Fans of obscure words might be interested in this.

In my review of F Rolfe’s Hadrian 7^th (1904) I mentioned Rolfe’s predilection for using arcane language. I made a note of just a small selection as examples – see if you recognise any:

• koprolalian
• cardinalitial
• matutinal
• acolyth
• prooimion
• Sbdiaconate
• yearnest
• exoletes
• dicaculous
• dilacerated
• pachydermatosity
• juvence
• exsequies
• intagliate
• curule
• rascalt
• fulguration

How did you do? Obviously this exercise is made more difficult by the absence of context, and in any novel about the papacy you would expect a few obscure terms about the Roman Catholic liturgy and rituals. But Rolfe goes completely overboard, rooting out obscure 16^th century terms, often adapting them into a form not normally found (so koprolalian would normally be rendered with a c not a k, meaning the obsessive use of scatological language). Others he more simply invents from their Latin and Greek roots – prooimion for example, with which he opens his novel.

The message is clear – Rolfe is more intelligent than the reader, whom he holds in contempt. If my earlier review hadn’t made the point clearly enough, unless you love weird obscure words – DON’T READ IT!! I do so you don’t have to.