The Witch of Blackbird Pond: Chapters 1–2

by Elizabeth George Speare
After emigrating from Barbados to Connecticut Colony, sixteen-year-old Katherine (Kit) Tyler finds herself at odds with her Puritan neighbors, which turns dangerous when she befriends a Quaker woman accused of being a witch.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–5, Chapters 6–9, Chapters 10–15, Chapters 16–21
40 words 3328 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. bleak
    unpleasantly cold and damp
    The bleak line of shore surrounding the gray harbor was a disheartening contrast to the shimmering green and white that fringed the turquoise bay of Barbados which was her home.
  2. wistfully
    in a pensively sad manner
    “Are you leaving the ship, Mistress Eaton?” Kit greeted her wistfully.
  3. hanker
    desire strongly or persistently
    But I was born in Saybrook, and in the spring I get to hankering for my house and garden.
  4. tedious
    so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
    Besides, I’d never let on to my husband, but the summer trips are tedious, just back and forth up and down the river.
  5. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    As Kit gathered her heavy skirts about her and clambered down the swaying rope ladder, the men in the longboat good-naturedly shoved their bundles closer to make room for her.
  6. hull
    the frame or body of a ship
    Her spirits bobbed like the whitecaps in the harbor as the boat pulled away from the black hull of the Dolphin.
  7. throng
    a large gathering of people
    A throng of men and boys on the wharf had noisily closed in on the three Eatons, and she could hear a busy catching up of the past months’ news.
  8. presume
    take liberties or act with too much confidence
    No one on the island had ever presumed to stare like that at Sir Francis Tyler’s granddaughter.
  9. provisions
    a stock or supply of foods
    She turned to watch the sailors stowing provisions into the longboat.
  10. dour
    showing a brooding ill humor
    Four new passengers were embarking for the trip up the river, a shabby, dour-looking man and wife and their scrawny little girl clutching a wooden toy, and a tall, angular young man with a pale narrow face and shoulder-length fair hair under a wide-brimmed black hat.
  11. moor
    secure in or as if in a berth or dock
    Then Nathaniel, coming back down the road on a run, slipped the rope from the mooring and as they pulled away from the wharf leaped nimbly to his place with the crew.
  12. headlong
    with the upper or anterior part of the body foremost
    Kicking off her buckled shoes and dropping the woolen cloak, she plunged headlong over the side of the boat.
  13. vigorous
    characterized by forceful and energetic action or activity
    But after a dazed second she sighted the bobbing piece of wood and instinctively struck out after it in vigorous strokes that set her blood moving again.
  14. daft
    foolish or mentally irregular
    “You must be daft,” the woman hissed. “To jump into the river and ruin those clothes!”
  15. scornful
    expressing extreme contempt
    “Swim?” she echoed scornfully. “Why my grandfather taught me to swim as soon as I could walk.”
  16. defiantly
    in a rebellious manner
    Then, glancing defiantly from one hostile face to another, Kit found a small measure of comfort.
  17. sodden
    wet through and through; thoroughly wet
    Then she saw that the child, silently clutching her sodden doll, was staring at her with a gaze of pure worship.
  18. forthright
    characterized by directness in manner or speech
    “I am Katherine Tyler,” she answered forthrightly. “I am on the way to Wethersfield to live with my aunt, Mistress Wood.”
  19. heathen
    not acknowledging the God of Christianity, Judaism and Islam
    “Barbados!” He stared. “The heathen island in the West Indies?"
    “’Tis no heathen island. ’Tis as civilized as England, with a famous town and fine streets and shops. My grandfather was one of the first plantation owners, with a grant from the King.”
  20. quirk
    twist or curve abruptly
    His very smile had a touch of solemnness. But even as she thought it, she was surprised by the humor that quirked his fine straight lips.
  21. aloof
    distant, cold, or detached in manner
    His thin clothing had dried on him, but the friendly grin of that morning had been replaced by an aloof and mocking smile that showed only too well that his morning’s ducking had not been forgotten.
  22. indignant
    angered at something unjust or wrong
    “How dare she!” Kit flared, indignant as much at his tone as at the dread word he uttered so carelessly.
  23. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    But she was surprised to see that John Holbrook was not at all amused. His solemn young face was even more grave than before.
  24. nonchalance
    the trait of remaining calm and seeming not to care
    She had made them both laugh, but underneath her nonchalance, Kit felt uneasy.
  25. indifferent
    showing no care or concern in attitude or action
    “Doesn’t the wind ever blow on this river?”
    “Mighty seldom, ma’am,” he responded with indifferent good humor. “You get used to it. We’ll spend most of the summer waiting for a breeze, going or coming.”
  26. furtively
    in a secretive manner
    Once or twice she had seen the father furtively slip the child an extra morsel from his plate, but he was plainly too spineless to stand up for her against his shrew of a wife.
  27. punctilious
    marked by precise accordance with details
    Captain Eaton treated her with punctilious caution.
  28. begrudge
    allow unwillingly or reluctantly
    He’s the only one on this ship who doesn’t seem to begrudge my existence.
  29. shrewd
    marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
    In the twilight the memory of him was very sharp, the soft pink skin aging on his fine cheekbones, the thin aristocratic nose, the eyes, so shrewd and yet so loving.
  30. muse
    reflect deeply on a subject
    “I’ve tried so hard to imagine Aunt Rachel,” mused Kit.
  31. earnestly
    in a sincere and serious manner
    John Holbrook looked earnestly at the girl beside him.
  32. intangible
    hard to pin down or identify
    Kit was aware again of that intangible warning that she could not interpret.
  33. imperceptibly
    in a manner that is difficult to discern
    Painfully, almost imperceptibly, the Dolphin inched forward through the water.
  34. squall
    sudden violent winds, often accompanied by precipitation
    In a split second a squall darkened Nat’s blue eyes.
  35. brocade
    weave a design into
    And why should she care—a rude, freckle faced sailor who took more notice of a strip of canvas than of a brocaded gown?
  36. wan
    lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble
    Last night, for instance, she had reached impulsively for the volume he held, opened it at the marked page, and squinting curiously at the words in the wan light, had read aloud...
  37. apprehend
    understand or perceive the meaning of something
    We are in the first place to apprehend that there is a time fixed and stated by God for the Devil to enjoy a dominion over our sinful and therefore woful world.
  38. reproof
    an act or expression of criticism and censure
    All the same, the reproof in John Holbrook’s voice left her discomforted.
  39. imploringly
    in a pleading manner
    Prudence, dragging at her mother’s hand, gazed back imploringly as they passed.
  40. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    “I am entirely responsible for my own coming,” she assured him haughtily.
Created on Fri Aug 19 14:09:12 EDT 2016 (updated Sat Jun 17 11:45:45 EDT 2023)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.