Fun With Old English
No wonder it’s tough to read old books—they’re littered with confusing words we’ve never seen before! Some are way too long, while others seem like the author’s just flexing their vocabulary. Whatever the case, it can turn a lot of people off from the classics, which is why we’re here to break down a few common definitions.
1. Grotesque
You’ve likely seen this word before, but it pops up a lot in classic literature. Simply put, when something is grotesque, it’s horribly ugly or strange. Usually, when someone—or something—is described that way, it’s actually meant to evoke more emotion than your everyday disgust. Some characters have disfigurements that try to elicit sympathy alongside any fear.
2. Abate
Abate is really just a fancy word for “lessen.” It was usually used to describe powerful storms, conflict between characters, or even emotions. You’ll likely see it more often than not, so keep it in the back of your mind.
3. Placid
When someone’s placid, it means they’re calm. Readers usually encounter this word in descriptions of emotions or even in book titles themselves, like The Placid Man—published way back in the 1800s.
4. Superfluous
Have you ever known someone to give a little too much information? Maybe they go a little overboard when hosting dinner parties. Over-the-top actions or people are superfluous, which is another way of saying that something exceeds what is necessary.
5. Prodigious
It might be a bit hard to pronounce, but prodigious things are great things. We don’t mean great like an above-average performance—we mean great as in something impressive or marvellous, so much so that it’s larger than life.
