# What is the last word that came up in reading that you had to look up? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 28, 2008, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517 "2008-09-28T01:01:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/41 "2008-10-02T05:17:23Z")
These aren’t technically words, but I’m always grateful that Wikipedia has a listing for nearly every name and place in the Lord of the Rings. It really adds a lot of depth to the story, knowing what all those names mean. I mean it was great the first time, but at times I felt like I was skipping and ignoring half the book! ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/42 "2008-10-02T06:31:45Z")
As I was proofreading a story at the newspaper that I work at, the word “ambit” popped up. I had never seen it before. It means “scope” or “sphere of influence.” Damn judges and their fancy talk. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/43 "2008-10-02T07:12:55Z")
Can’t remember which word I didn’t last know the definition of, but today I looked up quixotic to see if it had a second pronunciation of kee ho tic. It didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/44 "2008-10-02T13:59:21Z")
> [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](#): > > Can’t remember which word I didn’t last know the definition of, but today I looked up quixotic to see if it had a second pronunciation of kee ho tic. It didn’t. My world just reeled beneath me. I had no idea that it wasn’t pronounced “kee-ho-tik.” Oh, and the latest word I had to look up is “neoplasm,” which is a tumor. Not that I’ll remember either of these things tomorrow. RR ---
**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/45 "2008-10-02T20:02:46Z")
louche - shady, disreputable, questionable ---
**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/46 "2008-10-02T20:16:41Z")
I see I’ve duplicated Andy L’s word, that’ll teach me to skim! I just finished a Robert Tannenbaum marathon, and he used the word in several of his books. ---
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/47 "2008-10-02T20:18:29Z")
Last one I needed to look up, or last one I actually did? I think the last term I looked up was studding-sails. I’ve been reading Aubrey Maturin, and there are enough sailing-specific terms that I often won’t bother looking them up if I can get the intent from context. I’ll store up the more memorable ones and wiki them as a group. Of course, most of the time, they’re names of sails or rigging or whatnot, but I’m turning into a sailing junkie anyways. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/48 "2008-10-02T21:16:20Z")
“cosplay” ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/49 "2008-10-03T04:14:07Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > “Provenience” in a Preston-Child novel. I thought they’d misspelled “provenance.” Nope. Provenience is indeed a word, and it means pretty much the same as provenance (which I only know from watching those adorable Keno twins on _Antiques Roadshow_). Hah. The X-Files had a two part episode called Provenance/ Providence several years ago. Provenance was the one I had to look up because until then I thought people where spelling Providence wrong the very few times I encountered it. ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/50 "2008-10-03T14:32:51Z")
The last word I had to look up in Japanese would be the last time I read anything. I’m constantly learning new words and filling in the (gaping) holes in my vocabulary. In English, though, I ran into several archaic words when reading Raymond Chandler a couple of months back. _ **Levantine** |ləˌvøntən| |ˌlɛvənˈtaɪn| chiefly archaic adjective of or trading to the Levant : the Levantine coast. noun a person who lives in or comes from the Levant._ Oh, thank you, Oxford. That was extremely helpful…not! > **[Levant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levant)** > > Broad definition: > The Levant (/ləˈvænt/ or /ləˈvɑnt/) is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of West Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is equivalent to Cyprus and a stretch of land bordering the Mediterranean Sea in western Asia: i.e. the historical region of Syria ("Greater Syria"), which includes present-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian t... That’s more like it. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/51 "2008-10-07T18:56:12Z")
> [@maladroit](#): > > louche - shady, disreputable, questionable Cool. I thought it was a monocle thingie. Medlar – I didn’t have to look it up though, because the author explained that it was a fruit that you don’t eat until it’s rotten. Compurgator – the author explained this too. It was used in law in medieval times. If you were accused of a crime (civil or criminal), you could pay a compurgator to swear an oath that you were innocent. Get enough compurgators (usually 12) and you’d be off the hook. The compurgator was supposed to know the accused, that he was of good character, but sometimes they were just strangers looking to get paid. Something else I didn’t know was that defendants in criminal proceedings weren’t allowed a defense. I’m watching these guys burgle somebody’s house to get evidence and I’m thinking “Just get a search warrant, why don’cha!” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/52 "2008-10-08T04:21:11Z")
> [@maladroit](#): > > louche - shady, disreputable, questionable > [@AuntiePam](#): > > Cool. I thought it was a monocle thingie. Possibly you’re thinking of a lorgnette, although that has two lenses. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/53 "2008-10-08T05:31:33Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Cool. I thought it was a monocle thingie. > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Possibly you’re thinking of a lorgnette, although that has two lenses. More likely thinking of a [loupe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loupe). ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/54 "2008-10-08T05:53:45Z")
Valetudinarian – an invalid Also cenotaph, which I knew was some kind of memorial, but didn’t know was “a monument built to honor people whose remains are interred elsewhere or whose remains cannot be recovered.” ---
**Author:** ![Engywook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bc8723/32.png) [@Engywook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Engywook)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2008, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/55 "2008-10-08T17:37:55Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > Caliginous, in a Barbara Hambly book. But then, I can always count on her to throw in a particularly crunchy word. I’d seen _Wizard of Oz_ lots of times when I was a kid, but never noticed until a couple of years ago: [QUOTE=Oz The Great And Terrible] “You dare to come to me for a heart, do you? You clinking, clanking, clattering collection of caliginous junk!” [/QUOTE] This usage doesn’t line up too well with the [definition](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/caliginous)… perhaps Oz didn’t know what it meant either? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/56 "2008-10-09T04:04:15Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > More likely thinking of a [loupe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loupe). Ah ha! Of course. ---
**Author:** ![Rich\_Mann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@Rich\_Mann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rich_Mann)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/57 "2008-10-09T10:38:57Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > Valetudinarian – an invalid It sounds like something in between ‘valedictorian’ and ‘salutatorian’. I’m not sure of the last time I resorted to a dictionary while reading a book, but the quickest was _Earthly Powers_ by Anthony Burgess. It began "I was in bed with my **catamite** … " The last few things I’ve looked up were from the [Warehouse 23 basement](http://www.warehouse23.com/basement/box/). The only one I can remember offhand was ‘Thaumaturgical’. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/58 "2008-10-09T12:04:30Z")
While reading Edgar A. Poe’s _William Wilson_, I encountered the word “lustrum.” The context made it clear that it was in reference to some period of time, but it wasn’t until I looked it up that I knew that was a primarily British term meaning a period of five years. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517/59 "2008-10-09T12:48:27Z")
**Japesome** , from the cover of an old Black Adder VHS. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-last-word-that-came-up-in-reading-that-you-had-to-look-up/465517.md?page=2)