The Odyssey (books 16-24). Citations are by book and line numbers.
1. 16.357 bemuse vt. 1. to confuse, bewilder. A puzzle bemused me. 2. to absorb the attention of.
2. 16.380 scrutiny n. close examination or inspection. No errors eluded the editor’s scrutiny.
3. 17.512 piety n. dutiful faithfulness, as to religion or family. The bishop is a man of great piety.
5. 17.176 infallible adj.unfailing; perfect. The gypsy claimed to be an infallible fortune-teller.
6. 17.201 portent n. omen. The eagle flying overhead is a portent of Odysseus’s return.
7. 17.210 swagger vi. to walk or behave in an arrogant way. The bully swaggered through the playground. n. arrogant behavior. The bully’s swagger did not frighten me.
8. 17.435 mendicant n. beggar, esp. a member of a religious order who owns no personal property. The mendicant survived by begging. adj. living by begging. He is a mendicant monk.
9. 18.398 impudent (IM-pyoo-dent) adj. insolent, cocky. The impudent boy sassed his parents.
10. 18.500 blithe (-th as in thin or this) adj. happily carefree. Blithe lovers stroll in the park.
12. 19.190 endow vt. 1. to furnish with (e.g., a dowry or gift). An uncle endowed her with a fortune. 2. to grant money in support of. Donors endow schools with money to help pay expenses.
13. 19.231 requisition n. a formal request, as for supplies or other needs. The librarian submitted a requisition for bookshelves. vt. to request formally. The librarian requisitioned bookshelves.
14. 19.615 callow adj. immature, unsophisticated. Veteran soldiers laughed at the callow recruit.
15. 19.619 aghast (a-GAST) adj. shocked, terrified. She was aghast upon beholding the vampire.
16. 19.619 gorge vt. to stuff or eat to capacity. I gorged myself with candy. n. 1. throat (often used with rise to indicate disgust). My gorge rises at the sickening smell. 2. canyon.
17. 21.178 resolute adj. determined, resolved. He was resolute in his decision to quit smoking.
18. 21.410 dither vi. to hesitate indecisively. She would have gone to the prom with him, but he kept dithering until someone else invited her. n. a nervous, agitated state.
19. 22.74 implacable adj. impossible to appease, satisfy or change. The enemy was implacable.
20. 24.277 squalor n. physical or moral filth and baseness. The squalor of the ghetto disgusts her.
Oedipus Rex. References are by page and line number.
21. 720.4 supplication n. humble request or prayer. The tyrant ignored the citizens’ supplication.
22. 722.100 defilement n. the act of making impure; corruption, ruin. Chemical waste caused the defilement of the water supply.
23. 723.136 compunctionn. remorse for wrongdoing; scruple. I felt compunction for my crime.
24. 730.170 decrepit (de-KREP-it) adj. 1. weakened by old age. Injuries left the former athlete decrepit in middle age. 2. broken down by long use. The decrepit barn was a fire hazard.
25. 734.21 brazen adj. 1. boldly shameless; impudent. It was brazen of the pop star to wear such skimpy clothes at the awards ceremony. 2. made of brass.
26. 736.79 perquisite (PUR-kwi-zit) n. an incidental payment, benefit or privilege beyond regular salary (informally called perk). One of the perquisites of working for the school is use of the gym.
27. 736.101 duplicity n. deceit, treachery. Hypocrites practice duplicity.
28. 742.296 malediction n. a curse. The gods had placed a malediction on the unfortunate family.
29. 743.309 abomination n. 1. hate or repulsion. Civilized people regard slavery with abomi-nation. 2. something arousing extreme hatred. Slavery is an abomination to civilized people.
30. 753.38 harrow vt. 1. to torment or distress. The tornado was a harrowing experience. 2. to break up and level (soil). The farmer harrowed his field. n. a spiked tool used to pulverize soil.
31. 758.137 primal adj. 1. original, primitive. The primal conditions of life were drastically changed by the Ice Age. 2. of primary importance.
32. 759.166 execrable (EK-si-cruh-ble) adj. extremely inferior; hatefully bad; deserving to be execrated (i.e., cursed). Not one passenger on the plane ate the execrable food.
33. 761.261 bane n. something that ruins or spoils. I whined, “Homework is the bane of my life!”
34. 761.264 engender vt. to produce or cause; to bring to life. Winning engenders confidence.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream. References are by act, scene and line numbers.
35. 1.1.1 nuptial (NUP-shul) adj. of or pertaining to marriage or the marriage ceremony. June is a traditional month for nuptial ceremonies.
36. 1.1.4 wane vi. to grow gradually less in size or influence. The moon wanes after it is full.
37. 1.1.6 wither vi. to dry up, shrivel, or lose vitality. Flowers withered during the drought.
38. 1.1.6 revenue n. 1. investment income. 2. money collected by a government (as through taxes). Public services are suffering from the decrease in government revenue.
39. 1.1.20 renowned adj. famous. The renowned author appeared on talk shows.
40. 1.1.31 feign vt. to give a false appearance of. She feigns interest to impress the teacher.
41. 1.1.62 beseech vt. to request earnestly; to implore or beg. He beseeched the jury for mercy.
42. 1.1.65 abjure vt. to swear off, give up (an action). After a health scare, he abjured smoking.
43. 1.1.109 devoutly adv. with deep (esp. religious) devotion. The monk fasts devoutly each day.
44. 1.1.109 dote vi. to show foolishly excessive affection (dotage is the mental decline of old age). He dotes upon his girl friend as if she were his queen.
45. 1.1.109 idolatry (eye-DOLL-uh-tree) n. 1. worship of a physical object as a god. 2. immod-erate admiration. Fans’ constant idolatry inflated the movie star’s pride.
46. 1.1.120 extenuate vt. to lessen the seriousness of with partial excuses: to mitigate. The teacher judged that the new student’s unfamiliarity with the campus extenuated his tardiness.
47. 1.1.151 edict (EE-dikt) n. a proclamation of law; an order. The king’s edict freed the prisoner.
48. 1.1.241 perjure vt. to make (oneself) guilty of lying under oath. He perjured himself to protect the gang.
49. 1.2.11 lamentable adj. regrettable, deplorable. Critics called the new law lamentable.
50. 2.1.113 wonted adj. customary, usual. In summer I return to my wonted diet of junk food.
51. 2.1.115 progeny (PRODGE-uh-nee) n. offspring; children. His progeny became kings.
52. 2.1.116 dissension n. strong disagreement. With no leader, dissension spread on the staff.
53. 2.1.145 chide vt. to scold. The coach chided the players for their mental errors.
54. 2.1.195 adamant adj. unyielding to appeals; inflexible. The boss is adamant about deadlines.
55. 2.2.6 clamorous adj. loud and confused; noisily demanding. A clamorous mob gathered.
56. 2.2.128 flout vt. to scoff at or show scorn for (not to be confused with flaunt, to show off). They flouted the dress code by wearing t-shirts.
57. 2.2.137 surfeit n. overindulgence in food or drink; an excessive amount. At the banquet we had a surfeit of desserts. vt. to feed or supply to excess or disgust. We surfeited ourselves on sweets.
58. 3.1.139 enamored adj. inflamed with love; charmed. At first glance he was enamored of her.
59. 3.1.166 gambol vi. to skip or leap in play; to frolic. Carefree children gamboled on the field.
60. 3.2.7 consecrate vt. to make sacred. The Bishop consecrated the new chapel in a ceremony.
61. 3.2.43 rebuke vt. to reprimand or scold. The judge rebuked the rude attorney. n. a reprimand.
62. 3.2.105 espy (eh-SPY) vt. to catch sight of. The thirsty nomads were relieved to espy an oasis.
63. 3.2.174 disparage (dis-PAIR-idge) vt. to speak critically of, degrade. Jealous rivals disparaged my work.
64. 3.2.180 recompense (RECK-um-pense) n. reward. Chaperones receive no recompense. vt. to repay or reward. The car wash recompensed the customer whose car was accidentally damaged.
65. 3.2.215 asunder adv. apart or into pieces. The lightning bolt broke the two walls asunder.
66. 3.2.380 harbinger (HAR-bin-jer) n. a forerunner; something that foreshadows the future or initiates a change. I hope my high score on the first quiz is a harbinger of success in the course.
67. 3.2.387 consort (con-SORT) vi. to keep company (with). The sports agent can be seen at nightclubs and golf courses consorting with star athletes. (CON-sort) n. an associate or spouse.
68. 4.1.114 conjunction n. 1. an act of joining together. An international conjunction of efforts can conquer world hunger. 2. a part of speech that joins sentences, clauses, phrases or words.
69. 4.1.148 enmity n. hatred, resentment, ill will. The ex-lovers now felt bitter enmity.
70. 4.1.202recount vt. to narrate. Eyewitnesses recounted the accident to news reporters.
71. 4.1.210 expound vt. to explain or defend with argument. Rebels expounded Communist ideas.
72. 5.1.205 discharge vt. 1. to carry out (a duty). Taking pity on the prisoners, the guard refused to discharge his duty. 2. to release, as from custody, service or employment. 3. to fire (a gun).
73. 5.1.253 discretion n. 1. tact, forethought, esp. cautious reserve in speech. His ethnic jokes showed a lack of discretion. 2. power of free choice. He left scheduling details to my discretion.
74. 5.1.371 solemnity n. 1. seriousness, formality. People at the Prince’s funeral bowed their heads with solemnity. 2. (usu. plural) a formal, ceremonious observance or event.
75. 5.1.380 shroud n. 1. something that covers or screens. A shroud of secrecy concealed the plot. 2. a cloth used to wrap a body for burial. vt. to cover, cloak or veil. Fog shrouds the valley.
