Romanticism (n): An artistic, literary and intellectual movement that arose as a response to Enlightenment rationalism and that sought to stress the links between emotion and aestheticism.

[Read more →]

Wax (v): To become fuller, to increase in size or strength.

[Read more →]

Murti (noun, Sanskrit): A representation used to embody the divine in Hindu and some Buddhist worship.

[Read more →]

Impressionism (n): A French art movement from the late 19th century characterised by an emphasis on outdoor painting, everyday subjects and colour theory.

[Read more →]

Revenant (n): An apparition or ghostly spirit.

[Read more →]

Alleviate (v): To reduce the severity of a problem; to ease; to bring relief.

[Read more →]

William: A boy's name traceable to old Germanic and Norman French roots, meaning 'helm' or 'protector'. It has been the name of four English kings.

[Read more →]

Ochreous: One of the few synonyms for orange.

[Read more →]

Dusk: The point when darkness falls. It follows sunset by some minutes, typically occurring when the sun is several degrees below the horizon. The intervening period is known as l'heure bleue.

[Read more →]

Gongoozle (v): To observe canal life, especially the operation of locks, from the bank in a leisurely fashion. A gongoozler is a person engaging in this activity.

[Read more →]

Refreshing (adj): revitalising, stimulating; giving new vigour or impetus; an antidote to the staid or boring.

[Read more →]

Sextant (n): An instrument that, by measuring the angle between two visible objects, allowed sailors to plot their whereabouts on nautical charts.

[Read more →]

Giverny (proper noun): a village in northern France immortalised by the painter Claude Monet.

[Read more →]

Transport Heavy (proper noun): Typeface used on UK road signs.

[Read more →]

Iris pseudacorus: Latin name for the yellow flag iris, here growing in the wild in a riverbed.

[Read more →]

Anas platyrhynchos: Latin name for the wild duck, or mallard, one of the UK's most common duck species.

[Read more →]

Pisum sativum: Latin name for the garden pea.

[Read more →]

Orienteering (n): An activity that requires competitors to navigate round a point-to-point course in the fastest possible time.

[Read more →]

Hellenic (adj): Related to Greek language and archaeology, especially from the 5th and 4th centuries BCE.

[Read more →]

Spectrum (n): The band of colours produced when white light is separated into its constituent wavelengths; a continuum.

[Read more →]