Dictionary of Rare and Pretty Words

I-K

Ichor, (Archaic) discharge from a wound; the fluid that flows in the veins of Greek gods

Iconoclast, someone who attacks/opposes cherished beliefs; someone who destroys sacred items

Igneous, (Rare) fiery

Ignis fatuus, something deceptive

Ignoble, improper

Ignominious, humiliating

Illude, to trick

Imbrued, stain, typically of hands or a weapon

Immolate, sacrifice

Imp, a small demon

Impasse, stalemate

Impedimenta, equipment or belongings that are bulky and impede movement

Impetus, the force a object moves with

Imprecation, a verbal curse

In esse, tangible, in actual existence

In Flagrante delicto, red handed, in the act, typically of a sexual encounter

In medias res, in the middle of action

In perpetuity, forever

In posse, potentially

In situ, on site

Inamorata, a female who is someone's lover

Inasmuch, to the scale that

Inauspicious, likely to fail

Incarnadine, a bright red color; to make a bright red color

Inclement, cold/stormy, typically of weather

Incontinent, uncontrolled

Incubus, (Archaic) a nightmare

Inculcate, teach/install through repeated reminders/instruction

Indefatigable, unrelenting and tireless

Indignant, resentful

Indolent, lazy

Infelicities, (Archaic) unhappiness; a blunder

Inflorescence, how flowers are placed on a plant

Ingeminate, (Archaic) to repeat for emphasis

Ingle, a fireplace

Inhume, to bury

Inimical, harmful; hostile

Insalubrious, unhealthy, often of a place or climate

Insignia, a sign or mark that symbolizes or distinguishes something

Insipid, boring; tasteless

Insular, close minded and isolated

Intagliated, (Archaic) engraved

Intemperance, a lack of temperance

Intercalary, relating to an insertion, typically of days or months added to a year

Interlocutor, someone who partakes in a conversation

Intermundane, between planets, celestial bodies, or worlds

Interpolation, the insertion of one things into another

Intonation, the inflection of one's voice

Ipse dixit, an unproven assertion

Ipso-facto, as a result

Irate, enraged

Isthmus, a narrow piece of land that forms a bridge-like connection between two islands

Jaded, bored/dulled

Jalap, a type of purple flower

Jalousie, a blind made of slats

Janissary, a Turkish solider in past centuries; a faithful follower

Je ne sais quoi, a quality that one is unable to describe in words

Jeu d'esprit, jocular cleverness in literature

Jocosely, playfully

Jonquil, a type of daffodil; a rich yellow color

Jure divino, by divine right

Kingcraft, (Archaic) the art of being a monarch/king