The Two Towers: Book Four: Chapters 7-10

by J.R.R. Tolkien
In the second part of The Lord of the Rings, the fellowship is broken. Two hobbits are kidnapped by orcs, while Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli help fight the forces of Saruman, an evil wizard. Meanwhile, with Gollum as their guide, Frodo and Sam make their way to Mordor to destroy the One Ring.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Book Three: Chapters 1-3, Book Three: Chapters 4-7, Book Three: Chapters 8-11, Book Four: Chapters 1-3, Book Four: Chapters 4-6, Book Four: Chapters 7-10

Here are links to our lists for other works by J.R.R. Tolkien: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Return of the King, The Hobbit
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. portend
    indicate by signs
    A waiting silence broods above the Nameless Land. I do not know what this portends. But the time draws swiftly to some great conclusion.
  2. covert
    a covering that serves to conceal or shelter something
    There they lay for a while, too tired yet to eat; and peering out through the holes in the covert they watched for the slow growth of day.
  3. interminable
    tiresomely long; seemingly without end
    The time seemed to drag interminably.
  4. pall
    burial garment in which a corpse is wrapped
    There, far away, beyond sad Gondor now overwhelmed in shade, the Sun was sinking, finding at last the hem of the great slow-rolling pall of cloud, and falling in an ominous fire towards the yet unsullied Sea.
  5. unsullied
    spotlessly clean and fresh
    There, far away, beyond sad Gondor now overwhelmed in shade, the Sun was sinking, finding at last the hem of the great slow-rolling pall of cloud, and falling in an ominous fire towards the yet unsullied Sea.
  6. devious
    turning away from a straight course
    Here the road, gleaming faintly, passed over the stream in the midst of the valley, and went on, winding deviously up towards the city’s gate: a black mouth opening in the outer circle of the northward walls.
  7. demented
    affected with madness or insanity
    Luminous these were too, beautiful and yet horrible of shape, like the demented forms in an uneasy dream; and they gave forth a faint sickening charnel-smell; an odour of rottenness filled the air.
  8. bestial
    resembling an animal, especially by being vicious or cruel
    Figures stood there at its head, carven with cunning in forms human and bestial, but all corrupt and loathsome.
  9. trudge
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    Along this path the hobbits trudged, side by side, unable to see Gollum in front of them, except when he turned back to beckon them on.
  10. inclination
    an attitude of mind that favors one alternative over others
    Frodo waited, like a bird at the approach of a snake, unable to move. And as he waited, he felt, more urgent than ever before, the command that he should put on the Ring. But great as the pressure was, he felt no inclination now to yield to it.
  11. muddle
    mix up or confuse
    ‘And I don’t think he’s got just one plain scheme in his muddled head. I think he really is in part trying to save the Precious from the Enemy, as long as he can. For that would be the last disaster for himself too, if the Enemy got it. And in the other part, perhaps, he’s just biding his time and waiting on chance.’
  12. veritable
    being truly so called; real or genuine
    They walked as it were in a black vapour wrought of veritable darkness itself that, as it was breathed, brought blindness not only to the eyes but to the mind, so that even the memory of colours and of forms and of any light faded out of thought.
  13. facet
    a smooth surface (as of a bone or cut gemstone)
    The radiance of the star-glass was broken and thrown back from their thousand facets, but behind the glitter a pale deadly fire began steadily to glow within, a flame kindled in some deep pit of evil thought.
  14. baleful
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    Frodo and Sam, horror-stricken, began slowly to back away, their own gaze held by the dreadful stare of those baleful eyes; but as they backed so the eyes advanced.
  15. afflict
    cause physical pain or suffering in
    No brightness so deadly had ever afflicted them before. From sun and moon and star they had been safe underground, but now a star had descended into the very earth.
  16. lair
    the place where a wild animal lives
    And so back they turned once more, first walking and then running; for as they went the floor of the tunnel rose steeply, and with every stride they climbed higher above the stenches of the unseen lair, and strength returned to limb and heart.
  17. impervious
    not admitting of passage or capable of being affected
    The outlet was blocked with some barrier, but not of stone: soft and a little yielding it seemed, and yet strong and impervious; air filtered through, but not a glimmer of any light.
  18. dissipate
    cause to separate and go in different directions
    Holding aloft the Phial Frodo looked and before him he saw a greyness which the radiance of the star-glass did not pierce and did not illuminate, as if it were a shadow that being cast by no light, no light could dissipate.
  19. scythe
    an edge tool for cutting grass
    The blue-gleaming blade shore through them like a scythe through grass, and they leaped and writhed and then hung loose.
  20. bloat
    become swollen or puff up
    But still she was there, who was there before Sauron, and before the first stone of Barad-dûr; and she served none but herself, drinking the blood of Elves and Men, bloated and grown fat with endless brooding on her feasts, weaving webs of shadow; for all living things were her food, and her vomit darkness.
  21. brood
    the young of an animal cared for at one time
    Far and wide her lesser broods, bastards of the miserable mates, her own offspring, that she slew, spread from glen to glen, from the Ephel Dúath to the eastern hills, to Dol Guldur and the fastnesses of Mirkwood. But none could rival her, Shelob the Great, last child of Ungoliant to trouble the unhappy world.
  22. glut
    an overabundant or excessive supply
    Little she knew of or cared for towers, or rings, or anything devised by mind or hand, who only desired death for all others, mind and body, and for herself a glut of life, alone, swollen till the mountains could no longer hold her up and the darkness could not contain her.
  23. leaden
    made heavy or weighted down with weariness
    But nothing of this evil which they had stirred up against them did poor Sam know, except that a fear was growing on him, a menace which he could not see; and such a weight did it become that it was a burden to him to run, and his feet seemed leaden.
  24. fey
    slightly insane
    Dread was round him, and enemies before him in the pass, and his master was in a fey mood running heedlessly to meet them.
  25. remorseless
    without mercy or pity
    Most like a spider she was, but huger than the great hunting beasts, and more terrible than they because of the evil purpose in her remorseless eyes.
  26. squelch
    compress with force, out of natural shape or condition
    As soon as she had squeezed her soft squelching body and its folded limbs out of the upper exit from her lair, she moved with a horrible speed, now running on her creaking legs, now making a sudden bound.
  27. relentless
    not willing or able to stop or yield
    His long right arm shot out, and he grabbed Sam’s wrist: his fingers were like a vice; slowly and relentlessly he bent the hand down and forward, till with a cry of pain Sam released the sword and it fell to the ground; and all the while Gollum’s other hand was tightening on Sam’s throat.
  28. bereft
    sorrowful through loss or deprivation
    Either she did not see Sam, or she avoided him for the moment as the bearer of the light, and fixed all her intent upon one prey, upon Frodo, bereft of his Phial, running heedless up the path, unaware yet of his peril.
  29. putrid
    in an advanced state of decomposition and having a foul odor
    Her vast belly was above him with its putrid light, and the stench of it almost smote him down.
  30. impudence
    the trait of being rude and impertinent
    Still his fury held for one more blow, and before she could sink upon him, smothering him and all his little impudence of courage, he slashed the bright elven-blade across her with desperate strength.
  31. indomitable
    impossible to subdue
    As if his indomitable spirit had set its potency in motion, the glass blazed suddenly like a white torch in his hand.
  32. firmament
    the sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
    It flamed like a star that leaping from the firmament sears the dark air with intolerable light.
  33. radiance
    the quality of being bright and sending out rays of light
    And for a moment he lifted up the Phial and looked down at his master, and the light burned gently now with the soft radiance of the evening-star in summer, and in that light Frodo’s face was fair of hue again, pale but beautiful with an elvish beauty, as of one who has long passed the shadows.
  34. intolerable
    incapable of being put up with
    For a moment, motionless in intolerable doubt, he looked back.
  35. confer
    present
    Certainly the Ring had grown greatly in power as it approached the places of its forging; but one thing it did not confer, and that was courage.
  36. babel
    a confusion of voices and other sounds
    There was a hoot of snarling horns and a babel of baying voices.
  37. gabble
    speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly
    Most of them were gleeful, delighted with what they had found and seen, and as they ran they gabbled and yammered after the fashion of their kind.
  38. racket
    a loud and disturbing noise
    ‘Can’t you stop your rabble making such a racket, Shagrat?’ grunted the one.
  39. larder
    a small storeroom for storing foods or wines
    This little fellow? But if he was the only one, then she’d have had him off to her larder long before, and there he’d be now.
  40. trinket
    a small cheap ornament, knickknack, or piece of jewelry
    Full description of every article, garment, weapon, letter, ring, or trinket is to be sent to Lugbúrz at once, and to Lugbúrz only.
Created on Tue Feb 06 17:32:24 EST 2018 (updated Wed Feb 21 09:04:52 EST 2018)

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