Victoria's Library

the silence in the fog

SVELTE

[adjective]

1. slender, especially gracefully slender in figure; lithe.

2. suave; blandly urbane.

Etymology: French < Italian svelto < Vulgar Latin *exvellitus - pulled out (replacing Latin ēvulsus, past participle of ēvellere), variant stem of vellere - to pull, pluck.

OPTATIVE

[adjective]

1. mood expressing a desire or wish.

2. expressing a wish or choice.

3. a) of, relating to, or being a mood of verbs in some languages, such as Greek, used to express a wish. b) designating a statement using a verb in the subjunctive mood to indicate a wish or desire, as in Had I the means, I would do it.

Etymology: via French optatif, from Late Latin optātīvus, from Latin optāre, to desire.