Wondrous Words Wednesday
Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. If you want to play along, grab the button, write a post and come back and add your link to Mr. Linky! Both of this week’s words come from We Bought a Zoo by Benjamin Mee.
1. motile – “When Ronnie was let back into his new, triple-size enclosure, he tiptoed around exploring everything tentatively with his highly motile hooter.”
At first I thought this might be a typo for mobile. It’s not, but motile has a similar meaning – it means exhibiting or capable of movement. By the way, Ronnie is a Brazilian tapir.
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2. coppicing – “Fortunately, in this area of Devon, these old countryside practices still go on, and I looked forward to one day being able to lose myself in the ancient art of coppicing for a few hours a day before too long.”
According to The Ancient Art of Coppicing, coppicing is the art of cutting trees down to ground level to encourage vigorous regrowth.
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Have you come across any new words lately?
Both your words are new ones for me!
Those are some interesting words!
Those are very interesting. I was familiar with motile as a medical term, but coppicing was completely new.
I thought coppicing might have been an off-color term, so I am surprised to see the real definition! Very cool word choices today!
I love that Ronnie is a tapir! How funny!
I knew motile but not coppicing, which is a neat word.
You stumped me again!
Great words! Motile is interesting.
There was a lot of coppicing being done in our neighborhood.
That is a wild one, Kathy. It’s one of the few times I can actually say, “We needed a word for that?” I love this feature, so thanks!
A tapir named Ronnie is making me chuckle. I guess Jill and I have a similar sense of humor.
My son has been cutting back his Eucalyptus trees to encourage new growth. I didn’t know their was a special name or that it was an art. I can’t wait to tell him.
I never would have guessed coppicing!
Lol, good ones
I too knew motile, but not coppicing. It sounds a rather drastic form of pruning! I didn’t get organised enough to put up any words with Christmas, hope to be back next week.
Hi Kathy,
Living as I do, on the Devon, Dorset, Somerset border, ‘Coppicing’ is a very familiar countryside word around these parts.
‘Motile’ on the other hand, I have not come across before. At first I wondered why ‘mobile’ would not be a sufficient word to describe movement, but the thought of Ronnie mooching around with his ‘mobile’ hooter, conjours up all kinds of strange pictures!!
I can’t believe that we have never visited this zoo before, but I am off to do some research right now.
I havent heard those before. I need to start remembering new words!
Somehow I don’t think I’ll ever look forward to a day of coppicing.
Somehow I ended up on Dec 21 and commented. Lol. Oh well, good words though. That’s some word for something as simple as chopping down trees.
Coppicing sounds like such a fun word – I would never have guessed it had such a mundane meaning!
Excellent new words this week!
I love your words…as big of a reader as I am, I have yet to run across these ever!
I have never come across “coppicing” before and I thought I knew a lot about trees.