Why were these pages created?

This word randomiser was written with two aims. The first was to learn a bit more of the Java programming language and the second is that I enjoy writing so increasing my vocabulary is always beneficial. The correct word or turn of phrase can mean the difference between a trite, clichéd sentence or one that evokes images of wonder in the reader. Hopefully other people who enjoy writing will find this a useful resource.
There is, of course another reason for this page that is altogether more noble! Namely that there is no evidence that some of these words (the obsolete ones) have been used since 1714, so if you use them you could be responsible for reviving an all but dead word...

What kind of words are included?

The words that I have included have an emphasis on archaic, mediaeval, old norse or old french. This is simply because these words suit the style that I like to read and write myself. If a word has several meanings I may only include the rarer usage, eg cleave or umbrage.'

What practical use is the program?

Besides the interest of learning new vocabulary I hope that with the addition of the search facility the program will now be of more obvious use to writers. I would suggest the site is akin to a specialised thesaurus which sacrifices more obvious synonyms to elaborate more on a word's definition, its derivation (if of any particular interest) and perhaps to take an author's imagination off on a new tangent.

Since adding the search facility I have started tagging "keywords" onto the end of some descriptions. Please note that these are not necessarily synonyms of the word, rather that they have been chosen to be picked up by a relevant search.

What about the program itself?

The program is written in Java and is currently about 10kb in size. Because the data is not particularly massive I am using the rather unusual method of reading the entire data structure into the client's memory (your computer in other words). Because of this the search engine does not have to keep contacting my server which means that instantaneous offline searching is possible.
My name for this search engine is Data Lightning - for more information you can click Here.

About the Author

I am a full time software engineer and maintain these pages in my spare time. Personal homepages are currently offline
To see my web design pages click any of the Celerity Design logos dotted about these pages.

Feedback Request

If you can think of a relatively unknown word that would be useful in poetry, historical fiction or the fantasy genre then please send it to me. Also, any suggestions for improvements to the program will be considered.
If you can think of a potential sponsor for this site then please tell me aswell!
Finally, please don't overlook my request for readers submissions!

E - Mail Celerity

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