Aceldama [n. A-cel-da-ma] Added: 2000-08-01

The field of blood, or The potter's field. Said to have lain south of Jerusalem, purchased with the bribe which Judas took for betraying his Master, and therefore called the field of blood.

Kore [n. Kore] Added: 2000-08-01

Daughter of Zeus and Demeter; made queen of the underworld by Pluto in ancient mythology; identified with Roman Proserpina.[syn: Persephone, Despoina, Kore, Cora]

Knell [n. NEL] Added: 2000-08-01

The stoke of a bell tolled at a funeral or at the death of a person; a death signal; a passing bell; hence, figuratively, a warning of, or a sound indicating, the passing away of anything.

Gonfalon [n. GON-fuh-lon] Added: 2000-07-31

A gonfalon is a flag, but only if it is suspended from a horizontal bar rather than a vertical mast. Most gonfalons are seen at the heads of religious or military processions. Sometimes a gonfalon's cross-shaped support is held by a person called a gonfalonier [n. GON-fuh-luh-NYIR].

The first gonfalons were displayed in medieval Italy as part of religious observances. The Italian word was gonfalone, from the Germanic compound gund-fanon (battle flag). The first part of that came from gundjo (war, battle), which also was the source of English gun by way of Old Norse gunnr (war).

Behind all of these words was the ancient root gwhen (to kill; strike). The same root also led to other words related to war, destruction, or threat. These include bane, German Bahn (road; originally, a road forcefully hacked through the woods), defend, fence, and offend.