9:2 Etiolated

When and Where I Found It:  I came across this word as I was reading Wicked:  The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (Maguire, 1995).  The word was used in the following sentence:  "She sat down, looking a bit etiolated, and allowed him to call for a cup of mineral tea" (Maguire, 1995, p. 108). 
Maguire, G. (1995). Wicked:  The life and times of the wicked witch of the west.  New York, NY:  HarperCollins.    


What It Means:  According to dictionary.com, this word means "to whiten or grow pale through lack of light."  I think this definition is particularly interesting, as the sentence in the book refers to how Elphaba looks, while the definition refers mainly to plants.  I like this comparison, since anyone who has read the book or has seen the musical knows that Elphaba's skin is green-colored, like a plant's green leaves.  
Etiolated (v.) In dictionary.com Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/etiolated


Level of Familiarity:  Prior to reading this word in the novel, I had never heard of this word before.  I had no idea that the word was even a legitimate word, and I could only guess at its pronunciation.  Once I heard its correct pronunciation on dictionary.com, I realized I wasn't even pronouncing it correctly.  Also, when I first read the word in the sentence, I guessed that it could mean "irritated" or "uneasy."  Then I realized that, the way that the sentence is written, the reader could substitute a number of different words in for the word "etiolated," and the sentence would still make sense.  

Do I Want to Know This Word Well and Why?  Yes, I want to know this word well, simply because I was so completely unfamiliar with it prior to reading this novel.  Also, this is an interesting word to know, since I have seen plants that have changed to a pale color.  Now that I know the correct terminology for this action, I can use the word to refer to plants as well. 

Do I Think Others Should Know This Word Well...If So, Who and Why?  I think it is not necessary that everyone know this term, as it is not a term that most people encounter on a daily basis.  However, it could be good to know this word, since it refers to plants, and most people have plants either in their houses or on their property.  Also, the popularity of the novel Wicked (Maguire, 1995) leads me to want to encourage those who read this book to at least have a basic level of familiarity with this word.  Otherwise, readers will miss Maguire's (1995) clever comparison of Elphaba's sudden lack of color to that of a green plant becoming pale.