Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Wondrous Words Wednesday-April 21


Bermudaonion asks you to share new words that you have learned during your reading adventures in the last week. Feel free to join in the fun!

Here is a new word that I learned last week while reading Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani:

I'm going to list a few definitions for this word because I'm not sure which one it actually is...maybe you can help me!
Courant:  Represented as running.
A piece of music in triple time; also, a lively dance; a coranto.
A circulating gazette of news; a newspaper.
Here is how courant was used on page 218:
June looks at the drawing and nods.  "That man was ahead of his time.  The wide straps, the button details.  Look at the heel.  Wide at the base, into a spindle at the tip.  Completely courant and the man has been dead ten years."

I wonder if the word is actually using a combination of all these definitions?  What do you think?

7 comments:

bermudaonion said...
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bermudaonion said...

In French, courant means current, and that's what I took it to mean when I read it. I'm not sure that's right, though. Thanks for participating!

Julie P said...

Hmmmm, you're right--it really could be a few of the definitions. I really hate to read a book where I have to look up the definition though!

Margot said...

In reading the passage it feels more like she is saying "up-to-date" which would not fit any of the definitions. I'm going with Kathy's idea of current.

Jo-Jo said...

Thanks Kathy...I'm betting you're right! I do not know french at all so this did not even occur to me.

The Bumbles said...

Yeah - my instinct was that it was a typo and was intended to be "current" - or Bermudaonion's French translation with the same result.

Alyce said...

I was thinking typo too, but it's nice to see that it's actually spelled that way in French.