She used it, in a phone call, to describe how we both are,
and I had that bemused, smiling, Not-A-Word moment.
I don’t think I would’ve said anything about it.
In the event she had the same moment, and amended her own construction to ‘reclusive’.
But here’s the thing–
turns out it really is one, and a great one.
"disposed to shut out, inclined to dwell apart," 1743,
from Latin seclus-, past-participle stem of secludere "to shut off, confine"
(see seclude) + -ive.
seclude (v.)
mid-15c., "to shut up, enclose, confine,"
from Latin secludere "shut off, confine," from se- "apart" (see secret (n.)) + -cludere,
variant of claudere "to shut" (see close (v.)).
Meaning "to remove or guard from public view" is recorded from 1620s.
How often would you even hear the latter verb form?
Not often.
Also, it’s related by ear to reclusive of course, but also to exclusive, i would say.
Seclusivity in the inclined-to-dwell-apart sense might be some protection from the plague.
Being packed into an apartment building, and into a major urban center, is not conducive to social distance at any time, and now it matters more.
A woman in Michael Moore’s New York apartment building just left in a bag, and in the latest episode of Rumble, he says he’s sure she won’t be the last to do so.
David Doel looked sick on his stream the other day, and said he was having anxiety issues, even though he says he’s been self-quarantined for six straight days because he fears the enclosed space of his building’s elevator.
The dirt road isn’t a true promise of everlasting salvation.
But I’m glad right now that I sleep in the sticks.
I’m starting to feel extra happiness from playing with poetic line breaks and stanzas, in prose.