There are a handful of words in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road that I didn’t (or should I say didnt) know. And I suspected that some of them are made up by McCarthy. So, I searched a few ways for these words: in definr, dictionary.com, google, and wikipedia.

“He descended into a gryke in the stone…” (p11)

It’s an obscure geological term.

Found through google: reverso

gryke: n  a variant spelling of  grike

grike: n a solution fissure, a vertical crack about 0.5 m wide formed by the dissolving of limestone by water, that divides an exposed limestone surface into sections or clints

“Her nipples pipeclayed and her rib bones painted white.” (p18)

This one is pretty darn obscure, as well.

definr:

pipeclay (http://definr.com/pipeclay)

n : fine white clay used in making tobacco pipes and pottery and
in whitening leather [syn: terra alba]

dictionary.com:

Pipeclay
Pipe”clay`\, v. t. 1. To whiten or clean with pipe clay, as a soldier’s accouterments.

2. To clear off; as, to pipeclay accounts. [Slang, Eng.]

“China in a breakfront, cups hanging from their hooks.” (p21)

Apparently this really is a piece of furniture.

dictionary.com:

breakfront
adjective
1. (of a cabinet, bookcase, etc.) having a central section extending forward from those at either side.
noun
2. a cabinet or the like having such a front.
Origin:
1925-30; break + front

“…squatted and laved up the dark water.” (p38 plus p122, p147)

So, McCarthy decided to use the “obsolete” use of this word a bunch of times:

dictionary.com:

lave
verb, laved, laving.
verb (used with object)
1. to wash; bathe.
2. (of a river, sea, etc.) to flow along, against, or past; wash.
3. Obsolete. to ladle; pour or dip with a ladle.
verb (used without object)
4. Archaic. to bathe.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME laven, partly < OF laver < L lavāre to wash; partly repr. OE lafian to pour water on, wash, itself perh. < L lavāre

wikipedia returned the entry for “washing” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laved)

“…the river was choked with great windrows of black limbs…”; “Piled in a windrow in one corner of the roomwas a great heap of clothing.” (p44, p107)

I guess this one works. It’s a stretch but that doesnt bother me. It’s called poetic license, isnt it?

dictionary.com:

windrow
noun
1. a row or line of hay raked together to dry before being raked into heaps.
2. any similar row, as of sheaves of grain, made for the purpose of drying.
3. a row of dry leaves, dust, etc., swept together by the wind.
verb (used with object)
4. to arrange in a windrow.
Origin:
1515–25; wind 1 + row 1

click “read more” to read more.

“Sited there in the darkness the frail blue shape of it looked…” (p48)

This is obviously the verb form.

dictionary.com:

site
noun, verb, sitâ‹…ed, sitâ‹…ing.
–noun
1.     the position or location of a town, building, etc., esp. as to its environment: the site of our summer cabin.
2.     the area or exact plot of ground on which anything is, has been, or is to be located: the site of ancient Troy.
3.     Computers. Web site.
–verb (used with object)
4.     to place in or provide with a site; locate.
5.     to put in position for operation, as artillery: to site a cannon.

“…where he was used to stropping the blade of his knife.” (p63)

dictionary.com:

strop
noun, verb, stropped, stropâ‹…ping.
–noun
1.     any of several devices for sharpening razors, esp. a strip of leather or other flexible material.
2.     Also, strap. Nautical, Machinery.
a.     a rope or a band of metal surrounding and supporting a block, deadeye, etc.
b.     a metal band surrounding the pulley of a block to transmit the load on the pulley to its hook or shackle.
c.     a rope sling, as for handling cargo.
d.     a ring or grommet of rope.
–verb (used with object)
3.     to sharpen on or as if on a strop.

“He was lean, wiry, rachitic” (p63)

definr:

rachitic (http://definr.com/rachitic)
adj : of or relating to or resulting from rickets

dictionary.com:

rachitic
adjective
affected with, suffering from, or characteristic of rickets; “rickety limbs and joints”; “a rachitic patient” [syn: rickety]

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

 wikipedia turned up Osteomalacia

“…and cut a perimeter around their siwash camp…”  (p68)

This one seems to have some controversy to it. It can be a derogatory term for ‘natives.’

dictionary.com:

siâ‹…wash
Pacific Northwest, Northwest Canada, and Alaska.
–noun
1.     (sometimes initial capital letter) Disparaging and Offensive. a North American Indian.
–verb (used without object)
2.     to camp out without a tent or supplies.
Origin:
1830–40; < Chinook Jargon < North American F sauvage Indian, F: wild, savage

in wikipedia: Chinook Jargon use by English-language speakers

“The new snow lay in skifts all through the woods…” (p76)

I couldnt find a definition for this one.  Score one for me!

“The sacred idiom shorn of its referents and so of its reality.” (p89)

dictionary.com:

ref·er·ent      (rÄ›f’É™r-É™nt, rÄ­-fûr’É™nt)
n.   A person or thing to which a linguistic expression refers.

“…the crude tattoos etched in some homebrewed woad faded in the beggared sunlight.” (p90)

definr:

woad (http://definr.com/woad)
n 1: a blue dyestuff obtained from the woad plant
2: any of several herbs of the genus Isatis

 dictionary.com:

woad   /woʊd/
–noun
1.     a European plant, Isatis tinctoria, of the mustard family, formerly cultivated for a blue dye extracted from its leaves.
2.     the dye extracted from this plant.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME wode, OE wād (c. G Waid); akin to F guède, ML waizda < Gmc

wikipedia returned Isatis tinctoria

“…the crude tattoos etched in some homebrewed woad faded in the beggared sunlight.” (p90)

I’m not sure this one works for the definition I found. What do you think?

dictionary.com:

beg·gar      (bÄ›g’É™r)
tr.v.   beg·gared, beg·gar·ing, beg·gars
1. To make a beggar of; impoverish.
2. To exceed the limits, resources, or capabilities of: beauty that beggars description.

And there are some that I didn’t know but I suspected they were real words, just that I didn’t know them:

“She sat there smoking a slender length of dried grapevine as if it were some rare cheroot.” (p56)

dictionary.com:

che⋅root  /ʃəˈrut/ [shuh-root]
–noun
a cigar having open, untapered ends.
Also, sheroot.
Origin:
1660–70; < Tamil curuṭṭu roll (of tobacco)

 wikipedia sez: cheroot is also a stogie

“He walked…through a stile and out to where the boy was waiting.” (p91)

This makes sense to me. Maybe it’s a turnstile that doesn’t turn.

dictionary.com:

 stile  /staɪl/ [stahyl]
–noun
1.     a series of steps or rungs by means of which a person may pass over a wall or fence that remains a barrier to sheep or cattle.
2.     a turnstile.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE stigel, deriv. of stīgan to climb, c. G steigen

 Actually, wikipedia’s is best because there are pictures: Stile

“…and lastly a supplimentary consort of catamites illclothed against the cold and fitted in dogcollars and yoked each to each.” (p92)

This one is not pleasant, but there aren’t too many things in The Road that are. Again, wikipedia comes through with the best one for description and because it mentions The Road:

A catamite is the younger partner in a pederastic relationship between two males, which was a popular arrangement in many areas of the ancient world.

Kings and Emperors in the ancient world (depending on their sexual orientation) had not only concubines but also catamites (male concubines), in addition to their many wives.

The word is also used to describe the practice in early Japan, where monks would have sexual relationships with younger monks; samurai with pages; and noblemen with younger members of the aristocracy.

The word catamite is derived from the Latin catamitus, itself borrowed from the Etruscan catmite, a corruption of the Greek Ganymedes, the boy who was seduced by Zeus and became his beloved and cup-bearer in Greek mythology.

“The plaster ceiling was bellied in gread swags and the yellowed dentil molding was bowed and sprung…” (p107)

Okay, wikipedia is turning out to be the best source becuase it has pictures that help. Dentil

“…a small tooth-shaped block used as a repeating ornament…”

“…set the jars carefully in the duff and picked up the pistol…” (p124)

This one on dictionary.com seems to be the one McCarthy was intending:

duff /dÊŒf/ [duhf]
–noun
1.     organic matter in various stages of decomposition on the floor of the forest.
2.     fine, dry coal, esp. anthracite.

“…through the paint could be seen a pale palimpsest of advertisements…” (p129)

Man, these are good words. dictionary.com:

pal·imp·sest      (pāl’Ä­mp-sÄ›st’)
n.
1. A manuscript, typically of papyrus or parchment, that has been written on more than once, with the earlier writing incompletely erased and often legible.
2. An object, place, or area that reflects its history: “Spaniards in the sixteenth century . . . saw an ocean moving south . . . through a palimpsest of bayous and distributary streams in forested paludal basins” (John McPhee).

And wikipedia has pictures: Palimpsest

“The cold relentless circling of the intestate earth.” (p130)

I like this particular usage!

dictionary.com:

in⋅tes⋅tate   /ɪnˈtɛsteɪt, -tɪt/ [in-tes-teyt, -tit]
–adjective
1.     (of a person) not having made a will: to die intestate.
2.     (of things) not disposed of by will: Her property remains intestate.
–noun
3.     a person who dies intestate.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L intestātus, equiv. to in- in- 3 + testātus testate

“…he found a double handful of gold krugerrands in a cloth sack.” (p142)

This is an interesting choice for McCarthy to have used.

dictionary.com:

Kru·ger·rand      (krōō’gÉ™-rānd’, -ränd’)
n.   A one-ounce gold coin of the Republic of South Africa.
[Afrikaans : after Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger + rand, rand; see rand.] 

(photo from wikipedia)

And then ones that I know are word, just that I didn’t know the definition:

macadam (all over the place)

Wikiawesome tells us about macadam:

Macadam is a type of road construction pioneered by the Scotsman John Loudon McAdam in around 1820. The method simplified what had been considered state-of-the-art at that point.

piedmont (I forgot to mark the page)

dictionary.com:

Pied⋅mont /ˈpidmɒnt/ [peed-mont]
–noun
1.     a plateau between the coastal plain and the Appalachian Mountains, including parts of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.
2.     Italian, Piemonte. a region in NW Italy. 4,540,822; 11,335 sq. mi. (29,360 sq. km).
3.     a city in W California, near Oakland. 10,498.
4.     (lowercase) a district lying along or near the foot of a mountain range.
–adjective
5.     (lowercase) lying along or near the foot of a mountain range.
Origin:
< It Piemonte lit., foothill

“Darkness implacable.” (p130)

dictionary.com:

im⋅plac⋅a⋅ble  /ɪmˈplækəbəl, -ˈpleɪkə-/ [im-plak-uh-buhl, -pley-kuh-]
–adjective
not to be appeased, mollified, or pacified; inexorable: an implacable enemy.

I did this on my second reading of the book but I haven’t finished yet, so, more to come.

As it turns out, there is only one word that I couldn’t find the definition for, “skifts.” I suspect is has some real meaning though. It may just be more obscure.

Other interesting things that McCarthy does in the book is to create a lot a new (to me) compound words. It is one of the English Language’s idiosyncrasies that some compound words exist like fireplace and foothills but these, that McCarthy uses are not (yet?) compound words:

• diningroom (p26)
• foldingtable (p26)
• coalgrate (p26)
• firebrick (p26)
• cornershaped (p51)

And this gem: “Shriveled and drawn like latterday bogfolk…” (p24)

Moreover, who could miss the “selective contractions” in this novel? Seemingly, all the contractions involving “not” (the n’t ones) are written without the use of the apostrophe but the ones involving “would,” “will,” and “are” (the ‘d, ‘ll, and ‘re ones) and “is” (the ‘s ones) do use the apostrophe.

Didnt, wont, cant, couldnt. And it looks like aint makes it into the “not” crowd.

They’ll, they’d, he’d, it’d,  I’ll, that’s, we’re.

And apparently let us, let’s gets the apostrophe treatment.

This is the first McCarthy book I’ve read. I’ll probably read the others now.