Lexicon Leche

esoteric

adjective

1. understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; recondite

2. belonging to the select few

3. private; secret; confidential

4. (of a philosophical doctrine or the like) intended to be revealed on to the initiates of a group

[es-uh-ter-ik] origin: Greek

It was certainly an esoteric subject, but Medieval clock-making was the professor’s specialty. 

pedantic

adjective

1. ostentatious in one’s learning

2. overly concerned with minute details or formalisms, especially in teaching

[puh-dan-tik] origin: English, c. 1600

During their tour of the city, the two friends met a pedantic amateur historian who, though mildly annoying, had much to offer regarding the history of Nice and its famous Russian church.

abstruse

adjective

difficult to understand; recondite; esoteric

[ab-stroos] origin: 1590-1600, Latin

What looked like a simple blurry photograph to students, the professor described as a masterpiece, using abstruse cultural and aesthetic theory to convey his ideas.

erudite

adjective

characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly

[er-yoo-deyt] origin: 1375-1425 Late Middle English

Inside the silent temple, the erudite scholar suddenly felt like an oblivious tourist as he sat pondering the mysteries of the universe, acknowledging how little he really knew.

Theme of the Week: An Education

divagate

verb

1. to wander, stray

2. to digress in speech

[dahy-vuh-geyt] origin: 1590-1600, Latin

I divagated from the group of hikers and found myself at a hidden overlook that revealed breathtaking views.

maunder

verb (used without object)

1. to talk in a rambling, foolish, or meaningless way

2. to move, go, or act in an aimless, confused way

[mawn-der] origin: uncertain, 1615-25

With no real home or direction, the stray dog maundered through town, sniffing out food and companionship. 

wayfaring

adjective, noun

traveling, especially on foot

[wey-fair-ing] origin: Middle English

She went wayfaring through the canyon, attuned to its deep majesty and the echoes of those who had come before her.

itinerant

adjective

1. traveling from place to place, especially on a circuit, as a minister, judge, or sales representative; itinerating; journeying

2. characterized by such traveling

3. working in one place for a comparatively short time and then moving on to work in another place, usually as a physical or outdoor laborer; characterized by alternating periods of working and wandering

noun

4. a person who alternates between working and wandering

5. a person who travels from place to place, especially for duty or business

[ahy-tin-er-uhnt, ih-tin-] origin: Latin

The young itinerant, finding herself without work for the winter months, took to trekking through the snowy woods to fill her time.

peregrinate

verb

used without object

1. to travel or journey, especially to walk on foot

used with object

2. to travel or walk over; traverse

[per-i-gruh-neyt] origin: Latin

With nothing but a sleeping bag, a change of clothes, and a waterproof box of matches, the man took off for the land of his mother’s birth with no plan but to peregrinate the country.