Welcome to the first Word Wednesday!
The first entry in my literary look book of great words is amaranthine. A little about my lovely friend (taken from the online Oxford English Dictionary, US English):
amaranth
Syllabification: am·a·ranth
- any plant of the genus Amaranthus, typically having small green, red, or purple tinted flowers. Certain varieties are grown for food.
- Family Amaranthaceae: several genera, especially Amaranthus
- an imaginary flower that never fades.
- a purple color.
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amaranthine
Pronunciation:/ˌaməˈranTHin, -ˌTHīn/
ADJECTIVE
How I came across this word
I honestly can’t remember exactly where I first read this word. In my early twenties I was writing a poem for a contest, and the word amaranthine was perfect. The line went, “We were in fear. Brother, why had you such faith, so unwearied, a hope so amaranthine?” Ever since then, the word has stuck in my mind as a favorite.
My sentence
She sighed, looking at the overwhelming choices of flowers and settled on some sort of orchid with three modest, almost shy, amaranthine buds.
Now leave your sentence in the combox below!
“With just the right amount of hard work, patience, and delight that made up their love, the old couple’s marriage refracted that amaranthine beauty that would never wilt or wither.”
Well done! Amaranthine love.