Vocab from Ann Voskamp: Carapace

wondrous memeWelcome to Wondrous Words Wednesday, a meme for sharing new words learned while reading or just some old favorites.  Visit Kathy at Bermuda Onion for more vocabulary boosters!

I’ve been slowly savoring Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts this summer.  Voskamp’s poetic and profound writing continues to amaze me, and I must absorb it in small doses.  Here’s a great example:

Do I believe in a God who rouses Himself just now and then to spill a bit of benevolence on hemorrhaging humanity?  A God who breaks through the carapace of this orb only now and then…

carapace \’ker-ə-pās\ noun; from the Spanish carapacho; a bony case or shield covering the back of an animal (like a turtle or crab); a protective, decorative or disguising shell (a carapace of silence around herself)

I’m guessing Mrs. Voskamp was using the second meaning.

1000 giftsWord Nerd Workout

Can you think of a synonym for carapace?  Everything that comes to my mind isn’t nearly as poetic, e.g. “shield”.

Thanks for getting nerdy with me today!

Julia 

Tweetable: Word nerd word from @Ann Voskamp & #OneThousandGifts : carapace = a protective shell. 

 

Julia Tomiak
I believe in the power of words to improve our lives, and I help people find interesting words to read. Member of SCBWI.

3 Comments

  1. I can break through my son’s carapace if I feed him and give a back scratch 🙂 Ann Voskamp’s writing is amazing, insightful, and so poetic. Thanks for the word!

  2. You know I’ve tried reading this book myself and have seriously struggled to follow her incredibly poetic style. I do recall this section & thinking “what on earth is carapace?!” I appreciate you taking the time to look it up when I was too lazy to do it myself! Certainly makes more of an impact when you understand the meaning of each word written!

    1. The style does take awhile to get used to… but once you catch the rhythm of it, her beautiful message sinks in. Her words have had a profound impact on how I think about my life these days. I encourage you to keep trying. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.