All the Light We Cannot See Vocab

bombardier

bombardier

(n.) military. the member of a bombing plane crew who operates the bombsight and bomb-release mechanism

reticulated

(v.) to form a net or network

parapet

(n.) a defensive wall or elevation, as of earth or stone, in a fortification. an elevation raised above the main wall or rampart of a permanent fortification; any low protective wall or barrier at the edge of a balcony, roof, bridge, or the like

corsairs

(n.) a fast ship used for piracy; a pirate, especially formerly of the Barbary Coast.a gull-winged, propeller-driven fighter plane built for the US Navy in WWII and kept in service into the early 1950s

escutcheons

(n.) a shield of shieldlike surface on which a coat of arms is depicted; an ornamental or protective plate around a keyhole, door handle, drawer pull, light switch, etc.

Nautical. a panel on the stern of a vessel bearing its name and port of registry

davenport

(n.) a large sofa, often on convertible into a bed; Chiefly British. a small writing desk

scabbard

(n.) a sheath for a sword or the like

(v.) (used with object) to put into a scabbard; sheathe

Byzantine

(adj.) noting or pertaining to the architecture of the Byzantine Empire and to architecture; characterized by masonry construction, road arches, impost blocks, low domes on pendentives, the presence of fine, spiky, foliage patterns in low relief on stone capitals and moldings, and the use of frescoes; mosaics, and revetments of fine stone to cover whole interiors

(sometimes lowercase) complex or intricate

asceticism

(n.) the doctrine that a person can attain a high spiritual and moral state by practicing self-denial, self-mortification, and the like; rigorous self-denial; extreme abstinence; austerity

virtuosic

(adj.) having special knowledge or skill in a certain field

inure

(v.) to accustom to hardship, difficulty, pain, etc.; toughen or harden; habituate (usually followed by "to")

temporal

(adj.) of or relating to time; pertaining to or concerned with the present life or this world; worldly, enduring for a time only; temporary; transitory (opposed to eternal)

gyring

(v.) to move into a circle or spiral (as in pattern of ocean currents)

carmine

(n.) a crimson or purplish-red color; a crimson pigment obtained from cochineal

caul

(n.) a cap or hat of net formerly worn by women

lapidary

(n.) the art of cutting, polishing, and engraving precious stones; one who cuts, polishes, or engraves stones

sobriquets

(n.) a nickname

emerveillement

(n.) a wonder

periscope

(n.) an optical instrument for viewing objects that are above the level of direct sight or in an otherwise obstructed field of vision, consisting essentially of a tube with an arrangement of prisms or mirrors and, usually, lenses: used especially in submarines

tephra

(n.) elastic volcanic material, as scoria, dust, etc., ejected during an eruption