Words from Their Eyes Were Watching God (references to the 1998 edition)

1. 1 resignation (REZ-ig-nay-shun) n. acceptance of something as inevitable.  Uttering no protests, she faced bad news with a sigh of resignation.   2. a formal statement giving up an office or position.

2. 7 revelation n. 1. disclosure; the act of revealing (esp. of divine truth).  To scientists  years ago, the map of the genetic code would have seemed a divine revelation.  2. something revealed.

3. 12 reproof n. an expression of censure or rebuke.  A reproof from his boss embarrassed him.

4. 14 desecrate (DESS-eh-CRATE) vt. to violate (something sacred).  The mob of protesters outraged the patriots by desecrating the flag.

5. 21 compel vt. to force.  A naval blockade compelled the nation to surrender.

6. 21 conjecture n. an opinion or theory not based on facts.  The defense attorney claimed that the prosecution’s case was no more than conjecture.  vi. to form a conjecture.

7. 24 mien (MEAN) n. demeanor, air.  The leader’s calm, self-assured mien inspired confidence.

8. 39 boisterously adv. in a noisily cheerful way; rowdily.  Drunken sailors boisterously celebrated.

9. 47 promenade n. 1. a walk or ride for pleasure or display.  The beauty queens entered in a grand promenade.  2. a ceremonial march in a formal ball [origin of prom].  vi. to go on a promenade. 

10. 56 fractious adj. irritable.  The crowd’s fractious behavior made the mayor cancel the meeting.

11. 60 eulogy (YOU-low-jee) n. a formal speech expressing praise [not necessarily at a funeral].  The Hall of Fame inauguration ceremony featured eulogies by the athlete’s former teammates.

12. 70 sullenly adv. gloomily or resentfully silent.  He frowned sullenly when he didn’t get his way.

13. 71 chasten (CHASE-en) vt. 1. to correct by punishment or suffering.  The accident chastened the reckless driver.  2. to restrain or rid of excess.  Maturity chastened the artist’s flashy style.

14. 77 stolidness n. lack of emotional response.  Win or lose, he displayed the stolidness of a stone.

15. 77 pugnaciously adv. belligerently; inclined to fight.  Male apes pugnaciously challenge rivals.

16. 83 ostentatious adj. showy, pretentious.  I told the salesman the gold shoes are too ostentatious.

17. 145 indiscriminate adj. not making careful distinctions.  Indiscriminate hiring left the company with some worthless employees.

18. 145 unattainable adj. impossible to reach.  My goal of straight A’s proved unattainable.

19. 145 pinnacle n. a lofty peak; summit.  A mountain pinnacle is a symbol of ultimate success.

20. 145 transmutation n. change of form.  Alchemists sought the transmutation of lead into gold.

 

Words from “A Rose for Emily”

21. 1 cupola n. (KYOO-po-la) a small dome on a roof.  The church is famed for its golden cupola.

22. 1 encroach vi. to trespass (upon another’s property, domain or rights).  Residents complained that factories were encroaching upon public forest land.

23. 1 obliterate vt. to eliminate completely; wipe out.  A tornado obliterated all traces of the village.

24. 1 coquettish adj. flirtatious [used of females].  Other girls resent her coquettish behavior.

25. 1 august (aw-GUST) adj. majestic, dignified, grand.  The rookie felt awe as he entered the august grounds where Babe Ruth and other great athletes had played.

26. 1 perpetuity (PER-pe-TYOO-i-ty) n. eternity; the quality of being continuous [usu. a legal term].  The flame at President Kennedy’s memorial is intended to burn in perpetuity.

27. 1 deputation n. an appointed representative group.  A deputation from Hawaii visited England.

28. 1 tarnish vt. to dull the luster or reputation of.  Rust tarnished the car.  vi. to discolor.

29. 1 gilt adj. gold-plated.  The sword had a magnificent gilt sheath.  n. gold plating.

30. 2 pallid adj. pale; lacking color or liveliness.  The nurse saw his pallid face and sent him home.

31. 2 vanquish (VANG-kwish) vt. to conquer, defeat, overcome.  He vanquished his fear of failure.

32. 2 temerity n. foolish boldness; rashness.  The twenty-foot waves cured the surfer’s temerity.

33. 2 diffident adj. lacking confidence; timid.  He is so diffident that she thinks he dislikes her.

34. 2 deprecation n. belittlement, disapproval.  Jealousy motivated his deprecation of her work.

35. 3 tableau (tab-LOW) [plural tableaux (tab-LOWS) or tableaus] n. a representation or descrip-tion; an artistic grouping. The vivid tableaux in Disneyland capture the romance of pirate lore.

36. 3 vindicate vt. to free from allegation or blame; to justify.  New evidence vindicated the defendant.

37. 4 reaffirm vt. to declare again; to confirm.  The governor reaffirmed his pledge of support.

38. 4 imperviousness n. incapability of being penetrated or harmed.  His imperviousness to advice frustrated coaches.

39. 5 cabal (kuh-BAL) n. a group of conspirators.  Drug lords formed a revolutionary cabal.

40. 5 circumvent vt. to avoid, get around, or outwit.  I tried to circumvent all the red tape.

41. 5 thwart vt. to prevent the hopes of; to frustrate.  Superman thwarts the alien’s evil scheme.

42. 5 remit vt. 1. to pardon, forgive.  The priest remitted my sins.  2. to cancel (a penalty).  The king generously remits their taxes.  2. to send (money) in payment.  Please remit payment by May 1.

43. 6 sibilant adj. having a hissing sound like “s” or “sh.”  Snakes make a sibilant sound.

44. 6 cuckold n. a man with an unfaithful wife.  Mad with jealousy, Othello thinks he is a cuckold.

45. 6 inextricable (IN-ix-TRICK-able or in-EK-strick-able) adj. impossible to disentangle or solve.  The knot proved inextricable.

 

Words from “Revelation”

46. 364 florid adj. 1. flushed with color; ruddy.  The sunbather had a painfully florid appearance.  2. heavily embellished, flowery, ornate.  Florid language does not make good poetry.

47. 366 smirk vi. to smile smugly.  The gang boss smirked in court, knowing he would never be convicted.  n. a smug smile.

48. 366 sear vt. 1. to make withered and dry.  The blazing sun seared the countryside.  2. to scorch with sudden heat.  The chef prepared seared ahi.

49. 370 buoyant (BOY-ant) adj. 1. cheerful.  Feeling buoyant, he skipped down the sidewalk whistling.  2. able to float.  The buoyant cooler kept him from drowning while rescuers came.

50. 373 tremulous adj. nervous, shaky.  The performer was tremulous before facing a large crowd.

51. 374 repudiation n. rejection; refusal to acknowledge.  Journalists reported his repudiation of charges of bribery.  2. the refusal of public authorities to acknowledge a contract or debt.

52. 375 blanch vt. to whiten.  I used steam to blanch the vegetables.  vi. to whiten.  He blanched with fear.

53. 376 protrude vi. to project, jut out.  A rocky shelf protrudes from the otherwise sheer cliff.

54. 376 glower (rhymes with flower) vi. to stare angrily or sullenly.  Mother glowers at me when I misbehave.  n. an angry stare.  I can tell by her silent glower that I have displeased her.

55. 378 abysmal (uh-BIZ-mal) adj. bottomless; immeasurably bad.  News that the teen idol was getting married left an abysmal despair in the hearts of adoring fans.

 

Words from “Barn Burning.”

56. 163 latent adj. present but not yet visible or active.  Early teachers did not see her latent talent.

57. 164 inherent adj. belonging to the essential nature of something; inborn.  An element of risk is inherent in the work of a test pilot.

58. 164 prodigality n. careless wastefulness.  His prodigality got him into debt.

59. 165 irascible (i-RASS-ible) adj. hot-tempered.  The irascible coach is often ejected from games.

60. 165 divulge vt. to reveal.  The celebrity’s agent would not divulge the location of the wedding.

61. 166 contrive vt. to devise cleverly.  Desperate, I contrived a temporary solution.  vi. to scheme.

62. 166 implacable adj. impossible to appease.  The implacable raiders refused to negotiate.

63. 167 emanate vi. to come out of.  Fashion trends seemed to emanate from Paris.  vt. to emit.

64. 167 incorrigible adj. incapable of being corrected.  Scolding did not help the incorrigible boy.

65. 167 suffuse vt. to spread over or through.  At dawn sunlight suffused the forest.

66. 168 tawdry (TAW-dree) adj. gaudy and cheap.  The neon signs made the hotel look tawdry.

67. 168 lethargic adj. sluggish, lazy.  Nothing the teacher did could rouse the lethargic class.

68. 168 sporadic adj. occurring in scattered instances.  After the war there was sporadic fighting.

69. 168 lilliputian adj. small, miniature.  The lilliputian computer can be held in your palm.

70. 169 inscrutable adj. hard to know or understand; mysterious.  Our destiny is inscrutable.

71. 170 exultant adj. joyful, triumphant.  The players were exultant after winning the title.

72. 170 partisan n. zealous and often prejudiced supporter of a party.  Congress has too many blind partisans who vote only to block whatever solution their political opponents propose.

73. 171 liable adj. 1. obligated by law.  The company is liable for the costs of the factory fire.  2. subject to; likely to incur or suffer.  Without adult supervision, children are liable to get hurt.

74. 172 convolution n. complication or intricacy of form.  The convolution of the roads makes it easy to get lost.

75. 174 encompass vt. to envelop or include.  The program encompasses academics, arts and PE.