A while back I promised to bring forward unfamiliar words from the Aubrey-Maturin series, which I continue to read in small slices at bedtime.

This one I almost knew: Madder is a color. Red or reddish orange; or the root from whence it is derived.

What I knew was that it was often preceded by ‘rose’, as in Rose Madder. I think that’s the variety in the picture. Also the name of a King novel.

The lesser and less familiar one I culled was ‘cholagogue’, that which ‘promotes the discharge of bile’. As in an herbal tea.

The Wikipedia pages for both words mention their use in O’brian’s series, which itself is proof enough of their precious rarity.