algarroba - [Sp, fr. Ar al-kharru-bah the carob] 1: carob 2: mesquite; also its pods
amelus (Speak, Memory) - a fetus born without limbs
ament (Speak, Memory) - a catkin, a flowering spike of trees such as willow or hazel
anastomosis (Speak, Memory) - a cross-connection between adjacent channels, tubes, fibers, or other parts of a network. In this case, a collision between different train lines
apterous (That in Aleppo Once...) - having no wings (of insects)
arshin (Pnin) - the Russian cubit, standardized by Peter the Great to equal 28 English inches
atlantes (Speak, Memory) - a stone carving of a male figure, used as a column to support the entablature of a Greek or Greek-style building
bathetic (Pnin) - producing an unintentional effect of anticlimax
besom - a broom made of twigs tied around a stick
bhang - [Hindi] 1a: hemp 1b: the leaves and flowering tips of hemp : cannabis 2: any of several narcotic and intoxicant products obtained from bhang
cachou (Speak, Memory) - a pleasant-smelling lozenge sucked to mask bad breath. from French, from Portuguese cachu, from Malay kacu
calèche (Pnin) - a two-wheeled one-horse vehicle
calvity (Pnin) - an area of skin that has become bald
canescent (Bend Sinister) - grayish white, e.g. the moon
captious - tending to find fault or to raise petty objections
cathetus (Pnin) - either of the sides ("legs") of a right triangle other than the hypotenuse
chapleted (Pnin) - from chaplet, a garland or wreath for a person's head
charabanc (Speak, Memory) - an early kind of bus or carriage with benches, used for pleasure trips
charshaf (Lolita) - veil worn by Turkish women
chrestomathy [NL chrestomathia, fr. Gk chre-stomatheia] 1: a selection of passages compiled to aid in learning a language 2: a volume of selections from an author
ci-devant (Pnin) - from an earlier time - indicates that someone or something once possessed a specified characteristic but no longer does so
cocotte or cocottes [F] pl : prostitute
cordate (Speak, Memory) - heart-shaped
crepuscular (Speak, Memory) - of, resembling, or relating to twilight
couvade - a custom in which a man takes to his bed when his child is being born, as if physically affected by the birth
cucumicolor (Ada) - colored like a cucumber (not in Webster, but cucumiform is)
cupule (Pnin) - a cup-shaped organ or structure in a plant or animal
damozel (Ada) - archaic spelling of demoiselle or damsel - a young woman
decalcomania (Speak, Memory) - a process of transferring designs from prepared paper on to glass or porcelain
demency - dementia
desman (Speak, Memory) : an aquatic insectivorous mammal (Desmana moschata) of Russia that resembles a mole
dipterist (Strong Opinions) - a person who collects or studies flies (compare lepidopterist)
dolichocephalic (Bend Sinister) - having a relatively long skull in proportion to its width
dragée (Pnin) - candied almond
eglantine - [ME eglentyn, fr. MF aiglent, fr. (assumed) VL aculentum, fr.] sweetbrier, a Eurasian wild rose with fragrant leaves and flowers
embrasure [F, fr. obs. embraser to widen an opening] 1: a recess of a door or window 2: an opening with sides flaring outward in a wall or parapet of a fortification usu. for allowing the firing of cannon
epistolary 1: of, relating to, or suitable to a letter 2: contained in or carried on by letters 3: written in the form of a series of letters {~ novel} (ok, so I should have known this one.)
eristic - aiming to win a debate rather than reach the truth
fatidic (Ada) L fatidicus, fr. fatum fate + dicere to say] : of or relating to prophecy
favonian (Lolita) [L favonianus, fr. Favonius, the west wind] : of or relating to the west wind : mild
fauteuil (Ada) - a comfortable type of chair; by extension, a "chair" as a position, like a professorship
fichu - a woman's light triangular scarf that is draped over the shoulders and fastened in front or worn to fill in a low neckline
fritillary (Speak, Memory) - a butterfly with orange-brown wings checkered with black
fuchsined, from fuchsine or fuchsin: a dye that is produced by oxidation of a mixture of aniline and toluidines and yields a brilliant bluish red
funest (Ada) - lamentable, doleful
geminate (Speak, Memory) - twinned, doubled
geometrid (Speak, Memory) - a moth of a large family (Geometridae), distinguished by having twiglike caterpillars that move by arching and straightening the body
ghyll (Speak, Memory) - deep, wooded ravine
glabella (Pnin) - the smooth part of the forehead above and between the eyebrows
glair - a preparation made from egg white, used esp. as an adhesive for bookbinding and gilding
gueridon (Ada) - alternate spelling of guerdon, a reward or recompense; or a small round table; or a trolley table in a restaurant at which food is prepared and served
habitus (Pnin) - general constitution, especially bodily build.
hiemal (Speak, Memory) - of or relating to winter hiren (Ada) - hired siren (pun)
hoydenish (Pnin) - from hoyden, a high-spirited, boisterous, or saucy girl
infantine (Pnin) - archaic form of infantile
isba (Speak, Memory) - a Russian log hut
karakul (Pnin) - an Asian breed of sheep with a dark curled fleece when young, or the cloth or fleece thereof (also caracul)
laciniate (Speak, Memory) - botanical, divided into deep, narrow irregular segments, like a fringe of a garment
lath (Pnin) - a thin flat strip of wood
lustring (Pnin) - also lutestring - a glossy silk or satin-weave fabric
macule (Speak, Memory - a distinct spot, such as a discolored spot on the skin
melilot (Speak, Memory) - a fragrant herbaceous plant of the pea family, native to Eurasia and north Africa, now widespread and sometimes grown as forage or green manure. Also called sweet clover.
nacreous (Lolita) - pearly
ocellated (Speak, Memory) - of plumage or fur, having one or more eyelike markings (ocelli plural, ocellus singular)
ondula (Ada) - coined by V.N.: a little wave or ripple
otiose - 1: being at leisure : idle 2: sterile, futile 3: lacking use or effect : functionless
palpebral (Strong Opinions) - relating to the eyelids
pauldron (Bend Sinister) - a part of plate armor, covering the shoulders
peri : [Per peri- fairy, genius, modif. of Av pairika- witch] 1: a supernatural being in Persian folklore descended from fallen angels and excluded from paradise until penance is accomplished 2: a beautiful and graceful girl or woman
pinnace - 1: a light sailing ship used largely as a tender 2: any of various ship's boats
phocine (Lolita) - relating to, or like, seals
poetaster (Pnin) - a derogatory term applied to bad or inferior poets
prasine (Ada) - green like a leek in color
predormient (Ada) - before sleeping
quoin (Pnin) - an external angle of a wall or building
étagère (Pnin) - a piece of furniture with open shelves for displaying ornaments
raceme (Speak, Memory) - a cluster of flowers around a central stem. From Latin racemus, a cluster of grapes
racemose (Pnin) - having the form of a raceme
retiary (Speak, Memory) - of or resembling a net or web (in this case, a butterfly net)
reticule (Pnin) - a woman's small handbag, originally netted and typically having a drawstring and decorated with embroidery or beading
roric - of or pertaining to dew; dewy
samara (Speak, Memory) - a winged nut or achene containing one seed, as in ash and maple.
salix (Bend Sinister) - a genus of trees including the willow
scumbled (Pnin) - an effect in painting achieved by applying a very thin coat of opaque paint to soften or dull the image
skiagrapher (Pnin) - practitioner of skiagraphy, the use of shading and the projection of shadows to show perspective in architectural or technical drawing
soubrette (Pnin) - an actress or other female performer playing a lively, flirtatious role in a play or opera
splenius - a flat oblique muscle of each side of the back of the neck
strapontin (Real Life of Sebastian Knight) French, a seat at a theater or on a subway which swings up when not in use
strontian (Pnin) - the village in Scotland where strontium was discovered, associated with a luminous shade of blue used in paints and ceramic glazes
subjacent (Pnin) - located below something else
tabanid (Strong Opinions) - horse-fly
tacamahac (Pnin) - balsam poplar
taces (Bend Sinister) - a part of plate armor, hanging down to cover the thighs
tarlatan (Speak, Memory) - a thin, starched, open-weave muslin fabric, used for stiffening evening gowns (or butterfly nets)
thesialist (Ada) - an expert, devotee, or practitioner of theses
truckle (Pnin) - Nabokov seems to use this onomatopoetically as the sound of a river. But in fact it means a small cylindrical wheel of cheese, esp. cheddar, taller than it is wide (e.g. Flory's Truckle from Milton Creamery in Missouri)
tumefied (Pnin) - swollen (tumefy = to become swollen)
tzigan - alt. spelling of tzigane [Hung cigany] : gypsy
umbellifer (Speak, Memory) - a plant of the parsley family
vagitus (Pnin) - the cry of a newborn
verst (Pnin) - 500 sazhen, or about 2/3 of a mile
viatic - journeying (as in viaticum, a stipend given to journeying priests)
volitation (Pnin) - the act of flying
volute - [L voluta, fr. fem. of volutus, pp. of volvere to roll] 1: a spiral or scroll-shaped form 2a: a spiral scroll-shaped ornament forming the chief feature of the Ionic captial 2b: a turn of a spiral shell 3: any of numerous marine gastropod mollusks (family Volutidae) with a thick short-spired shell