Charlotte Temple Glossary

Glossary of Terms

abjure

To formally renounce a person or belief

adieu

French for "goodbye." Often used when one is about to take a journey or will not see the addressee for a long time.

chaise

A small horse-drawn carriage with an open top

chimera

A flight of fancy

Circe

From The Odyssey. An evil enchantress who seduced Odysseus and then transformed his men into pigs

dissemble

To lie about or disguise one's true motivations

encomium

A speech or written tract that is created to praise a particular person

Ensign

The lowest rank of infantry officer in the British army

extirpation

To remove something surgically, often a limb or body part

fallacious

Based on wrong assumptions or beliefs

farthing

An archaic unit of British currency. Very small in value, equal to one-fourth of a penny

gimcrack

A cheap but fancy-looking knickknack or item of clothing

habiliments

Clothing

hartshorn

A liquid solution made from deer horns, used as smelling salts

Hymen

In Charlotte Temple, "Hymen" refers not to the word's anatomical definition, but rather the Greek god of marriage for whom it is named

je ne sais quoi

In French, this phrase literally means, "I don't know what." It often refers to an intangible, indescribable quality of a person or thing

pellucid

Clear; transparent

picquet

A card game popular in the eighteenth century

prithee

An archaic way to put a request, equivalent to "please." From "pray thee"

sweetmeats

Any kind of candy or sweet food. Does not usually include meat, although some meat dishes, like mince pie, could be called sweetmeats