By nature, I am a creative and artistic spirit who enjoys any form of decoration, be it a statue, image, writing, or natural occurrence. Due to this, if there is a space available to me, I am going to bedeck it with whatever catches my fancy.
A prime example is my computer desk, an L-shape design that fits neatly into a corner and fits my two laptops, one complete with a Wacom tablet the size of my smaller laptop. In every available space on this desk, I have a myriad of knick-knacks I've collected through the years, many of which are more recent additions. And on the wall above it, I've hung some of my most precious artwork, including a poster of dragon types from one of my favorite books of dragon design and creation.
Bedeck | bi-ˈdek: verb: to clothe in finery; decorate (sense 2: to furnish with something ornamental)
Unlike many of the words I find and choose for my word of the day, I've found little information on the etymology of the word, bedeck, other than its first use being somewhere in the late sixteenth century. It also seems to be German-based, after the word bedecken, meaning to cover, top, or overlay. There are other words that are similar in both Dutch and Swedish, both of which have similar meanings.
In terms of my personal fancy of the word, honestly, I have no draw towards it like I do many others. I enjoy that there are other words beyond decorate, and I love seeing it used in a natural setting, such as the example I will use today. However, whether or not I'll use it in my own works is yet to be determined.
Bedeck | bɪˈdek: verb: to decorate or cover
Today, I found the word in the current book I'm reading to my daughter at bedtimes, Loamhedge. A bit less gruesome than some of the other Redwall books, which I am glad for. And I get a little more practice at my mole speech, which is an especially difficult dialect to read aloud.
At first, I hadn't even noticed the word. In fact, it was my husband who brought it up after we were done with the chapter. I enjoy how simply and easily the author seems to slip little tidbits of wonderful English into his works, allowing my reader's brain to simply imagine the scene and fill in the blanks.
Dewdrops bedecked the flatlands beyond the ditch. Redwall Abbey's twin bells tolled out the opening of a new summer day.
It does create a pretty picture, honestly. I appreciate the way it was used to create a natural, almost sparkling scene in my head. How would you use bedecked? Do you think there are better words to use, and if so, which words? Let me know all that and more, and until tomorrow, happy reading!
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