Balderdash for the Medieval Gay #94

(a compendium of queer words for the modern fag with a passion for the Middle Ages added hebdomadally on the Sabbath day)

94.) Eburnean
-adjective

a.) Made of or like ivory.*

b.) Ivory-colored.

[Origin: From Latin eburneus meaning "ivory." ]

*The horn of the unicorn, though typically considered to be eburnean (probably due to its association in the Middle Ages with the tusk of the narwhal), was originally described as red, white, and black by Ctesias (the origin of which most likely lies in its significance as an ancient calender symbol).

Balderdash for the Medieval Gay #93

(a compendium of queer words for the modern fag with a passion for the Middle Ages added hebdomadally on the Sabbath day)

93.) Knobbler
-noun singular

a.) A hart in its second year.

b.) A young deer.*

[Origin: unknown]

*In contemporary slang this term has come to signify a transvestite prostitute or simply the act of fellatio, and a cob knobbler or knobber is allegedly one who does so poorly.

Balderdash for the Medieval Gay #92

(a compendium of queer words for the modern fag with a passion for the Middle Ages added hebdomadally on the Sabbath day)

92.) Invination
-noun singular

a.) The inclusion or embodiment of Christ’s blood in sanctified wine.*

[Origin: Past participle of the New Latin invinare from vinum meaning "wine."]

*Cannibalistic hematophagy, a ritual of a much more ancient origin, is present in the Eucharist as Christians drink red wine in response to the words “This is the blood of Christ.” As a result of their belief in transubstantiation, early Christians were persecuted for this act by the Romans. The Romans were highly suspicious of Christian adoptions of abandoned Roman babies and this was suggested as a possible source of the blood.

Balderdash for the Medieval Gay #91

(a compendium of queer words for the modern fag with a passion for the Middle Ages added hebdomadally on the Sabbath day)

91.) Lithiasis
-noun singular

a.) Pathological formation of mineral concretions in the body.*

[Origin: From the Greek lithos meaning "stone," and osis meaning "condition."]

*Originally brought on perhaps by looking upon the Gorgon Medusa or meeting the gaze of a basilisk?

Balderdash for the Medieval Gay #90

(a compendium of queer words for the modern fag with a passion for the Middle Ages added hebdomadally on the Sabbath day)

90.) Kouros
-noun singular

a.) An ancient Greek statue of a nude male youth standing with the left leg forward and arms at the sides.*

[Origin: From the Greek koros meaning "boy."]

*The Kouroi, thought to be predominantly representations of the God Apollo found in multiplicity in shrines sacred to him, may also have been the tombstones of men or trophies commemorating the victors of various games.

Balderdash for the Medieval Gay #89

(a compendium of queer words for the modern fag with a passion for the Middle Ages added hebdomadally on the Sabbath day)

89.) Cynocephaly
-noun singular

a.) The condition of having the head of a dog or jackal.*

b.) (medical) Craniostenosis in which the skull slopes back from the orbits.

[Origin: From the Greek kyon, meaning "dog," and kephalos, meaning " head."]

*Quite a propos as we enter the “dog days” of summer, typically the hottest of the year, when Sirius, the dog-star has risen, and when most saints, Gods, or heroes associated with cynocephaly, have their feasts and holidays.

Balderdash for the Medieval Gay #88

(a compendium of queer words for the modern fag with a passion for the Middle Ages added hebdomadally on the Sabbath day)

88.) Aliped
-adjective

a.) Wing-footed.*

b.) Having a wing-like membrane connecting the toes.

[Origin: From the Latin ala meaning "wing" and pes or pedis meaning "foot."]

*Surely the God Hermes with his famous winged sandals could be described as such.

Balderdash for the Medieval Gay #87

(a compendium of queer words for the modern fag with a passion for the Middle Ages added hebdomadally on the Sabbath day)

87. Pizzle
-noun singular

a.) An animal’s penis.

b.) A flogging instrument made from a bull’s penis.*

[Origin: From Old English, derived from Low German pesel or Flemish Dutch pezel, diminutive of pees meaning "sinew".]

*Pizzle’s were often represented in heraldry, made distinct by a color differentiation from the rest of the beast’s body. They are used today almost exclusively as chewing treats for dogs, but the pizzles of Scottish deer are considered to improve stamina and are sometimes consumed by Olympic athletes. Many members of the tribe may agree that “consuming” or “being flogged by” a penis would be considered an improvement in general.

Balderdash for the Medieval Gay #86

(a compendium of queer words for the modern fag with a passion for the Middle Ages added hebdomadally on the Sabbath day)

86.) Gyromancy
-noun singular

a.) Divination by walking or spinning on a circle of letters until dizzy and stumbling on significant letters.*

b.) Divination by whirling a coin on a circle of letters.

[Origin: from Greek gyros meaning "circle" and manteia meaning "oracle."]

*Gyromancy somehow reminds me of an early, full-bodied version of a more recent oracle known as the Ouija board. Some religious dances, particularly the rotation of certain Sufi devotees (whirling dervishes) on one foot with arms out stretched, also employ dizziness or vertigo to induce prophetic delirium. In addition, in the spiraling phenomenon known as the St. Vitus’ Dance, manifestations of spirit intelligence were also observed in the movements of those in convulsions.

Balderdash for the Medieval Gay #85

(a compendium of queer words for the modern fag with a passion for the Middle Ages added hebdomadally on the Sabbath day)

85.) Nanism
-noun singular

a.) Dwarfism.

b.)The condition of being exceptionally small, stunted, or dwarfed.*

[Origin: From the Latin nanus meaning "dwarf."]

*One theory about the origin of certain faeries is that some of the most ancient members of the tribe, once revered as pre-Christian Gods and Goddesses of great stature, endured a sort of nanism by which they were reduced in size and stature (but somehow not squelched entirely) by the onset of the new religion.