15 April 2016

5 Words to Use in Poems

Spring stream flowing near Hulett.

lugubrious

adjective
looking or sounding sad and dismal.
synonyms:
mournful, gloomy, sad, unhappy, doleful, glum, melancholy, woeful, 
miserable, woebegone, forlorn, somber, solemn, serious, sorrowful, morose, dour, cheerless, joyless, dismal

Origin: Latin lugubris, from lugēre to mourn; akin to Greek lygros mournful


boisterous

adjective
(of a person, event, or behavior) noisy, energetic, and cheerful; rowdy.
"the boisterous conviviality associated with taverns of that period"
synonyms: lively, animated, exuberant, spirited, rambunctious; More
(of wind, weather, or water) wild or stormy.
"the boisterous wind was lulled"
synonyms: blustery, gusty, windy, stormy, wild, squally, tempestuous; More
Origin of boisterous
Middle English boistous crude, clumsy, from Anglo-French



precipice

noun
a very steep rock face or cliff, typically a tall one.
"we swerved toward the edge of the precipice"
synonyms: cliff face, cliff, steep cliff, rock face, sheer drop, height, crag, bluff, escarpment, scarp; literarysteep

Origin of precipice
French, from Middle French, from Latin praecipitium, from praecipit-, praeceps headlong, from prae- + caput head
 

ballast

noun
1.  heavy material, such as gravel, sand, iron, or lead, placed low in a vessel to improve its stability.
2.  gravel or coarse stone used to form the bed of a railroad track or road.
verb
1. give stability to (a ship) by putting a heavy substance in its bilge.
"the vessel has been ballasted to give the necessary floating stability"
2. form (the bed of a railroad line or road) with gravel or coarse stone.

Origin of ballast
probably from Low German, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Dan & Swedish barlast ballast; 
perhaps akin to Old English bær bare & to Old English hlæst load, hladan to load 


glorious

adjective
1. having, worthy of, or bringing fame or admiration.
"the most glorious victory of all time"
synonyms: illustrious, celebrated, famous, acclaimed, distinguished, honored; 
2.having a striking beauty or splendor that evokes feelings of delighted admiration.
"a glorious autumn day"
synonyms: wonderful, marvelous, magnificent, superb, sublime, spectacular, lovely, fine, delightful

Origin of glorious
Middle English, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French glorios, from Latin gloriosus glorious, 
vainglorious, from gloria

2 comments:

Kathleen Cassen Mickelson said...

Lugubrious has got to be my favorite!

Constance Brewer said...

That's a word that deserves a poem!