Vocabulary

= Introduction- Chapter 1 = __Taciturn__ (adj) - inclined to silence; reserved in speech "But his __taciturnity__ was respected and it was only on rare occasions that one of the older men of the place detained him for a word."(pg.9) The taciturn scholar, superior in knowledge, said little because his demeanor enough was communication.

__Mien__ (noun) - air, bearing or demeanor, feeling "Everyone in Starkfield knew him and gave him a greeting tempered to his own grave __mien__." (pg.9) His mien was magnetic, and he attracted the attention of the entire room.

__Capitulate__ (verb) - to surrender unconditionally; to give up resistance "I began to understand why Starkfield emerged from its six months' siege like a starved garrison __capitulating__ without quarter."(pg.11) "To capitulate the throne would be to give up your friends, family, and lifestyle," said the prince as the king sat pondering the mystery of his power.

__Beleaguer__ (verb) - to surround with military forces, to surround or beset, as with troubles "...And the enemy in command of almost all the lines of access between the __beleaguered__ villages."(pg.11) The beleaguered fort was sieged by the infantry of the German army!

__Belabor__ (verb) - to beat vigorously; ply with heavy blows "...__belabored__ their instruments like jockeys lashing their mounts on the home-stretch."(pg.21) The heavyweight boxer belabored his opponent with a barrage of jabs and hooks.

=Chapter 2- Chapter 3= __Repugnant__ (adj) - contradictory; inconsistent; offering resistance; opposed; antagonistic. "The doors of the two bedrooms forced each other across the narrow upper-landing, and to-night it was peculiarly __repugnant__ to him that Mattie should see him follow Zeena." (pg. 34) What I find repugnant is the lack of honesty in some people.

__Rills__ (noun) – little brooks; rivulets “Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring __rills__ in a thaw.” (pg. 29) After crossing a water rill, you get to an open field of green.

__Scintillating__ (adj) – sparkling intellectually; brilliant and witty “The sunrise burned red in a pure sky, the shadows on the rim of the wood-lot were darkly blue, and beyond the white and __scantillating__ fields patches of far-off forest hung like smoke.” (pg. 35) The scintillating woman graduated from Harvard with a high grade point average.

__Draughts__ (noun) – deep breaths “It was in the early morning stillness, when his muscles were swinging to their familiar task and his lungs expanding with long __draughts__ of mountain air, that Ethan did his cleariest thinking.” (pg. 35) Draughts help people calm down when they are angered.

__Imperceptible__ (adj) – not plain or distinct to the senses or the mind; especially, so slight, gradual, subtle, etc. ; as not to be easily perceived. “As he lay there he could hear Mattie moving about in her room, and her candle, sending its small ray across the landing, drew a scarcely __perceptible__ line of light under his door.” (pg. 35) A fly’s movements are imperceptible until it zooms by your ear.

= Chapter 4- Chapter 5 = __Ruddy__ (adj.) - of or having a fresh, healthy red color “Andrew Hale was a __ruddy__ man with a big grey mustache and a study double chin constrained by a collar;”(pg.43) The ruddy apple was very fresh and tasted delicious.

__Scrupulously__ (adj.) - punctiliously or minutely careful, precise or exact “;but his __scrupulously__ clean shirt was always fastened by a small diamond stud.”(pg.43) The woman scrupulously sewed the hole in her shirt because it was her favorite shirt.

__Morrow__ __(__noun) - tomorrow; the next day “The cold was less sharp than earlier in the day and a thick fleecy sky threatened snow for the __morrow__.”(pg.45) Staying up all night caused her to be very tired in the morrow.

__Malice__ (noun) - desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another out of hostile impulse or out of deep-seated meanness “Her eyes danced with __malice__.”(pg.47) The customer's malice toward the store owner was demonstrated when she knocked over his store displays.

__Gaunt__ __(__adj.) - extremely thin and bony; haggard and drawn; emaciated “As her young brown head detached itself against the patchwork cushion that habitually framed his wife’s __gaunt__ countenance, Ethan had a momentary shock.”(pg.51) The Holocaust left innocent people gaunt and in many cases, dead.

= Chapter 6- Chapter 7 = Scant (adj.) - limited;meager;not large. "He fancied that she nodded her comprehension; and with that scant solace he had to trudge off through the rain." (pg. 58) She was given a scant amount of food that she was expected to live off of.

Aver (verb) - to assert or affirm with confidence; declare in a positive or peremptory manner. “Denis’s commercial instinct compelled him to aver on oath that what Eady’s store could not produce would never be found at the widow Homan’s.” (pg.58) The young girl averted her opinion when her group of friends were saying bad things about her best friend.

Faction (noun) - a group or clique within a larger group, party, or government. “Ethan, from motives of economy, had always been glad that Zeena was of the latter faction.” (pg.62) She was kicked out of the faction because she lied and went behind her friends’ backs.

Evasion (noun) - an act or instance of escaping, avoiding, or shirking something. “He had never before been convicted of a lie, and all the resources of evasion failed him.” She succeeded in evading from her duty of chores she had been assigned.

Pauper (noun) - a very poor person with limited means of supplies. “She’s a pauper thas’s hung onto us all after her father’d done her best to ruin us.” (pg.65) The pauper often refused charity from her neighbors and friends who knew she was going through a hard time.

= Chapter 8- Chapter 9 = __querulous__ (adj.) - full of complaints; complaining; peevish "Must he wear out all his years at the side of a bitter __querulous__ woman?" (pg.72). Whenever my mom asks me to do my chores, I reply in a querulous tone.

__protuberant__ (adj.) - bulging out beyond the surrounding surface; protruding; projecting "Under his cheek he felt a hard object with strange __protuberances__," (pg.73). He was so shocked, his protuberant eyes didn't blink and made him look like a bug.

__alimony__ (noun) - an allowance paid to a person by that person's spouse or former spouse for maintenance, granted by a court upon a legal separation or a divorce or while action is pending "By the time she had discovered his where-abouts, and brought suit for divorce, he would probably- wherever he was- be earning enough money to pay her a sufficient __alimony__," (pg.74). During the couple's divorce, the husband paid a large alimony due to his generous salary.

__inexorable__ (adj.) - cruel; pitiless "The __inexorable__ facts closed in on him like prison-warders handcuffing a convict," (pg.74). The mother's inexorable attitude towards her child led up to a child abuse case.

__implore__ (verb) - to beg urgently or piteously, as for aid or mercy; beseech; entreat "Mattie flung an __imploring__ glance at him, but he repeated curtly..." (pg.82). After Amy's dad caught her sneaking out, she quickly implored and apologized.