irriguous

Feb. 28th, 2013 07:23 am
prettygoodword: text: words are sexy (words are sexy)
[personal profile] prettygoodword
irriguous (ih-RIG-yoo-uhs) - adj., (poet.) well-watered, watery, providing or supplied with water.


I first met this in a 17th century poem, and since then only in 17th century poetry, so am not surprised to see it listed as both a poeticism and archaic in dictionaries. Borrowed in the 1640s, apparently by Milton, from Latin irriguus, supplied with water, from riguus, watered -- and so, yes, a close cognate of irrigate, and indeed the providing water sense can also be rendered as providing irrigation.

---L.

Date: 2013-02-28 05:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thistleingrey.livejournal.com
Milton is great.

Uh, is "pulisamous" in the [community profile] 1word1day post meant to be "pusillanimous," or is it truth in reporting? (I can't comment over there--sorry for crossing streams.)

Date: 2013-02-28 06:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] prettygoodword.livejournal.com
Oog. That's what I get for typing under the non-influence of caffeine. Thanks for the correction.

---L.

Date: 2013-02-28 06:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] prettygoodword.livejournal.com
I like per-War Milton quite a lot, but I find Paradise Lost unreadable. I think I once managed to make it into book II ...

---L.

Date: 2013-02-28 06:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thistleingrey.livejournal.com
Well, fair, not all of what he wrote is equally cool; perhaps I should've said "fascinating."

I, um, read most verse as prose, which is a pretty good way of getting through PL due to all those portentous enjambments. Bounced as an undergrad, but a few years later I was able to read it with some pleasure when I had to co-teach it. (Dunno re: verse as prose--something weird about how my brain handles music/rhythm, possibly.)

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