The Internet Book Database of Fiction

buccal

/ˈbʌk(ə)l/
adjective
technical
1 Relating to the cheek.
1.1 Relating to the mouth.

Origin
Early 19th century: from Latin bucca ‘cheek’ + -al.

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From this rhyme so frilly
I hope you'll get a chuckle
Or bite down on your knuckle
Just don't fill the cavity buccal
With your belt's silver buckle.
That would just be silly!

Algot Runeman wrote:buccal

Humans (also all primates) have a buccal muscle that orbits the mouth. This muscle allow us to smile, kiss and blow strawberries.

Its latin name is Musculus Orbitularis Oris.

E.P.S.

I work my buccal muscle to provide access to my mouth for the dental hygienist twice a year. In general, the dentist, himself, drops in, shakes my hand and pokes gently at a couple of spots and says, "See you next time!"

Good fortune comes to us in many ways.

Algot Runeman wrote:E.P.S.

I work my buccal muscle to provide access to my mouth for the dental hygienist twice a year. In general, the dentist, himself, drops in, shakes my hand and pokes gently at a couple of spots and says, "See you next time!"

Good fortune comes to us in many ways.

I wish I could say the same thing, but alas it would be a subreption.

Nobody remarked on the two glaring mistakes I made in my previous "buccal" post.

Wake up, guys!

anserine

/ˈansərʌɪn/
adjective
Of or like a goose.

Origin
Mid 19th century: from Latin anserinus, from anser ‘goose’.

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Having anserine for today's WotD, it is clear that people will be goosing me all day to answer skeins of questions about goslings and ganders. I'll get a little down about it, but hope to make it through without too many ruffled feathers.

E Pericoloso Sporgersi wrote:

Algot Runeman wrote:buccal

Humans (also all primates) have a buccal muscle that orbits the mouth. This muscle allow us to smile, kiss and blow strawberries.

Its latin name is Musculus Orbitularis Oris.

Latin orbicularis, perhaps?
We call rude noises with the lips "raspberries" here, but Belgian usage could differ, I suppose.

Algot Runeman wrote: ...
We call rude noises with the lips "raspberries" here

As far as I know, that metaphor doesn't even exist in Flemish or Dutch.

E Pericoloso Sporgersi wrote:Nobody remarked on the two glaring mistakes I made in my previous "buccal" post.

Wake up, guys!

OK, so Algot found your spelling mistake "orbitularis" instead of "orbicularis"

For the other one I suggest that it does indeed allow us to kiss and blow strawberries, but for smiling it is just the reverse : pulling the sides of the mouth away from each other needs a totally different set of muscles.
Right ?

cassava

/kəˈsɑːvə/
noun
1 mass noun The starchy tuberous root of a tropical tree, used as food in tropical countries.
1.1 Starch or flour obtained from cassava.
Also called manioc
2 The shrubby tree from which cassava is obtained, native to tropical America and cultivated throughout the tropics.
Genus Manihot, family Euphorbiaceae: several species

Origin
Mid 16th century: from Taino casávi, cazábbi, influenced by French cassave.

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While I didn't think about it over the years, I've regularly eaten cassava in the form of tapioca, my favorite pudding.

petition

/pɪˈtɪʃ(ə)n/
noun
A formal written request, typically one signed by many people, appealing to authority in respect of a particular cause.

Origin

Middle English: from Latin petitio(n-), from petit- ‘aimed at, sought, laid claim to’, from the verb petere.

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You may file a petition, even do it often by repetition, but for WotD, you will not be given leave to refocus on a word. There's been a diktat against that.

piscivorous

/pɪˈsɪv(ə)rəs/
adjective
Zoology
(of an animal) feeding on fish.

Origin
Mid 17th century: from Latin piscis ‘fish’ + -vorous.

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A shark is a top-tier ocean carnivore, but not limiting itself to a piscivorous diet. But, given the opportunity, a fish becomes a yummy snack.

cultivar

/ˈkʌltɪvɑː/
noun
Botany
A plant variety that has been produced in cultivation by selective breeding. Cultivars are usually designated in the style Taxus baccata ‘Variegata’.
See also variety (sense 2)

Origin
1920s: blend of cultivate and variety.

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The Sumo Citrus™ orange, a non GMO cultivar of the mandarin from Japan is recently available from California growers.

ravening

/ˈravənɪŋ/
adjective
(of a ferocious wild animal) extremely hungry and hunting for prey.

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The New England Patriots team proved their ravening-beast pedigree, defeating the Rams in Super Bowl LIII.

If I understand correctly, a shark is a ravening piscivorous fish, and Algot is a ravening cassavorous human, right ?

voralfred, do you consider your your question rhetorical?

zygoma

/zɪˈɡəʊmə//zʌɪˈɡəʊmə/
noun
Anatomy
The bony arch of the cheek formed by connection of the zygomatic and temporal bones.

Origin
Late 17th century: from Greek zugōma, from zugon ‘yoke’.

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I will simply identify the zygoma as a face bone. Anything more might be deemed "cheeky".

achromous

/eɪˈkrəʊməs/
adjective
rare
Uncoloured; colourless.

Origin
Late 19th century. From post-classical Latin achromos or its etymon ancient Greek ἄχρωμος colourless + -ous. Compare earlier achromatous, and also achromatistous and achroous.

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He worked to be a writer. Sadly, Joe's prose was achromous and dull. Routinely sprinkling in words which were overused on social media did make him seem trendy so his books sold well.

spiderling

/ˈspʌɪdəlɪŋ/
noun
A young spider.

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The problem was never resolved. The spiderling wanted to wear shorts, and his mom started to weave him some, but before she was finished, he molted and she had to start weaving all over again.

Algot Runeman wrote:voralfred, do you consider your your question rhetorical?

Well, in fact, the whole point of my question was to put to work your (and maybe also EPS's ) zigomatic muscles (which, by the way, count among the buccal ones). Alas, it is difficult for me to know whether my prose is achromous or not. I wish I could weave short text that are more to the point than the spiderling's mother efforts !

voralfred wrote:

Well, in fact, the whole point of my question was to put to work your (and maybe also EPS's ) zigomatic muscles (which, by the way, count among the buccal ones). Alas, it is difficult for me to know whether my prose is achromous or not. I wish I could weave short text that are more to the point than the spiderling's mother efforts !

From my perspective, your responses, rhetorical or provocative, achieved a strong reaction from many of my buccal muscles, barring those extra frown-producers.

perspective

/pəˈspɛktɪv/
noun
1 mass noun The art of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface so as to give the right impression of their height, width, depth, and position in relation to each other.
1.1 The appearance of viewed objects with regard to their relative position, distance from the viewer, etc.

Origin
Late Middle English (in the sense ‘optics’): from medieval Latin perspectiva (ars) ‘(science of) optics’, from perspect- ‘looked at closely’, from the verb perspicere, from per- ‘through’ + specere ‘to look’.

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WotD is skewed. Let's admit it. All the rest of you get to read an official definition, but then you read my sample and view the word from my perspective (especially in the illustration)!

botryoidal

/ˌbɒtrɪˈɔɪd(ə)l/
adjective
(chiefly of minerals)
having a shape reminiscent of a cluster of grapes.

Origin
Late 18th century: from Greek botruoeidēs (from botrus ‘bunch of grapes’) + -al.

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The geode cracked open to reveal a bunch of botryoidal agate crystals looking like a cluster of grapes. I'm guessing that might be the origin of the shooter marble known as the "aggie" (which early on was actually made from agate mineral).

Algot Runeman wrote:botryoidal

/ˌbɒtrɪˈɔɪd(ə)l/
adjective
(chiefly of minerals)
having a shape reminiscent of a cluster of grapes.

Origin
Late 18th century: from Greek botruoeidēs (from botrus ‘bunch of grapes’) + -al.

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The geode cracked open to reveal a bunch of botryoidal agate crystals looking like a cluster of grapes. I'm guessing that might be the origin of the shooter marble known as the "aggie" (which early on was actually made from agate mineral).

Curiously, the same greek origin ‘bunch of grapes’ is given for a totally different greek word, namely staphylē, leading to a horrible beasties, staphylococcus aureus...

carlin
(also carling)

/ˈkɑːlɪn/
noun
Scottish
1 A witch.
1.1 An unpleasant or disliked old woman.

Origin
Middle English: from Old Norse kerling ‘old woman, woman’.

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Grace belied her name, consistently being a grumpy carlin. The big mole on her nose didn't help attract others, of course.