Reading by Candlelight

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, this is Kara.

Yeah.

I’m calling from Kittery Point, Maine.

Well, Kara, what are you thinking about there in Kittery?

Well, I have a question for you that it’s something that I’ve wondered for a long time now.

When I was, I don’t know, maybe 14 years old, I at night would read a little bit of the dictionary.

Oh, you’re one of us.

When I was lying in bed.

No, I was just thinking, you’re one of those.

No, she’s one of us.

I don’t think that was really typical behavior of me as a teenager, but I did at least have a phase or a period of time where I did that most nights.

Oh, just a phase.

And I remember finding a word that meant to read by candlelight.

And I feel like it actually said to read late into the night by candlelight, but I think I might have added that part.

And now it’s been so long that it crosses my mind now and then.

But I almost feel like, did I make that up?

Because I don’t remember the word.

I just remember the definition.

And you did it.

So can you help me?

Yes.

I think we can.

This is like a movie, isn’t it?

Yes, there is such a word.

I didn’t make it up.

No, you didn’t make it up.

How about this word?

See if this word rings a bell.

Lucubrate, L-U-C-U-B-R-A-T-E.

Well, that would make sense because I probably would not have remembered that word.

Really? Yeah.

I mean, that’s kind of an unusual word.

Yeah, I’ve never heard anyone use it, actually.

But you know what? The thing is, I was reading the dictionary late at night one time, too, when I was a teenager and came across that word.

You’re kidding.

No, no.

How many people are out there that this is a teenager?

Two.

And found that word.

And that is what it means to read by candlelight?

Yeah, it comes from the Latin lucubrare, which means to work at night by candlelight.

And the L-U-C in there is related to a lot of words involving light, like lucid and elucidate.

And lucubrate originally meant to work by candlelight.

And it came over time to me sort of right in a scholarly fashion.

And it’s also sort of over time it took on sort of a joking sense, too, of being a little two-two in your writing, just overworked writing, writing that’s so overworked that you stayed up all night writing it.

Yeah, the word lucrogration itself could be called what’s known as an inkhorn term, which means it’s a word used by people to show off their intellectual abilities.

Right. People like you and me, Kara.

If I didn’t like words as much, I could have just let it go a long time ago.

But it stuck with me, so I’m so glad to finally know what that was.

And I have to write it down as soon as I get off the phone, or I might forget again.

Good idea.

Lucubrate, L-U-C-U-B-R-A-T-E, Lucubrate.

Thank you.

All right, Kara.

Happy reading.

All right, thanks.

Bye-bye.

Thanks for calling.

Well, if you’ve been lucubrating and come across a term that you’re not sure about, give us a call. The number is 1-877-929-9673 or email us.

That address, words@waywordradio.org.