Vocab from Orphan Train: Pusillanimous

My book club is reading Orphan Train this month, and it’s a great novel for discussion. It also has a few words I had to look up, including pusillanimous. Whew, that’s a mouth full, isn’t it? I’ll include a pronunciation guide. 😉

wondrous memeIf you like learning new words, join the Wondrous Words Wednesday meme, where bloggers share interesting words or new words they’ve learned from their reading.

Here’s the quote from Orphan Train:

Ralph hovers, uncertain. As always. She knows he’s caught between her and Dina, and utterly unequipped to handle either one of them. She almost feels sorry for him, the pusillanimous wretch.

Pusillanimous \pyü-sǝ-lǝ-’la-nə-məs\ adjective from Latin pusillus very small (diminutive of pusus boy) + animus spirit

  • lacking courage and resolution : marked by contemptible timidity

from Merriam-Webster

Word Nerd Workout

Can you think a synonym for pusillanimous or share a pusillanimous character from movies or fiction? I suggest the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz.

Photo credit: Insomnia Cured Here via Flickr CC-BY-SA
Photo credit: Insomnia Cured Here via Flickr CC-BY-SA

Thanks for getting nerdy with me today!

Julia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

10 Comments

  1. I’m with Kathy on this one; I’d have to use a synonym because I don’t think I could pronounce this one. Taking a cue from Margot, ‘chicken’ sounds like a good choice.

    My book club read Orphan Train and loved it. Hope yours does, too!

  2. I would definitely have to use a synonym because I don’t think I could pronounce that word without stumbling. How about craven?

    The first character hat popped into my head was Piglet from Winnie-the-Pooh but I’m not sure he really fits.

    1. Piglet is quite timid, but pusillanimous conveys a sense of the pathetic, so I agree, I’m not sure about the fit. But a good try, I think. Craven is a good synonym.

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