A growing assortment of words and definitions used in the Early Modern era. See the Guide for more information.
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Word
Definition
Inficete
Not witty. Facete is an older form of facetious. Thomas Love Peacock in CROTCHET CASTLE (1831) uses three forms: Mr. E: Sir, you are very facetious at my expense. Dr. F: Sir, you have been very unfacetiouSj. very inficete, at mine. The forms are from Latin facetus, polite, urbane; hence, merry, witty, jocose.
Nubility
Readiness for marriage, Latin nubes, c!oud, veil; whence nubere, nuptum, to don the (marriage) veil, whence also English nuptials. Nubile means (a girl) of marriageable age; the other forms, however, have brought into English only the primary sense: nubilation, cloudiness; nubilate, to cloud over, to render obscure (also used figuratively); nubiferous, cloud-bringing, obscuring; nubilose, nubilous, cloudy, vague -- as in Thomas Love Peacock's MELINCOURT (1817): Pointing out innumerable images of singularly nubilous beauty. Many airplanes find themselves nubivagant (accent on the second syllable), journeying among clouds.
