A Game of Thrones: Chapters 49–60

by George R.R. Martin
Lord Ned Stark is summoned to serve as an advisor to the King of Westeros, setting in motion a sweeping saga of courtly intrigue, military battle, and fire-breathing dragons.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 12, Chapters 13–24, Chapters 25–36, Chapters 37–48, Chapters 49–60, Chapters 61–72

Here are links to our lists for other volumes in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin: A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Dance with Dragons
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. disconsolate
    sad beyond comforting; incapable of being soothed
    Sansa, still disconsolate, stared sullenly at her food and refused to eat, but Arya wolfed down everything that was set in front of her.
  2. fealty
    the loyalty that one owes to a country, sovereign, or lord
    Bend the knee and swear fealty to my son, and we shall allow you to step down as Hand and live out your days in the grey waste you call home.
  3. sonorous
    full and loud and deep
    Its voice was deep and sonorous, and the long slow clanging filled Sansa with a sense of dread.
  4. placid
    not easily irritated
    The rangers had no better luck with the other garrons; not even the most placid wanted any part of these burdens.
  5. hale
    exhibiting or restored to vigorous good health
    Robert Baratheon had looked old and fat when he visited Winterfell, yet he'd seemed hale enough, and there'd been no talk of illness.
    Compare with "robust" in the list for Chapters 25-36--the adjectives are used synonymously to describe the health of Robert Baratheon and Sam's younger brother. But "hale" can only be used to describe a person's physical health, while "robust" (from the Latin "robur" meaning "strength, oak") can refer to objects as well as a person's spirit (Sam's robust brother would not get sick at the sight of blood).
  6. raucous
    unpleasantly loud and harsh
    "Your old life ended when you took the black." His bird made a raucous echo. “Black.”
  7. relent
    give in, as to influence or pressure
    His friends were not allowed to see him, but the Old Bear did relent and permit him Ghost, so he was not utterly alone.
  8. writhing
    moving in a twisting or snake-like or wormlike fashion
    Shouting with revulsion, Jon pried the fingers off his leg with the point of his sword and flipped the thing away. It lay writhing, fingers opening and closing.
  9. consecrate
    render holy by means of religious rites
    To be a knight, you must stand your vigil in a sept, and be anointed with the seven oils to consecrate your vows. In the north, only a few of the great houses worship the Seven. The rest honor the old gods, and name no knights . . . but those lords and their sons and sworn swords are no less fierce or loyal or honorable.
  10. surpass
    be greater in scope or size than some standard
    "You are a surpassing clever boy when you work at it, Bran. Have you ever thought that you might wear a maester's chain? There is no limit to what you might learn."
  11. ungainly
    lacking grace in movement or posture
    Her body felt so fat and ungainly now that she welcomed the help of their strong arms and deft hands, whereas before she had often been uncomfortable with the way they fussed and fluttered about her.
    As the structure of the example sentence suggests, an antonym of "ungainly" is "deft" ("skillful in physical movements, especially of the hands"--compare with the synonymous "dexterous" in the list for Chapters 13-24). The use of the adjective "ungainly" could be a pun, since Dany only temporarily fits that description because she had gained weight in her pregnancy.
  12. boisterous
    noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline
    Wylis was quiet and formal, Wendel loud and boisterous; both had ostentatious walrus mustaches and heads as bare as a baby's bottom; neither seemed to own a single garment that was not spotted with food stains.
    As men who take after a father who's gotten too fat to ride a horse, Wylis and Wendel Manderly are physical examples of a lack of restraint. The descriptions here also show a lack of restraint in Wendel's speech and actions and in both their facial hair ("ostentatious" means "intended to attract notice and impress others" in a manner that's often "tasteless and vulgar").
  13. formidable
    extremely impressive in strength or excellence
    I thought the same the first time I saw it, but Ned assured me that this ruin is more formidable than it seems.
    "Formidable" also means "inspiring fear"--the chosen definition is how Catelyn wants Moat Cailin to be so that her son and the army he's leading would be safe; the second definition is the impression that Catelyn wants attackers of Moat Cailin to have so that they would think twice before taking on the armed towers, waist-deep muck, and bloodthirsty ghosts.
  14. consternation
    sudden shock or dismay that causes confusion
    "I did hold Tyrion Lannister, but no longer," Catelyn was forced to admit. A chorus of consternation greeted the news.
  15. impunity
    exemption from punishment or loss
    No man sheds Lannister blood with impunity.
  16. resplendent
    having great beauty
    Ser Barristan Selmy, resplendent in white plate, led them in. Ser Arys Oakheart escorted the queen, while Ser Boros Blount walked beside Joffrey, so six of the Kingsguard were now in the hall
  17. paramount
    more important than anything else; supreme
    Lastly, in these times of treason and turmoil, with our beloved Robert so lately dead, it is the view of the council that the life and safety of King Joffrey is of paramount importance.
  18. noxious
    injurious to physical or mental health
    "Treason is a noxious weed," Pycelle declared solemnly.
  19. repent
    feel sorry for; be contrite about
    "If Lord Eddard were to confess his crime," she said at last, "we would know he had repented his folly."
    Compare this verb with the adjective "contrite" in the list for Chapters 13-24. While the young Petyr often looked contrite for something he did that he knew was wrong, he did so in order to save himself from getting into trouble. Ned however feels that he did the right thing, and as an honorable warrior, he would not repent or confess just to save his own life.
  20. deign
    do something that one considers to be below one's dignity
    "Gods save me," Ned wept. "I am going mad."
    The gods did not deign to answer.
  21. obsequious
    attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner
    The King's Justice must be fearsome, the master of coin must be frugal, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard must be valiant ... and the master of whisperers must be sly and obsequious and without scruple.
    Compare with "unctuous" in the list for Chapters 25-36--although Varys is speaking generally here, he recognizes that his role as the master of whisperers forces him to be unctuous and obsequious. The adjectives are synonymous, but their Latin roots suggest that unctuousness might be an insincere layer of flattery ("unctum" means "ointment") while obsequiousness might arise from a person's lower status ("sequi" means "to follow").
  22. abattoir
    a building where animals are butchered
    A hunter lives a perilous life. If the boar had not done for Robert, it would have been a fall from a horse, the bite of a wood adder, an arrow gone astray . . . the forest is the abattoir of the gods.
  23. brood
    be in a huff; be silent or sullen
    In Dorne, the Martells still brood on the murder of Princess Elia and her babes.
  24. devious
    characterized by insincerity or deceit
    Littlefinger is the second most devious man in the Seven Kingdoms.
  25. rebuke
    an act or expression of criticism and censure
    A lord must learn that sometimes words can accomplish what swords cannot."
    Robb's neck reddened at the rebuke.
    Compare with "berate" in the list for the Prologue-Chapters 12. Although "rebuke" is used as a noun here, it is also a verb that's synonymous with "berate" and "censure" ("criticize or disapprove of severely or angrily"). Here, Robb reddens at his mother's rebuke, decides to listen to her advice, and gains a military advantage. Earlier, Viserys got angry at Mormont's advice, berated Khal Drogo with words, threatened Dany with a sword, and got a molten crown that killed him.
  26. wizened
    lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
    Lord Walder was ninety, a wizened pink weasel with a bald spotted head, too gouty to stand unassisted.
  27. querulous
    habitually complaining
    Catelyn would gladly have spitted the querulous old man and roasted him over a fire, but she had only till evenfall to open the bridge.
  28. augment
    enlarge or increase
    He can scarcely object to an offer to augment his garrison . . . but make certain you give the command to a man you can trust.
  29. malignance
    the quality of being disposed to evil
    If not the blade he would have chosen, it was nonetheless a noble gift, and freeing him from Alliser Thorne's malignance was nobler still.
  30. desolation
    the state of being decayed or destroyed
    My ravens would bring the news from the south, words darker than their wings, the ruin of my House, the death of my kin, disgrace and desolation.
Created on Tue Dec 10 15:25:41 EST 2013 (updated Mon Oct 01 17:01:21 EDT 2018)

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