Emily Dickinson Lexicon

architect, n. [Fr. or It. < L. < Gk 'chief builder', 'master craftsman'.]

Builder; designer; framer; originator; author of the blueprints for a home; [fig.] God; the Creator.

archly, adv. [Gk 'chief'.]

Mischievously; cleverly; brightly; astutely; shrewdly; mysteriously; [word play on “arc” or “arch”] circuitously; indirectly; in a roundabout manner.

archness, n. [Gk 'chief'.]

Cunning; mischievousness; cleverness; teasing; good-humored slyness; [fig.] riddle; puzzle; enigma; mystery; (see Longfellow's Courtship of Miles Standish).

Arctic, proper adj. [OFr < L. < Gk 'the northern bear', referring to the constellation Ursa Major.] (webplay: polar).

1. Icy; snow-white; tundra; permafrost; north pole; wintry zone; farthest from the Equator; [poss.] Indian Pipe; Ice Plant; Corpse Plant; Death Plant; Monotropa uniflora; [fig.] lonely; solitary; isolated; reclusive poet.
2. Northernmost zone of the earth; uppermost circle of the earth; blinding white landscape; uninhabitable land with a freezing climate; [fig.] tragic; bleak; hopeless; desperate; desolate; impossible; unbearable; fruitless; futile; losing; failed; in vain; without desirable results.
3. Cold; cool; frigid; chilly north wind; [fig.] stoic; stolid; dispassionate; (see ED letters).

Arcturus, proper n. [L. < Gk 'guardian of the bear'.] (webplay: star).

Star located at the tail of the Bear in Ursa Major; brightest star in the Big Dipper constellation; [fig.] a star personified.

ardent, adj. [OFr < L. ardēre, to burn.] (webplay: appearance).

Emotional; impassioned; fervent; poignant; heart-rending.

ardor, n. [OFr and AngFr < L. ardēre, to burn.] (webplay: appearance).

Passion; romantic fervor; emotional intensity.

arduous, adj. [L. ardu-us, high, steep, difficult.]

Difficult; trying; hard; taxing; laborious; exhausting; draining; strenuous; tiring; exacting; demanding.

are, v. [L. es-, be, exist.] Suppletion form of the verb “be”; the plural present tense form.

1. [Used for the lexical verb, indicating location or existence] live; dwell; exist.
2. [Used for the copula with an adjective] appear; look.
3. [Used for the progressive] continue.
4. [Used for the passive voice.]
5. [Used for a linking verb with a verbal adjective in participle form].

area, n. [L. ārea, vacant piece of level ground in a town.]

1. Size; geometric measurement of the total space within lines; [fig.] emotional capacity; ability to withstand stress.
2. Region; expanse; spread; range; scope.