Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Wednesday Word: Turbid

turbid |ˈtərbid|adjective(of a liquid) cloudy, opaque, or thick with suspended matter the turbid estuary figurative a turbid piece of cinéma vérité.DERIVATIVESturbidity |tərˈbiditē| nounturbidly adverbturbidness nounORIGIN late Middle English (in the figurative sense): from Latin turbidus, from turba ‘a crowd, a disturbance.’USAGE Is it turbid or turgid Turbid is used of a liquid or color to mean 'muddy, not clear': turbidwater. Turgid means 'swollen, inflated, enlarged': :turgid veins. Both turbid and turgid can also be used to describe language or literary style: as such, turbidmeans 'confused, muddled' ( the turbid utterances of Carlyle), and turgid means 'pompous, bombastic' ( turgid and pretentious essay).
I so want to use both these words in an intentional piece of purple prose. How does turbid skies sound? How about turgid clouds?

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