63 b.c.-c 21a.d.). It was originally the name of the cemetery district in Alexandria, Egypt (founded by Alexander the Great in 323 b.c.). Greek 苍别办谤贸蝉 means 鈥渃orpse鈥� (its plural 苍别办谤贸颈 means 鈥渢he dead鈥�); its combining form necro- forms the first half of necromancy (divination through communication with the dead, one of the blackest of the black arts). 狈别办谤贸蝉 comes from the Proto-Indo-European root nek- 鈥渄eath,鈥� with a variant nok- 鈥渢o kill.鈥� From the same root Latin has the noun nex (stem nec-) 鈥渕urder, violent death鈥� (as in internecine, whose original English meaning was 鈥渄eadly鈥�). From the variant nok- Latin derives the verb 苍辞肠脓谤别 鈥渢o harm鈥� (source of nocent and innocent) and the adjective noxius 鈥済uilty, delinquent, harmful, injurious.鈥� Greek 辫贸濒颈蝉 鈥渃ity,” more properly “citadel, fortified high place,鈥� is related to Sanskrit 辫奴虂谤, puram 鈥渃ity,鈥� as in Singapore 鈥淟ion City,鈥� ultimately from Sanskrit 蝉颈峁乭补- 鈥渓ion鈥� and 辫奴虂谤, puram. Necropolis entered English in the 19th century.
how is necropolis used?
The column of mourners moved under the archway into the necropolis, progressing slowly up the hill towards a spot where Fidelma could see several other torches burning.
Just beyond an island of hemlocks the road divides into the cluttered plain of the necropolis, grey and white as an overexposed snapshot.