The Giant winced as Lord Hyrim uttered the Words of power. But then he laughed again. "Hah! Little Lord! Is that the limit of your lore? Can you come no closer than that to the Seven Words? You pronounce them badly."
-- The Illearth War

      Being an avid reader I've managed to build up a respectable vocabulary and it's not often I read a book with more than a handful words I don't understand ... not so with the Chronicles. Donaldson peppers his story with obscure words that send me running to the nearest dictionary -- and not a pocket dictionary either, I'm talking about one of those 25 pound monsters. Or www.dictionary.com in a pinch.

The following passage from The One Tree is a good illustration of Donaldson's profligate employment of arcane nomenclature getting a little out of control.

And these were only the nearest entrancements. Other sights abounded: grand statues of water; a pool with its surface woven like an arras; shrubs which flowed through a myriad elegant forms; catenulate sequences of marble, draped from nowhere to nowhere; animals that leaped into the air as birds and drifted down again as snow; swept-wing shapes of malachite flying in gracile curves; sunflowers the size of Giants, with imbricated ophite petals. And everywhere rang the music of bells -- cymbals in carillon, chimes wefted into tapestries of tinkling, tones scattered on all sides -- the metal-and-crystal language of Elemesnedene.

      Some folks have commented that the use of so many archaic words detracts from the reading experience. I personally enjoy the expansion of horizons that encountering inscrutable terminology brings, even though I can't recall ever having seen an ophite petal, imbricated or otherwise. My favorite Donaldson-ian term is roynish, used to describe the ur-viles and possibly also the Waynhim, Demondim and Viles. I've never seen it used anywhere else in my life. Here's just a smattering of other interesting terms, mostly from The Wounded Land:

condign fitting or appropriate and deserved; used especially of punishment
inanition Exhaustion, as from lack of nourishment or vitality
febrile Of, relating to, or characterized by fever
carious affected with cavities or decay
guerdon to reward; to be a recompense for
preterite Belonging wholly to the past; passed by
mordant Bitingly sarcastic
assoil To loosen, divide, cut apart
telic Denoting the final end or purpose; directed or tending toward a goal or purpose
sendaline silk cloth
caducity The frailty of old age; senility
cymar A woman's long dress or robe; also light covering; a scarf
crepitation A grating or crackling sensation or sound, as that produced by rubbing two fragments of a broken bone together
gelid Very cold; icy
cynosure Anything to which attention is strongly turned; a center of attraction
devoir An act or expression of respect or courtesy; duty
coquelicot The color of the wild poppy; a color nearly red, like orange mixed with scarlet
eglantine Eurasian rose with prickly stems and fragrant leaves and bright pink flowers followed by scarlet hips
tabid Affected by progressive bodily wasting or emaciation
malison Malediction; curse; execration
chrysoprase An apple-green chalcedony used as a gemstone
knaggy notty; rough; figuratively, rough in temper
etiolated To make weak by stunting the growth or development of
hieratic highly stylized or formal; also, associated with the priesthood or priests
vigas one of the heavy rafters and especially a log supporting the roof
carcanet A jeweled necklace, collar, or headband
nystagmus A rapid, involuntary, oscillatory motion of the eyeball
chrism a consecrated mixture of oil and balsam
chatoyant Having a changeable luster; A chatoyant stone or gemstone, such as the cat's-eye
intaglio A figure or design carved into or beneath the surface of hard metal or stone
catafalque A decorated platform or framework on which a coffin rests in state during a funeral
travertine A white concretionary form of calcium carbonate, usually hard and semicrystalline. It is deposited from the water of springs or streams holding lime in solution
chasuble A hooded garment; a long, sleeveless vestment worn over the alb by a priest during services
orisons prayers
mendacity A falsehood; a lie
formication to creep like an ant, to feel as if ants were crawling on one's self
sabulous Gritty; sandy
leal Faithful; loyal; true
coign An exterior angle of a wall or other piece of masonry
scoria The refuse of a smelted metal or ore; slag
stridulation To produce a shrill grating, chirping, or hissing sound by rubbing body parts together, as certain insects do
asseveration To declare seriously or positively; affirm


One particularly good use of the language is the variety of terms Donaldson employs in describing the Land's arch-enemy. Just about every race of free people develops its own distinct name, each of which makes sense from the perspective of that race:


Am I missing any?