Perdido vocabulary
August 17th, 2011 at 9:40 pm (Vocabulary)
I recently finished reading Perdido Street Station, a book by China Miéville. I struggled with whether to categorize it as sci-fi or fantasy or what, then came across Miéville’s own description, which is just right: “a secondary world fantasy with Victorian era technology.” (“Secondary world” here is intended in Tolkien’s sense of the phrase, I imagine.) The story itself is colorful, vivid, wildly creative, grungy, and fueled by crisis — a lot like the world it portrays. And one of its primary defining characteristics is its use of vocabulary.
Some of the unusual words that appear in this book are made up ones, set as it is in an alternate reality with different species (and physics). But some of them are genuine English words, just not ones I’d encountered or become familiar with. What a delight to be educated and entertained at the same time! Here is my list of new words, thanks to Miéville:
autopoiesis: self-creation autotelic: an activity or work containing its own purpose (“autotelic processing”) bathos (not pathos) and bathetic (not pathetic): unintentional anticlimax bitumen: sticky, black, highly viscous liquid (“bitumened terrace”) caliginous: misty, dim, obscure, dark (“caliginous halo”) deracinated: torn up by the roots (“deracinated outsider”) desquamating: coming off in scales or flakes eidolon: idealized person or thing femtoscopic: coinage to indicate even tinier than microscopic kukris: curved knife that broadens towards its point (“organic kukris”) oneiric: relating to dreams phlogistic: inflammatory pugnacious: eager or quick to argue or fight (“faltering, pugnacious steps”) pyrotic: caustic (“pyrotic gas”) quintumvirate: council of five ratiocination: the process of logical reasoning scintillas: tiny trace or spark (“scintillas of glass”) secateurs: one-handed pruning clippers shambolic: in a shambles (“shambolic housing”) stele: stone or wooden slab erected for funerals or commemorative purposes thermotaxic: related to internal temperature regulation (for animals) viscid: glutinous, sticky (“viscid scum”)
These two I could not find definitions for; possibly made up? Any tips?
hieronomer (“dervishes and hieronomers”) karcist
The novel itself is full of food for thought, and also fodder for your vocabulary. Enjoy!
Will said,
August 17, 2011 at 11:06 pm
I’m guessing that “hieronomer” is freshly coined (even Google was confused). It’s clever, though. Dervishes dance sacred dances; hieronomers would (presumably) arrange sacred things. Interior decorators of the Vatican? I’ll have to start using it.
I thought “karcist” was fresh, too, but it’s actually fairly old (17th century). It’s used in The Grand Grimoire to describe the person in the ritual with the speaking role. Wikipedia tells me that it was picked up in the mid 20th century and used to mean “magician” in general. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Grimoire
Eric Jensen said,
August 18, 2011 at 8:31 am
How fun!! I enjoyed the list of words. There were a few that I knew, interestingly enough, from my very early childhood. Think back to the Wizard of Oz: “You clinking, clanking, clattering collection of caliginous junk!” Was a few years later that I learned what word he was using and that it was a real word. :-) Thanks for sharnig!!
Scott Van Essen said,
August 18, 2011 at 10:32 am
What’s really cool is that four of the words there (bitumen, eidolon, scintillas, and viscid) I learned from playing and designing Magic: the Gathering.
Liz Schiller said,
August 22, 2011 at 9:49 am
Reading, and geekiness, lead to a better vocabulary.
I skimmed through the first few chapters and found a few more words that had sent me to the dictionary (awfully handy that Kindle has a built in dictionary, all I had to do was highlight the word).
costermonger (food seller)
morbific (causing disease, refers to the city as a whole)
epigone (less distinguished follower or imitator, refers to Vermishank)
shambolic (chaotic or disorganized, and the use that struck me was in referring to the drug addict patrons of The Dying Child)
sciolist (person who pretends knowledge)
I also enjoyed the many creepy or interesting place names, like Penitent’s Pass, Nabob Bridge, Abrogate Green, and Flyside, the river names (the Tar, the Canker and the Gross Tar), and the days of the week: Shunday, Dustday, Fishday.
Ryan Ransford said,
January 31, 2013 at 9:56 am
I’m of the mind that hieronomer may be interpreted as “someone who calls out heretical passers-by” that is, a “namer of heretics”
Ruth said,
April 20, 2013 at 3:27 am
Thank you, WIll, for tracking down karcist. It is also found in CM’s Kraken, which is why I was looking for it.
Saxon said,
July 13, 2014 at 2:19 pm
I imagine hieronomers is a person who says holy names or phrases, in contrast to the holy dances of the dervishes.