Site Glossary: K to O

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F to J

P to T

U to Z

Kirk-garth: / noun; A Scottish term for a churchyard.
Laity: / noun; Non-clergy members of a religious faith.
Languid: / adjective; Slow-moving or fatigued.
Languor: / noun; A state of pronounced fatigue.
Lassitude: / noun; A state of pronounced fatigue.
Lattice: / noun; A structure of crossed strips that forms a series of diamond-shaped gaps.
Laudanum: / noun; An opium tincture.
Lay: / adjective; Non-clergy members of a religious faith.
Ledger stone: / noun; A flat slab that covers a grave.
Lithe: / adjective; A body that is slender and graceful, or movements of a similar attitude.
Lividity: / noun; The settling of blood in a corpse after death, leaving purplish discolouration.
Low-Latency: / adjective; Software that responds swiftly to user inputs. A website that loads quickly can be classed as Low Latency.
Lurid: / adjective; Vivid in a shocking or unpleasant manner.
Lych-gate: / noun; A British term for a roofed gateway to a churchyard.
Lycanthropy: / noun; The state of being a werewolf.
Lyceum: / noun; A hall for public lectures or concerts or a literary institution.
Maelstrom: / noun; A powerful whirlpool or a situation of confused movement.
Maiden strewnments: / noun (plural); Funeral tributes made for deceased virgins, held by the mourners for scattering over the bier.
Malarial: / adjective; Relating to malaria.
Malefic: / adjective; An archaic version of malevolent.
Memoranda: / noun (plural); Plural of memorandum.
Memorandum: / noun; A note intended for future reference.
Mesmeric: / adjective; Relating to hypnotism or a hypnotic quality.
Mews: / noun (plural); A row of stables, or houses converted from stables.
Miasma: / noun; A foul smell, rumoured to bring disease.
Milch: / noun (German/Old English); The German word for milk and an Old English word for a dairy cow.
Missal: / noun; A book containing the prayers and rites for celebrating Mass.
Moors: / noun (plural); Open, uncultivated land, frequently desolate or atmospheric.
Mouldering: / verb (present participle); To slowly decay.
Monomaniac: / noun; A person obsessed with one idea or subject.
Morningstar: / noun; A medieval European club weapon ending in a spiked ball; when the ball is attached by a chain, it becomes a flail.
Mortsafe: / noun; A device or structure designed to prevent grave robbing.
Mourning Ring: / noun; A ring worn to commemorate someone who has died.
Myrmecophilous: / adjective; Relating to ants.
Narcotic: / noun / adjective; A drug that dulls the senses and induces sleep.
Negro: / noun (archaic slur); An archaic slur for a Black person, commonly a man. The female equivalent is "Negress".
Nosferatu: / noun (Romanian/Slavic); Romanian/Slavic term for vampire or undead creature.
Novitiate: / noun; The period of being a novice, especially in a religious order.
Obelisk: / noun; A tapered stone pillar with a pointed top.
Obsequies: / noun (plural); Funeral rites.
Obstinate: / adjective; Stubbornly refusing to alter an opinion or action, regardless of results.
Offish: / adjective; An aloof disposition.
Ordnance Survey: / proper noun; The national mapping agency of Great Britain.
Ouroboros: / noun; A serpent or dragon eating its own tail, symbolising immortality.