Here are the meanings of the least-found words that were used in (mostly) recent Times articles.

1. hortatory — aiming to urge or encourage:

“Comedy Punks” is in some ways a typical hortatory rise-and-fall-and-rise promotional narrative. — The Kids in the Hall Have Gotten Old. Their Comedy Hasn’t. (May 24, 2022)

2. hamate — a small, wedge-shaped bone in the wrist (if you’re holding a baseball bat, the bone is roughly where the knob of the bat meets your palm — and is therefore a common source of baseball injuries):

With Andrew Benintendi still working his way back from a broken hamate bone in his hand, the Yankees’ preferred left fielder appears to be the rookie Oswaldo Cabrera. — Yankees Close In on Division Title, but Still Have Trust Issues (Sept. 27, 2022)

3. tacet — musical direction to leave an instrument or voice silent:

He will do so only after a new, improbable overture that could be described with a single musical term: tacet. As they arrive, audience members will be asked to surrender their mobile phones, watches and other electronic devices before entering the drill hall, where they will put on noise-cancelling headphones and sit in cloth deck chairs designed to Ms. Abramovic’s specifications. — Marina Abramovic and Igor Levit’s Variation on ‘Goldberg’ Will Make the Audience Earn Its Bach (Dec. 2, 2015)

4. deicide — the act of killing a divine being:

A few minutes into its sold-out concert at the Beacon Theater on Monday night, Steely Dan uncorked a song of recent vintage. It was “Godwhacker,” from the band’s 2003 album, “Everything Must Go” (Reprise), and the lyrics blithely gestured toward a tale of vengeance, pursuit and, well, deicide. — Tolerating the New Tunes, but Exulting in the Old (May 23, 2007)

5. eidetic — marked by mental images that are unusually vivid and almost photographically exact:

Avery lacks a fully developed persona, and frequently reacts to alarming events in ways that are emotionally and logically implausible. Some of her most striking characteristics — she turns out to be a chess genius with an eidetic memory and a talent for breaking and entering — are functional rather than organic. — Stacey Abrams’s Legal Thriller Has Many Moving Pieces (May 11, 2021)

6. diffidence — the state of being modest or unassertive:

Where it did generate criticism, the complaint was often about its prescriptive diffidence: Having diagnosed so damningly, Deneen was a bit hesitant on the “what is to be done?” — How Do You Replace an Elite? (June 28, 2023)

7. incidence — the rate of new cases of an illness or other harmful events:

Pre-eclampsia affects about one in 25 pregnancies, and the incidence has been on the rise in recent years in the United States. The problem usually starts about halfway through a pregnancy, though it can also occur after childbirth. — A Blood Test Predicts Pre-eclampsia in Pregnant Women (July 3, 2023)

8. dietetic — related to nutrition or diet:

Vanessa Rissetto, a registered dietitian and acting director of the dietetic internship program at New York University, also suggested other money-saving tips. — 5 Ways Teens Can Get More Fruits and Vegetables Into Their Diets (Jan. 22, 2021)

9. tibiae — inner leg bones:

In Greek folklore, a donkey — an equid involved in the harvest and production of wine — was the mount that carried the god Dionysus into battle against the Giants, and flutes fashioned from donkey tibiae (which produced a braying-like sound) were used in his worship. — At Long Last, a Donkey Family Tree (March 14, 2023)

10. hematite — an abundant ore that’s a primary source of iron used by humans:

The cozy interior, clad in raw knotted spruce, is united by a glossy oxblood-red-painted spruce-board floor (a nod to Falu red, the hematite-rich pigment that’s been used to paint Swedish houses since the 18th century) that runs throughout the building … — A Cozy Cottage on an Island Northeast of Stockholm (Aug. 26, 2020)

The list of the week’s easiest words: