adversary
someone who offers opposition
NOTES:
He lunged towards his adversary.
aristocratic
belonging to or characteristic of the nobility or aristocracy
NOTES:
The gray cat was more smooth and polished than the other strays, having an aristocratic manner about him.
artesian
(of water) rising to the surface under internal hydrostatic pressure
NOTES:
When Jeremiah also discovered an artesian aquifer that supplied a continuous flow of cold sweet water, they knew that this was the place where they would end of their year-long journey.
celestial
relating to or inhabiting a divine heaven
NOTES:
When the light was right, as it was now, she glowed with the radiance of a celestial being.
cryptic
having a secret or hidden meaning
NOTES:
"You speak in such cryptic language. What do you have to hide?"
dapple
a small contrasting part of something
NOTES:
As he climbed up, he felt the last warm rays of the sun dapple his fur where it poked through the dense leaves.
deceit
the quality of being fraudulent
NOTES:
"His skin is surely lent him, For he's included as is the ravenous wolf. Who cannot steal a shape that means deceit?" Cicero, the old cat, quoting Shakespeare
deceptive
designed to deceive or mislead either deliberately or inadvertently
NOTES:
"Then you are more deceptive than I imagined. How did you change your appearance in this way?"
dervish
an ascetic Muslim monk; a member of an order noted for devotional exercises involving bodily movements
NOTES:
Electrons, which are the energy in every atom whirling around their nucleus, like dervishes....
disheveled
in disarray; extremely disorderly
NOTES:
Marco went upstairs to Grandma Sarah̢۪s bedroom and saw the empty, disheveled bed. He went downstairs and roamed through the library, but he had no desire to read. The house was stripped of life.
dispel
to cause to separate and go in different directions
NOTES:
If Marco had any doubts about a traitor in his midst, they were dispelled now.
duplicity
acting in bad faith; deception by pretending to entertain one set of intentions while acting under the influence of another
NOTES:
They wear a false mask to disguise their duplicity.
eccentric
conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
NOTES:
Bait threw a sideways glance to Marco as if to indicate that Cicero was just an eccentric old cat.
enormity
the quality of extreme wickedness
NOTES:
He was not sure that Marco completely grasped the enormity of the situation.
ethereal
characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; as impalpable or intangible as air
NOTES:
Alaniah twirled her ethereal sparkliness upwards and sailed around the room as though even the thought of being tethered by the fourth dimension was something to be avoided at all costs.
exotic
being or from or characteristic of another place or part of the world
NOTES:
Strange and exotic scents filled his nose.
fathom
a linear unit of measurement (equal to 6 feet) for water depth
NOTES:
"I cannot even fathom what it must be like for you, imprisoned in heavy corporeal bodies, plodding along in a time band."
fervor
feelings of great warmth and intensity
flashpoint
the lowest temperature at which the vapor of a combustible liquid can be ignited in air
hideous
grossly offensive to decency or morality; causing horror
hodgepodge
a motley assortment of things
impenetrable
not admitting of penetration or passage into or through
impulsive
without forethought
incomprehensible
difficult to understand
intrusion
entrance by force or without permission or welcome
iridescent
varying in color when seen in different lights or from different angles
jockey
someone employed to ride horses in horse races
luminous
softly bright or radiant
macrocosm
everything that exists anywhere
mangy
having many worn or threadbare spots in the nap
mesmerize
attract strongly, as if with a magnet
NOTES:
Marco knew the conversation was about him, but he was so mesmerized by the exchange that he did not realize what they meant.
microcosm
a miniature model of something
mundane
found in the ordinary course of events
oblivious
(followed by `to' or `of') lacking conscious awareness of
obscure
not clearly understood or expressed
opportunist
a person who places expediency above principle
opposable
capable of being placed opposite to something
ottoman
a low seat or a stool to rest the feet of a seated person
perimeter
a line enclosing a plane areas
predicament
a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one
pretense
the act of giving a false appearance
queasy
causing or able to cause nausea
resounding
characterized by resonance
snippet
a small piece of anything (especially a piece that has been snipped off)
sophisticated
having or appealing to those having worldly knowledge and refinement and savoir-faire
speculation
continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature
subterranean
being or operating under the surface of the earth
tabloid
newspaper with half-size pages
translucent
allowing light to pass through diffusely
treachery
an act of deliberate betrayal
vendetta
a feud in which members of the opposing parties murder each other
vintage
the oldness of wines
vortex
a powerful circular current of water (usually the result of conflicting tides)
adversary
