Both Flesh and Not: Essays

Начало книги

Readers familiar with David Foster Wallace’s work know that he possessed an insatiable love for words and their meanings. On his computer he constantly updated a list of words that he wanted to learn, culling from numerous sources and writing brief definitions and usage notes. A selection from this vocabulary list appears before each essay of Both Flesh and Not.

It was one of the great thrills of Wallace’s life to be invited to serve on the Usage Panel of The American Heritage Dictionary. The definitions in his vocabulary list reprinted here are quoted or paraphrased from that excellent reference work.

abattoir—slaughterhouse or slaughterhousish abrogate (adj.) — abolished or annulled by authority abscission—act of cutting off plants’ shedding leaves and stems accoutre (v.) — to outfit and equip, especially for military duty acerose—needlelike, as in pine needles, etc. acetous—vin-egary Achates—a loyal friend; faithful companion to Aeneas in The Aeneid adnexal (adj. of adnexa) — accessory or adjoining anatomical parts; e.g., ovaries & uterus adumbrate (v.) — to give a sketchy outline of; to disclose vaguely or partly; q.v. “adumbration” adversative (both n. and adj.) — word that expresses opposition or antithesis: the adversative con junction “but”; “he put out a string of adversatives” adz—axlike carpentry tool aerobe—organism requiring oxygen to live affined (adj.) — linked by very close relationship; q.v.

Читать дальше →