The Case of the Copious Lexicon

I've been taking a short hiatus from reading books by Christian authors & thought I'd delve into the first two Ellery Queen novels; little did I realize I'd need both a dictionary & a thesaurus to understand/enjoy them.

So, here are words I learned from  “The Roman Hat Mystery” & “The French Powder Mystery”:

aesopian: conveying meaning by hint, euphemism, innuendo, or the like
amanuensis: a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another; secretary
appurtenances: something subordinate to another, more important thing
avocation: something a person does in addition to a principal occupation, hobby; diversion or distraction
betokening: to give evidence of; indicate
blatherskite: a person given to voluble, empty talk; nonsense
brusqueness: abrupt in manner; blunt; rough
captious: proceeding from a faultfinding or caviling disposition, faultfinding
celerity: swiftness; speed
cicatrix: new tissue that forms over a wound and later contracts into a scar
cudgel: to try to comprehend or remember
evince: to show clearly; make evident or manifest; prove
habiliments: clothes as worn in a particular profession
ignominious: discreditable, humiliating, contemptible
imperious: domineering in a haughty manner; dictatorial; overbearing
imprecations: to invoke or call down (evil or curses), as upon a person
insectivorous: adapted to feeding on insects
intelligentsia: intellectuals considered as a group or class, especially as a cultural, social, or political elite
invective: vehement or violent denunciation, censure, or reproach
moue: a pouting grimace
myopic: lacking tolerance or understanding; narrow-minded
nacreous:  lustrous; pearly
nascent: beginning to exist or develop
nebulous: hazy, vague, indistinct, or confused
nonce: the present, or immediate, occasion or purpose
penury: extreme poverty; destitution
peremptorily: leaving no opportunity for denial or refusal; imperative
peroration: a long speech characterized by lofty and often pompous language
piscine: of, relating to, or resembling a fish or fishes
profundity: a profoundly deep place; abyss
prosaic: commonplace or dull; matter-of-fact or unimaginative
punctilious: strict or exact in the observance of the formalities or amenities of conduct or actions
ratiocination: the process of logical reasoning
redolent: having a pleasant odor; fragrant
sententiously: given to or using pithy sayings or maxims
sepulchral: of, relating to, or serving as a tomb
sotto voce: (of singing or a spoken remark) in a quiet voice, as if not to be overheard
stolidity: not easily stirred or moved mentally; unemotional; impassive
surreptitious: obtained, done, made, etc., by stealth; secret or unauthorized; clandestine
toque: a brimless and close-fitting hat for women, in any of several shapes
tremulous: characterized by trembling, as from fear, nervousness, or weakness
vagary: a whimsical, wild, or unusual idea, desire, or action
virago: a loud-voiced, ill-tempered, scolding woman; shrew
viscid: having a glutinous consistency; sticky; adhesive; viscous
volubly: characterized by a ready and continuous flow of words; fluent; glib; talkative

That's quite a few new words, for me at least...

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