A collection of words for readers, writers and people who notice the details. The sidebar’s Daily Word rotates through these 31 entries, changing each day on Eastern Time.
Definitions are written in our own words; the example sentences are original to The Indigo Chronicle. Pronunciations below are simplified guides. Follow the dictionary links for phonetic transcriptions and audio.
palimpsest
PAL-imp-sest · noun
A manuscript written over an earlier text, often with traces of the old writing still visible.
“Beneath the newer script, the palimpsest held the faint outline of another story.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
liminal
LIM-uh-nuhl · adjective
Occupying a threshold or an in-between state.
“The empty station felt liminal, suspended between the last arrival and the first departure.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
susurrus
suh-SUR-uhs · noun
A low, soft sound of whispering, murmuring or rustling.
“The susurrus of dry leaves followed them along the darkening lane.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
petrichor
PET-rih-kor · noun
The earthy scent that rises when rain reaches dry ground.
“Petrichor drifted through the open window before the rain became a steady downpour.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
verdant
VUR-duhnt · adjective
Green and flourishing with plant life.
“By May, the bare hillside had become a verdant sweep of grass and young leaves.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
crepuscular
krih-PUS-kyuh-ler · adjective
Connected with twilight; of animals, most active around dawn or dusk.
“A crepuscular hush settled over the fields as the deer emerged.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
halcyon
HAL-see-uhn · adjective
Peaceful and happy, often describing an earlier period remembered fondly.
“She spoke of those halcyon summers when the whole family gathered at the lake.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
ephemeral
ih-FEM-er-uhl · adjective
Existing for a brief time.
“The frost made an ephemeral garden on the glass, gone by breakfast.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
mellifluous
meh-LIF-loo-uhs · adjective
Smooth and pleasing to hear.
“His mellifluous reading made even the longest sentences easy to follow.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
ineffable
ih-NEF-uh-buhl · adjective
So deeply felt or remarkable that words seem inadequate.
“For a moment, the music left her with an ineffable sense of belonging.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
reverie
REV-er-ee · noun
A state of pleasant, dreamlike thought.
“The kettle interrupted her reverie with a sharp, impatient click.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
penumbra
pih-NUM-bruh · noun
The partly shaded area around a deeper shadow.
“The lamp cast a penumbra along the edge of the bookcase.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
numinous
NOO-mih-nuhs · adjective
Suggesting a profound spiritual presence or quality.
“In the old chapel, the ordinary afternoon light acquired a numinous quality.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
sylvan
SIL-vuhn · adjective
Belonging to, found in or associated with woodland.
“They followed a sylvan path where the roots rose through the soil like old steps.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
serendipity
ser-uhn-DIP-ih-tee · noun
The chance discovery of something valuable or welcome.
“Finding the letter tucked inside the secondhand book was pure serendipity.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
poignant
POYN-yuhnt · adjective
Stirring a keen sense of sadness or tender feeling.
“The small coat still hanging by the door was the room’s most poignant detail.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
nocturne
NOK-tern · noun
A gentle, expressive piece of classical music.
“A nocturne played softly while rain tapped against the kitchen window.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
cadence
KAY-duhns · noun
The pattern of rise and fall in a voice or a sequence of sounds.
“Even after years apart, she recognised the cadence of her sister’s voice.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
evanescent
ev-uh-NES-uhnt · adjective
Quick to fade or disappear.
“The evanescent glow above the ridge vanished before she found her camera.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
redolent
RED-uh-luhnt · adjective
Strongly suggestive of something, especially through scent.
“The hallway was redolent of cedar, old books and the apples stored downstairs.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
solace
SOL-iss · noun
Comfort during sorrow, anxiety or difficulty.
“He found solace in the familiar work of tending the small garden.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
tenacious
tuh-NAY-shuhs · adjective
Holding firmly or persisting with determination.
“A tenacious strand of ivy had worked its way beneath the window frame.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
bracken
BRAK-uhn · noun
A tall fern that often spreads thickly across open land and woodland.
“Copper bracken crowded the path where the trees gave way to the hill.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
fern
fern · noun
A non-flowering plant with fronds, often finely divided.
“A fern had unfurled in the narrow space between the stones.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
hearth
harth · noun
The floor or space at a fireplace; also a literary image of home.
“She set the wet boots on the hearth and pulled a chair towards the fire.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
bucolic
byoo-KOL-ik · adjective
Relating to rural life or a countryside setting.
“Beyond the railway cutting lay a bucolic scene of orchards and grazing sheep.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
taciturn
TAS-ih-tern · adjective
Habitually reserved in speech.
“The taciturn gardener answered with a nod and returned to his roses.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
resonance
REZ-uh-nuhns · noun
An echoing quality; also the feelings or associations a work calls up.
“The poem gained a different resonance when she read it years later.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
aurora
uh-ROR-uh · noun
A natural display of coloured light in the sky near the polar regions.
“The aurora spread pale green ribbons across the northern sky.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
inkling
INK-ling · noun
A slight impression or early hint of something not yet certain.
“She had an inkling that the unmarked envelope would change the afternoon.”
Dictionary entry & pronunciation
wanderlust
WON-der-lust · noun
A strong desire to travel and explore.
“The old road atlas stirred a wanderlust she had almost forgotten.”