Draughtsman
A professional title for someone who creates plans or drawings used in technical processes.
Colliers
Either someone who works in coal mines or a ship used to haul coal.
Ignominious
Shameful or humiliating.
Light-o'love
A colloquial term for a prostitute.
Pedgill
A British term meaning to work hard or persevere.
Jowled
To have a prominent jaw and cheeks.
Mardy
To be bad-tempered or grumpy.
Nullities
Things that are unimportant or inconsequential.
Portent
An indication that something is about to happen.
Vicarage
The residence of a vicar (a priest in the Anglican Church).
Diphtheria
A serious bacterial infection which was once highly deadly.
Bluebells
A blue flower producing a sweet scent.
Fichu
A shawl worn around the neck and shoulders.
Old King Cole
A British nursery rhyme about a happy king who calls to his servant asking for things like his pipe, a bowl, and some fiddlers.
Dun
A grayish-brown color with a dull tint.
Ascension
In Christian faith, the belief that Jesus ascended to heaven after dying and being resurrected. Celebrated each year with a feast, forty days following Easter.
Crétin
An offensive term for someone deemed to be stupid (also spelled as "Cretin").
Demoiselle
An outdated term for a young woman.
Dairy-Scullery
A room placed near the kitchen which was designed to keep cool so that milk could be stored.
Evanescent
Something that is temporary or vanishing.
Eucharist
In some denominations of Christian faith, the practice in which bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Jesus.
Calico
A heavy textile made from unbleached cotton.
Milliner
A craftsperson who makes hats and headwear.
Oriflamme
A banner or flag, first flown by the French in the Middle Ages.
Fra Angelica
An Italian Renaissance painter most famous for his frescoes.
Victrix
A Latin term for a woman who has conquered or is triumphant.
Bacchus
The classical Greek god of wine, fertility, fruit, and ecstasy (also known as Dionysus).
Pan
The classical Greek god of shepherds and the wilderness.
Apollo
One of the most powerful and important Gods in Greek mythology, and an important figure in Roman mythology as well. The God of sun and light, a protector of shepherds, and the supposed inventor of string-music.
Jove
The classical Roman god of sky and thunder, and the King of all Gods in classical Roman mythology (also known as Jupiter).
Osiris
A central God in classical Egyptian mythology, representing fertility, life, death, and resurrection.
Raphael
An Italian Renaissance painter who lived from 1483 to 1520. One of the most respected artists of the Renaissance period, Raphael completed a number of highly acclaimed religious frescoes and paintings throughout Italy. In The Rainbow, Will is said to admire a reproduction of Raphael’s renowned fresco, “Disputation of The Holy Sacrament” which was finished in 1510.
Benvenuto Cellini
An Italian writer and artist active during the Renaissance period, most famous for his gold sculpture, the Cellini Sculpture, and his autobiography. In The Rainbow is said to have read his work.
Boers
The descendents of Dutch settlers who colonized the region of present-day South Africa beginning in the mid-17th century. In the late 19th century, the Boers fought two wars against the British Empire to retain control over the region.
Simla
Also known as Shimla, a large city in Northern India. In The Rainbow, Ursula imagines this city when Anton is about to leave for India.
