Rugosa (n): A species of hedge rose, of Asian origin, featuring single blooms, seven-lobed leaves and delicious hips.

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I was most unhappy to learn that SETI Institute has seen its Allen Telescope Array mothballed due to a lack of funding.

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Plane (n): A flat or two-dimensional surface.

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Occident (n): The part of the sky in which the sun sets.

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Supersonic (adj): The rate of travel of an object that exceeds the speed of sound – a speed known as Mach 1.

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Egghead (n): Slang expression referring to a person perceived to be brainy, studious or intellectual.

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Contrail (n): The vapour trail, made of condensed water, that is left in the sky by a jet aircraft; an abbreviation of the term 'condensation trail'.

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Immanence (adj): Contained within; inherent in; transcendent; the supernatural manifested.

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Necessarium (n): Euphemism for a public lavatory; makeshift, communal or portable toilet.

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Impediment (n): A delay, obstruction or hindrance; a thing in the way of progress.

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Functional (adj): Efficient; in working order; operational.

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Skein: A loose coil or knot of thread or wool; a tangle or confusion.

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Reverse (n): The rear or back of something; the opposite side or face from the one usually viewed.

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Anticipation (n): The act of looking forward to something; expectation of a coming event, often pleasurable.

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Gaia (proper noun): A philosophy that promotes the paramount importance of sustainable living.

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Pomaceous (adj): Relating to apples.

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Weather lore: Informal predictions made on the basis of observed phenomena – such as, for example, a red-tinged evening sky.

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Solitary bee: Several species that, rather than living in a communal hive, make individual nests in burrows or holes.

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Rover (proper noun): A sinister object that guarded the borders of The Village in cult 1960s TV series The Prisoner.

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Allotment (n): A plot of land, generally leased from a local authority or a society, for the purpose of non-commercial cultivation of fruit and vegetables on a larger scale than is usually possible in a garden.

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