"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 23

Philip Geer's "Simon's Saga" includes 820 SAT-level words and gives students an entertaining glimpse into college life.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16, Episode 17, Episode 18, Episode 19, Episode 20, Episode 21, Episode 22, Episode 23, Episode 24, Episode 25, Episode 26, Episode 27, Episode 28, Episode 29, Episode 30, Episode 31, Episode 32, Episode 33, Episode 34, Episode 35, Episode 36, Episode 37
20 words 464 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. pensive
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    Though it was so subtle he could barely discern it, she seemed pensive.
  2. domicile
    housing that someone is living in
    “Welcome to my humble domicile.”
  3. artifact
    a man-made object
    It was comfortably, if eclectically, decorated with artifacts from many cultures.
  4. amulet
    a trinket thought to be a magical protection against evil
    Thai amulets, Javanese ikats, and Japanese art scrolls [“makimono”— remember?] hung on the walls.
  5. prosaic
    not challenging; dull and lacking excitement
    Looking at several of them, Xela saw that they were on a large number of subjects, from the most arcane to the most prosaic.
  6. linguistics
    the scientific study of language
    Books on General Relativity, linguistics, and mysticism mingled with books on plumbing, cooking, and carpentry.
  7. mysticism
    a religion based on communion with an ultimate reality
    Books on General Relativity, linguistics, and mysticism mingled with books on plumbing, cooking, and carpentry.
  8. conspicuous
    obvious to the eye or mind
    Conspicuously displayed in a case were Simon’s football trophies.
  9. diction
    the manner in which something is expressed in words
    He had noticed that sometimes she used some pretty peculiar diction.
  10. retinue
    the group following and attending to some important person
    She looked closely at a painting of the Hindu god Krishna and his retinue of female devotees, the gopis.
  11. demure
    shy or modest, often in a playful or provocative way
    In fact, an amazingly alluring girl, just sitting demurely, looking through photograph albums.
  12. nonchalantly
    in a composed and unconcerned manner
    “Jaz, this is Xela,” Simon said nonchalantly, gesturing to Xela.
  13. disarm
    make less hostile; win over
    Xela smiled so sweetly at her that Jaz was disarmed—almost.
  14. coalesce
    fuse or cause to come together
    She looked like the dream of every man on the planet coalesced into one package.
  15. retort
    answer back
    “Yeah, I can see that,” Jaz retorted.
  16. forte
    an asset of special worth or utility
    It was a rare occasion on which he didn’t have a quick answer to a query that concerned people—his forte.
  17. tangible
    capable of being treated as fact
    I asked her all this stuff and she answered, but I can’t seem to recall anything tangible.
  18. duplicity
    the act of deceiving or acting in bad faith
    Simon was, she knew, fundamentally incapable of duplicity.
  19. dubious
    fraught with uncertainty or doubt
    Simon could tell by the look on Jaz’s face that she was still a little dubious about the nature of his interest in Xela.
  20. epiphany
    a usually sudden insight, perception, or understanding of something
    “Oh, boy,” Jaz said, “one of your epiphanies, huh?”
Created on Tue Aug 19 06:06:54 EDT 2014 (updated Tue Aug 19 15:57:40 EDT 2014)

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