proliferation
The far-reaching and rapid spread—the dissemination—of a certain entity or concept.
alchemy
Originally referring specifically to claims to be able to turn metals into gold, it is now a metaphor covering any seemingly such magically impossible transformation.
tubulated
Having been formed into the shape of a tube.
petit-bourgeois
Referring generally to those belonging to the lower middle class.
grandiloquence
Excessively bombastic and pompous speechifying
picturesque
A vision of something is deemed worthy of having been painted or photographed in order to maintain its singular beauty at a moment in time forever.
semiology
Throughout the next, Barthes uses a term that is now outdated and has been effectively been replaced since then by the preferred term semiotics. Both mean the same thing: the study of signs and meaning gleaned through interpretation.
plenitude
A state of plentiful abundance
archetype
A prototype or standard model upon which a larger collective identity is based.
eidetic
Pertaining to a type of memory often categorized as photographic.
postulate
To suggest or hypothesize based on available evidence
signifier
The symbol or figure that represents a larger meaning than itself
morphological
Referring to the form and structure of words as they inform language.
vanquish
To decidedly defeat an opponent.
coherence
The logical relationship between individual parts of a largely disconnected whole.
logorrhea
Loquacious verbosity; excessively talkative
flaccidity
An extreme state of limpness and flabbiness
sublimate
To channel an extreme emotion or desire into something more socially acceptable
compensatory
An offering in the service of payment for services rendered or goods sold.
fabricate
A lie or untruth constructed as a distraction from the actual truth of the situation.
