My apologies for my absence from the blog. I’ve been working on the videos, typing on a couple of side manuscripts that I want to release, and writing on book five, so something had to give. Unfortunately the blog is what got neglected.

From now on for the vocabulary entries, I’m only going to offer ten new words each week because twenty just takes too much time to create. I’d rather deliver ten quality words a week than not get the entry completed. So without further ado, here are you Vocabulary Wednesday words for this week:

Badinage – (n) playful banter.  (v) to banter or tease with. [origin is from the French  word badin – to joke. First appeared in English in the the mid-1600’s] Usage: Having been friends for over 30 years, we have developed a badinage that is both predictable and comforting.

Baleful – (adj) menacing; pernicious; obsolete; wretched; miserable. [origin from Old English bealofull. First appeared about 1000 AD] Usage: His baleful stare caused the onlookers to back away slowly.

Bastinado – (n) punishment by beating the feet with a stick; the stick used. (v) to punish in this manner. [origin from the Spanish word bastonada. First appeared in English in the late 1500’s] Usage: The magistrate ordered bastinado for the five protestors to be carried out at sunrise.

Billet – (n) a sleeping spot for a sailor or soldier; an assignment/job; ticket/note; a stick of wood. (v) to assign a sleeping spot. [origin from Middle English bylet or billett. First appeared in English in the late 1300’s] Usage: After two days of non-stop drills, we collapsed on our billets and slept the sleep of the truly exhausted.

Blandish – (v) to coax by flattery or caresses. [origin from Middle English blandisshen. First appeared in English in the mid- to late-1300’s] Usage: This dance was one we had danced many times, her blandishing me with all the right words and me caving in as I knew I would.

Brassard – (n) a mourning band worn on the arm; a badge worn on the arm. [origin from the French word bras – arm. First appeared in English in the early-1800’s] Usage: As was custom in the village, the mourners donned their brassards before moving to the chapel for the receiving of friends and family.

Brigand – (n) a robber; a bandit. [origin is a variant of Middle English briga, Middle French brigand , and Old Italian brigante – companion, member of an armed company. First appeared in English in the mid-1300’s] Usage: The brigands rushed forward from their hiding places and attacked our company without warning.

Brocade – (n) a rich silken fabric with a raised pattern. (v) to weave with a raised design or figure [origin Spanish brocado and Italian broccato – embossed. First appeared in English in the mid-1500’s] Usage: The brocade table napkins were an elegant touch to the ceremony.

Bucolic – (adj) pastoral; rustic. (n) a poem dealing with simple country life. [origin from the Latin būcolicus and Greek boukolikós – rustic. First appeared in English in the mid-1500’s] Usage: With the clucks of chickens and the brays of donkeys, the farm was the ideal bucolic setting.

Burin – (n) an engraving tool for cutting furrows in metal. [origin from French and Italian burino -graving tool. First appeared in English in the mid-1600’s] Usage: The craftsman handled the burin deftly, developing a stylish pattern within minutes.