Balderdash for the Medieval Gay #84
June 28, 2009
(a compendium of queer words for the modern fag with a passion for the Middle Ages added hebdomadally on the Sabbath day)
84.) Impennate
-adjective
a.) Wingless or featherless.
b.) Characterised by short wings covered with feathers resembling scales, as in penguins.
c.) Flightless.*
[Origin: From Latin penna meaning "feather" or "wing."]
*It should be stated that although many members of the tribe are impennate, this fact hardly ever impedes their flight.
Balderdash for the Medieval Gay #83
June 21, 2009
(a compendium of queer words for the modern fag with a passion for the Middle Ages added hebdomadally on the Sabbath day)
83.) Leman
-noun singular
a.) A lover or sweetheart.
b.) An illicit lover or paramour.*
[Origin: From Middle English lemman or lefoman]
*It seems the fateful lot of members of the tribe to fall for various mortal humans with whom love is eventually doomed. This word appears in an early English song attributed to William Cornyshe (c.1468-1523) in the the follwing line:
…Ah, Robin, gentle Robin, tell me how thy leman doth, and thou shalt know of mine…
Balderdash for the Medieval Gay #82
June 14, 2009
(a compendium of queer words for the modern fag with a passion for the Middle Ages added hebdomadally on the Sabbath day)
82.) Wight
-noun singular, or adjective
a.) A living being (especially a human).
b.) A creature.
c.) Valorous or brave.
[Origin: From the Old English wiht, a word used to describe a creature or a living being.]
*The Old English wiht is akin to Old High German wiht, meaning a creature or thing. The Wicht, Wichtel or Wichtelchen of Germanic folklore is most commonly translated into English as an imp, a small, shy character who often does helpful domestic chores when nobody is looking. Here we find undoubtedly in the word wight, another incarnation of a member of our tribe.
