A Clash of Kings: Chapters 42–55

by George R.R. Martin
In the second volume of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, six rival houses continue to battle to rule the kingdom of Westeros.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 13, Chapters 14–27, Chapters 28–41, Chapters 42–55, Chapters 56–69

Here are links to our lists for other volumes in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin: A Game of Thrones, A Storm of Swords, A Dance with Dragons
30 words 87 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. parley
    a negotiation between enemies
    "Be glad this is a parley, Penrose, or I would have your tongue for those words."
  2. brigand
    an armed thief who is (usually) a member of a band
    The day I need military counsel from a Lysene brigand is the day I put off my crown and take the black.
  3. stripling
    a person who is older than 12 but younger than 20
    Should some ill chance strike down Penrose, command of Storm's End would pass to this stripling, and his cousins believe he would accept my terms and yield up the castle.
  4. agony
    intense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain
    Her cry might have been agony or ecstasy or both.
    As the structure of the example sentence suggests, "agony" and "ecstasy" ("a state of elated bliss") are antonyms, which makes the end of the description sound odd. But there are two reasons why this could be possible: 1) the observation is from Davos, who is horrified by what he is seeing from Melisandre; 2) Melisandre is giving birth, which is physically agonizing, but knowing that what's coming out of her will serve the Lord of Light, she is also emotionally ecstatic.
  5. cache
    a secret store of valuables or money
    The cloak he had found beneath the Fist could well have belonged to his uncle or one of his men, even the Old Bear admitted as much, though why they would have buried it there, wrapped around the cache of dragonglass, no one could say.
  6. opine
    express one's view openly and without fear or hesitation
    Dolorous Edd opined that glass knives were about as useful as nipples on a knight's breastplate, but Jon was not so certain.
  7. harry
    make a pillaging or destructive raid on, as in wartimes
    He cannot march south and leave you behind, to follow and harry his rear.
    "Harry" also means "annoy continually or chronically"--both definitions fit the example sentence since it describes Mance Rayder's wildling army, which is more like a moving village rather than ranks of disciplined soldiers.
  8. invincible
    incapable of being overcome or subdued
    Lancel wanted his own command in the next battle. A splendid way to die before he finished growing that mustache, but young knights always think themselves invincible.
  9. impudent
    improperly forward or bold
    "What does it say?" Bronn could not read, so he asked impudent questions.
  10. dandle
    gently or playfully move a baby up and down
    "Lord Bronn would sound better. I could grab the boy for you just as well. I'll dandle him on my knee and sing him nursery songs if there's a lordship in it."
  11. furtive
    secret and sly
    A few furtive shapes darted into alleys at the sound of hoofbeats on the cobbles, but no one dared accost them.
  12. garb
    clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion
    A whore learns to see the man, not his garb, or she turns up dead in an alley.
  13. bovine
    of or relating to or belonging to cattle
    And Cersei thought Lady Tanda tedious and hysterical, and Lollys a bovine lackwit.
    "Bovine" also means "dull and slow-moving and stolid"--this definition fits Lollys but it would make the phrase "bovine lackwit" somewhat repetitive. Since "lackwit" describes Lollys's dull nature, "bovine" is meant to describe her cowlike physical shape.
  14. implicitly
    without doubting or questioning
    "Why no, I trust you implicitly." A bitter laugh echoed off the shuttered windows. "I trust you like one of my own blood, in truth.
  15. fortuitous
    lucky; occurring by happy chance
    Then there is the matter of Lord Renly's mysterious and most fortuitous murder, even as his battle lines were forming up to sweep his brother from the field.
  16. harrowing
    causing extreme distress
    Finally Tyrion said, "A harrowing tale. I'm sorry."
  17. nonplussed
    filled with bewilderment
    Tyrion threw back his head and laughed.
    Varys reined up, nonplussed. "My lord?"
  18. wan
    lacking vitality as from weariness or illness or unhappiness
    Her smile was wan and tired.
  19. glimmer
    a slight suggestion or vague understanding
    Catelyn had a glimmer of understanding.
  20. treacherous
    tending to betray
    Tainted blood is ever treacherous, and Ramsay's nature was sly, greedy, and cruel.
    "Treacherous" also means "dangerously unstable and unpredictable"--this definition can be seen in descriptions of objects and places: "wildfire was treacherous stuff" and "six days of rain had made the ground treacherous, all soft mud and hidden rocks." While the second definition could also describe a person's nature, the chosen definition is what Roose Bolton intends in order to distance himself from the crimes of his bastard son and prove his own loyalty.
  21. skirmish
    a minor short-term fight
    Not long after, a rider with the Mallister eagle sewn on his breast arrived with a message from Lord Jason, telling of another skirmish and another victory.
  22. somber
    serious and gloomy in character
    The mood within Riverrun had been strained and somber; they would all be better for a little drink and hope.
  23. pungent
    strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell
    The last man marched through the doors was the prisoner Reek, whose stench preceded him, ripe and pungent.
  24. welter
    toss, roll, or rise and fall in an uncontrolled way
    Steel slid through flesh and came out his throat in a welter of blood.
    As a noun, "welter" means "a confused multitude of things"--this wouldn't fit the example sentence since the only thing weltering is blood. The word is used as a noun in the example sentence, but its definition as a verb is closer to the meaning intended.
  25. callow
    young and inexperienced
    A callow youth, always smiling, skilled with a bow; it was hard to imagine him as Lord of Winterfell.
  26. alacrity
    liveliness and eagerness
    Ser Boros had been escorting Tommen and Lord Gyles when Ser Jacelyn Bywater and his gold cloaks had surprised them, and had yielded up his charge with an alacrity that would have enraged old Ser Barristan Selmy as much as it did Cersei; a knight of the Kingsguard was supposed to die in defense of the king and royal family.
  27. blatant
    without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious
    I am your only protection against the likes of him, he wanted to scream. He could not be that blatant, but perhaps some were clever enough to take the lesson.
  28. inimical
    tending to obstruct or cause harm
    The Frostfangs were as cruel as any place the gods had made, and as inimical to men.
  29. sortie
    a military action in which besieged troops burst forth
    "I need Balon Swann and the Hound to lead sorties, to make certain Stannis gets no toehold on our side of the Blackwater."
  30. cudgel
    a club that is used as a weapon
    Robb's blade is dull as a cudgel compared to Ice.
Created on Sat Jan 11 21:17:13 EST 2014 (updated Mon Oct 01 16:59:35 EDT 2018)

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.