$20 Words

[stickygirl]

Context please! Not sure why you would use a term for the reflectivity of a surface to describe a mountain landscape, but I'll hold off my judgement (out loud). What was the sentence/paragraph/description?

My mate Robert MacFarlane again, Old Ways.
‘The world dwindled to the next step, then opened out at an upward glance. The sun gold in the sky, pouring down its heatless light; hard snow, high albedo.'
Grrr... he even knows how to use semi-colons *sulks*

 

[anthrodisiac]

My mate Robert MacFarlane again, Old Ways.
‘The world dwindled to the next step, then opened out at an upward glance. The sun gold in the sky, pouring down its heatless light; hard snow, high albedo.'
Grrr... he even knows how to use semi-colons *sulks*

It's just so weird to see it outside a scientific context. Albedo's a measurement of how much light a surface reflects, on a scale of 0 - 1, so to use it outside that feels more like "ah, I found a snazzy word, lemme show off" than an actual use case that makes sense if you actually understand the word.

 

[anthrodisiac]

My mate Robert MacFarlane again, Old Ways.
‘The world dwindled to the next step, then opened out at an upward glance. The sun gold in the sky, pouring down its heatless light; hard snow, high albedo.'
Grrr... he even knows how to use semi-colons *sulks*

The world dwindled to the next step, then opened out at an upward glance. The sun gold in the sky, pouring down its heatless light; hard snow, an albedo approaching 0.926 — maybe 0.931 once it started to melt and develop a nice sheen.'

 

[MK_Whimsy]

Right now my fav word is Villanelle

That sounds like it could be an ice cream flavor

 

[anthrodisiac]

That sounds like it could be an ice cream flavor

Vanilla's misunderstood twin.

 

[MK_Whimsy]

Vanilla's misunderstood twin.

The 20 dollar version that comes in a tiny cup

 

[stickygirl]

It's just so weird to see it outside a scientific context. Albedo's a measurement of how much light a surface reflects, on a scale of 0 - 1, so to use it outside that feels more like "ah, I found a snazzy word, lemme show off" than an actual use case that makes sense if you actually understand the word.

You’ve hit a nail on the head or at least an expression that falls with a z-score of 1.5.

I think our vocabulary should be expanded, but it needs to be done gently. I’ve been back to re-examine his use of albedo and I excuse it, if that’s a fair judgement. In the context of his chpater, he is fighting his way through thin air at 15k’, following an indistinct path, hearing the chimes of horse bells, gasping for breath and making brief glances up from his feet. Single thoughts, single words, drop into our conscious thought: parched, thin, metallic, cracked. So I’ll forgive his word in this instance, but…. don’t push your luck buddy.

 

[BeechLeaf]

her perfume, a subtle albedo with susurrations of villanelle...

Ooh, that reminds me, I must add 'susurrat*' to my list of only-once-per-story words.

 

[MK_Whimsy]

Albedo sounds like a sauce you put on pasta

 

[anthrodisiac]

Albedo sounds like a sauce you put on pasta

A white sauce.

 

[StillStunned]

Or an obscure variety of Italian wine.

White, of course.

 

[MK_Whimsy]

Or the thing that drives someone to read erotic stories

 

[TheLobster]

Thesaurus? Though i rarely see those in the wild anymore.

They all went extinct after the meteor incident.

 

[SmilingLez]

Paradelle - such a strange poetry form

 

[MK_Whimsy]

Paradelle - such a strange poetry form

Paradelle sounds like when you have a few computers from a particular manufacturer.

 

[TheLobster]

Paradelle

Those are great when cooked al dente and tossed with bolognese.

 

[SmilingLez]

Paradelle sounds like when you have a few computers from a particular manufacturer.

I wrote a Paradelle in the poem a week poetry thread. It is a crazy style. In my mind I picture four drunk Frenchmen challenging each other to write the most ridiculous free verse, giving birth to the Paradelle

 

[EmilyMiller]

It's just so weird to see it outside a scientific context. Albedo's a measurement of how much light a surface reflects, on a scale of 0 - 1, so to use it outside that feels more like "ah, I found a snazzy word, lemme show off" than an actual use case that makes sense if you actually understand the word.

It’s only been a scientific term since 1760. It’s meant whiteness (from the Latin) for much longer.

- Miller, E. - who might have compared an FMC’s blushing to Betelgeuse in a current vignette

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I wrote a Paradelle in the poem a week poetry thread. It is a crazy style. In my mind I picture four drunk Frenchmen challenging each other to write the most ridiculous free verse, giving birth to the Paradelle

When I was writing a villanelle for the Ogg memorial event, I was picturing Dylan Thomas and some other drunk Welshmen producing the format. Despite it actually being French.

"The villanelle has been noted as a form that frequently treats the subject of obsessions, and one which appeals to outsiders;"

 

[FrancesScott]

My first story here, Ice Cream, is a stream of $50 (plus tax) words loosely held together by conjunctions.

 

[BeechLeaf]

Ooh, and lots of them have accents. *settles down to enjoy this*

 

[yowser]

It's just so weird to see it outside a scientific context. Albedo's a measurement of how much light a surface reflects, on a scale of 0 - 1, so to use it outside that feels more like "ah, I found a snazzy word, lemme show off" than an actual use case that makes sense if you actually understand the word.

First identifiable usage is in a letter from astronomer John Flamsteed to Newton in 1704:

Yt..Whiteness..he may call candor but tis far from albedo for being mixed with ye prismaticall blue it makes green with ye Red Orange whereas proper white or paint mixed with blue makes onely paler blue.

It got a more precise scientific meaning mid 19th century.

 

[EmilyMiller]

$20 Words​

I did use micturatory in a story here once. Which, if it isn’t a word, ought to be.

 

[mejau71]

Limerence.

Look it up.

 

[other11]

Limerence , corespondent (corespondent is a person named in a divorce proceeding as having committed adultery with the spouse of the person filing for divorce.) and enmesh (involve someone in a difficult situation from which it is hard to escape. [He was enmeshed in his adulterous affair]) should be in many more LW stories.

I love Latin and Greek based words! If I may indulge briefly:
1. I've already told the tale of making up my own word from the Latin prefix "ex" (apart from or away from) and "cor" (heart) = excorated ( heartless). Unfortunately autocorrect added an "i" and changed the word to "excoriated" which made scant sense in the context. I didn't catch the mistake before submitting, but a few readers saw it. So burnt the funeral pyre of hubris. You may ask "Why didn't you just use the prefix "de-" which would have neatly the exact same meaning if combined with "-cor", but ecce, the word would have simply been "decorated".

2. Who said , " Latin is dead!" ?
Me and the Pope: we say "Nope!" (sic)

3. Latin is crass. Rough and gruff. Greek has class. Greek is more sleek. I especially enjoy Greek based words using the near end of the Greek alphbet: phi, chi and psi. We all know in sex stories psize does matter.
In a recent story https://www.literotica.com/s/first-and-best-incest-story-ever I wrote "The psithurism of the leaves rustling through the windows was our soft music." No definition needed.
Enough of my bloviating (another good sexy word)!

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