The One and Only Ivan: List 1

by Katherine Applegate
Inspired by true events, this award-winning novel by Katherine Applegate tells the story of a captive gorilla and the elephant he befriends.

This list covers "Hello"–"Once Upon a Time."

Here are links to links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3
20 words 7978 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. domain
    territory over which rule or control is exercised
    My domain is at one end of the ring.
  2. billow
    a large sea wave
    I can see the whole mall and a bit of the world beyond: the frantic pinball machines, the pink billows of cotton candy, the vast and treeless parking lot.
  3. unkempt
    not neatly combed
    The freeway billboard has a drawing of Mack in his clown clothes and Stella on her hind legs and an angry animal with fierce eyes and unkempt hair.
  4. forage
    collect or look around for, as food
    After our show, humans forage through the stores.
  5. ebony
    a very dark black
    I grabbed at colors—the crimson flower just out of reach, the ebony bird streaking past.
  6. rustle
    make a dry crackling sound
    The trees rustled.
  7. threadbare
    thin and tattered with age
    He was bit threadbare and scrawny, and not as good-looking as I am, to be honest.
  8. lame
    disabled in the feet or legs
    When she went lame and lagged behind the other elephants, the circus sold her to Mack.
  9. bristly
    having or covered with protective barbs or spines
    A bristly rope tied to a bolt in the floor is all that’s required.
  10. wily
    marked by skill in deception
    He is so speedy, so wily, that mall workers long ago gave up trying to catch him.
  11. wiry
    lean but strong
    Bob is tiny, wiry, and fast, like a barking squirrel.
  12. wayward
    resistant to guidance or discipline
    I’d seen my share of rats zip past, and the occasional wayward sparrow had fluttered in through a hole in my ceiling.
  13. undaunted
    resolutely courageous
    “I am a wild beast, my friend: untamed and undaunted.”
  14. wistful
    showing pensive sadness
    He was smart and cunning, but his gaze was wistful.
  15. tactful
    having a sense of what is considerate in dealing with others
    Bob is not always tactful.
  16. amends
    something done or paid to make up for a wrong
    “A good zoo is how humans make amends.”
  17. coax
    influence or persuade by gentle and persistent urging
    “Maybe she can coax the stupid brat out of the truck.”
  18. incline
    a sloping surface connecting two levels
    At the top of the incline she stops.
  19. indifferent
    marked by a lack of interest
    I grunt again, a dignified, indifferent grunt.
  20. fringe
    adorn with a decorative border
    Her eyes are like Stella’s, black and long-lashed, bottomless lakes fringed by tall grass.
Created on Tue May 01 14:02:18 EDT 2018 (updated Mon May 09 15:16:43 EDT 2022)

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