Dante Dante Alighieri (1265–1321), Italian poet; author of The Divine Comedy.
de la vieille roche French, "of the old rock."
death by misadventure The phrase does not specify suicide but implies some degree of fault or responsibility.
début French, meaning "beginning" or "coming out."
décolletée French, meaning "in a low-cut dress."
Desdemona a leading character in William Shakespeare's Othello.
dogma a system of beliefs supported by authority.
doigts de faune French, "fingers of the faun."
dowagers rich widows.
dowdy shabby; lacking style or neatness.
drudgee a person who does tedious or menial labor.
drugged with poppies a reference to opium, which is prepared from dried juice of unripe pods of the opium poppy.
Dryad Greek mythology, a wood nymph.
du supplice encore mal lavée French, "not (yet) cleansed from torment."
édition de luxe French, meaning "luxury edition."
efficacy ability to produce a specific effect.
elocution the art of public speaking.
English Blue Book an official publication of the British government, so called for the color of its covers; a social registry.
ennui French, "boredom."
ensconced settled securely or comfortably.
entrées French, "entries"; in North America, it is the main dish of the meal; in England, during Wilde's era, it was a dish served between the meat and fish courses.
espirit French, "spirit" or "wit"; usually spelled "esprit."
Eton Eton College, a school for boys in Buckinghamshire, England.
faun in Roman mythology, a royal deity having the body of a man but the horns, ears, tail, and sometimes the legs of a goat.
felicity blissful happiness.
fin de siècle French, meaning "end of the century"; a phrase especially applied to the 1890s.
fin du globe French, meaning "end of the world."
flaccid lacking firmness; lacking energy.
fop a dandy; a man excessively concerned about his clothes and appearance to the exclusion of deeper values.
Ford John Ford (c. 1586–1639), major English dramatist.
four-in-hand a vehicle, pulled by four horses, driven by one person.
frangipanni (sometimes spelled "frangipani") a tropical American shrub with fragrant flowers; perfume from or resembling the flowers.
fresco the art of painting on fresh, moist plaster with earth colors dissolved in water and pressed into the plaster.
