A Lubricious Term

I came across the word “lubricious” while reading a biography of the Prince Regent by Christopher Hibbert, “The Rebel Who Would Be King.”

“It had been exhilarating to… escape from the restrictions of his parents ‘ staid Court, and the ‘usual circle of tabbies,’ to the lubricious delights of Grove House.”

The term lubricious is defined as: slippery, deceitful, uncertain; stirring, wanton, lascivious.

I suspect it’s that last meaning–lascivious–to which Hibbert alluded. Another word, “lubric,” from the same Latin root (slippery, smooth), is usually confined to the lascivious notion. Now I will have to find an appropriate moment to toss this delightful word into my characters’ dialogue.

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