Ichor
I've always pictured ichor as the slightly venomous saliva that drips from the fangs of creatures like Orcs, Goblins, Ogres and so forth, but it actually has a broader scope than that.
Still, any word that gives me an excuse to use an image from The Lord of the Rings is pretty dope.
i·chor [ˈī-ˌkȯr, -kər] n. 1. Greek Mythology The rarefied fluid said to run in the veins of the gods
2. Pathology A watery, acrid discharge from a wound or ulcer
Synonyms: (there are, of course, none for the primary definition) sanies, suppuration, festering, purulence, pus
Etymology: 1630s, from Gk. ikhor, of unknown origin, possibly from a non-I.E. language. The fluid that serves for blood in the veins of the gods. Related: Ichorous.
65 comments:
OK, not one of my favorite words. Rather icky.
Nice word! It's fun to say. :)
interesting word
I now must use this in daily conversation. Thank you!
I've learnt a new word today, Thank you.
Yvonne.
Very icky, but a great word.
I feel like if I were to use this word then I would be pretentious lol. Then again maybe it's my black glasses that give off that vibe;)
Such an interesting word.
Kind of disgusting when combined with the picture.
Another great word, Matthew!
"Acrid discharge from a wound or ulcer." Ewww! Great word, yo! I'm learning so much. :)
I'm going to have a tough time trying to work this one into a sentence today...
Gross. I like it!
Sounds like a great villain name.
and Circe turned men into swine
Ah, LOTR! That's exactly what I would have pictured when thinking of this word. Putrid or maybe FETID smelling.
I'm sure it doesn't shock you to know that I knew that was the Mouth of Sauron just by the tiny image in my phone's version of Google Reader.
I'm totally distracted by the image. I'm glad it's morning and I'm not getting ready to go to bed, which I wouldn't be after seeing that thorny-headed, bloody-toothed, creepy critter. The word definitely fits!
Loved the synonyms. *Shudder, shake!*
Fantastic word. Also: purulence. I love words that sound as disgusting as the thing they're describing.
It's just plain icky! Icky Ichor... that would make for an interesting character.
Blech! That's kind of gross! Good thing I haven't eaten breakfast yet. And who knew there was a word for all that? Well, you obviously, duh. Man, I wouldn't stand a chance against you at Words With Friends!
I have used Ichor before in my writing. It's such a great word. It seems to work really well with dragons, imop, for some reason
That's enough to spoil the appetite, Matt! It probably applies to aliens with drooling mouths, too. (I didn't know that ichor was the blood of the mythological gods - so I've learned something.)
I'm assuming we don't want that stuff to touch us. . .
Thanks for the visit to my blog!
Oh man, so creepy.
I love the word dope. Keep using it.
Also, this A to Z blogging thing seems really hard. I would probably only manage 2 or 3 of the letters.
And you did find a cool image.
Sorry, somehow I think I missed your post yesterday. Don't know what happened.
Disgusting to think of, but awesome for certain scenes, especially in fantasy or paranormal novels.
I want some of this fluid please thank you! I'm pretty rarefied!
Ahem! take care
x
The MOUTH OF SAURON!!!!
Now I have to figure out how to use it in a sentence! Very unusual "I". Julie
Ay-ay-ay! Scarry I post!
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Wow. One and two are pretty divergent.
Gross but so cool!
This is such a fun, uncomfortable, icky word! Totally underutilized. :)
That's one awful being. I wouldn't want to run into an Ichor!
This is the something new I've learned today. The word ichor for me has monstrous connotations.
Ohmigoodness. Today is the day I am learning new and fascinatingly relevant to my life words! :~)
You rock... anyone who loves words this much is my kind of person!
Julie Jordan Scott
Fellow A to Z Challenge Writer
twitter: @juliejordanscot
I is for Ina Coolbrith
On a Mission to Spread Word-Love Throughout the World
Odd that it can refer to the blood of the gods - or to the discharge from an ulcer. I mean, that's really weird to me.
Oh yuk, Matthew! I missed yesterday's post, rats! I can fit haberdasher into my WIP much easier than ichor...but I'll try....
Yuck! But a wonderful word! Thanks!
Okay, Matt, that image is freaking me out. Do not like!!!
Great word choice, though! =)
wonderful vivid word!
That's what Anne McCaffrey called the blood equivalent that came out of the wings of injured dragons in her Dragonriders of Pern series.
Ick. Not a word I ever use. I don't even like to think about it. :)
Definitely going to try and work this word into my daily conversations this week.
Now that is an icky word...venomous saliva that drips from the fangs? Oh dear! ;)
That is so creepy! I do love it though. :)
EEEEEEWWWWWWWWWW! and a big old YUCKY, too!...:)JP
It seems I missed a lot of words because I read books in Eglish since 2007.
Before I read tons of books in German.
And Lord of the Rings belong o the books I read in German only.
Anyway I learned a new word today.
I learned something new today. I'll picture it as the blood of the gods. lol
Blood of the gods. Awesome!
Good word! Anne McCaffrey used it too - for the liquid in the wings of dragons - dripped/poured when they were injured. (IF my memory serves me correctly!) :)
I love this word so much, but I've never been able to put my finger on why.
Acrid discharge. So...real after the blood of the gods def.
Didn't know this one, and I'm even a nurse.
Not a fave word, but it does sound nice. :)
Elixir of healing, yes, with a bottomless bag full of goodies, and, of course, the ubiquitous 50' rope
We always had two items: a knife, and a 50' rope.
Not much you can't do with those two things. Ever read Tarzan? He killed lions with as little.
But a little elixir would never have hurt.
- Eric
ick.
This word was much needed for me. I've been doing some idea bouncing in my head, a shiney idea involving gods, deaths and other factors. I think you've just given me one of the final things I need. Thank you so much!!!!!
Eeeeeew...but interesting. I do sort of like that word, too.
Shannon at The Warrior Muse, co-host of the 2012 #atozchallenge! Twitter: @AprilA2Z
Yikes!... Follow me at www.selimyeniceri.blogspot.com bro.
The first definition is awesome, the second, ah, not so much :-)
Gotta love the Mouth of Sauron.
Perfect for the letter of the day!!!
Strange mix of definitions. You'd think the blood of the gods would have healing properties or something. I wonder how it turned to something negative?
I never thought of orc drool as poisonous. Yet another reason not to French kiss an orc!
Ooo, excellent choice! Great choice of photo too, the Mouth of Sauron is creepy.
Jamie
Fellow A-Z Buddy
Doing a monumental blog catch-up
Mithril Wisdom
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