City of Bones: Chapters 10–12

by Cassandra Clare
In the first book of The Mortal Instruments series, fifteen-year-old Clary meets the Shadowhunters, a secret group attempting to rid the world of demons.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–9, Chapters 10–12, Chapters 13–16, Chapters 17–20, Chapter 21–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. clemency
    leniency and compassion shown toward offenders
    After the Uprising the loyalists like Blackwell and Pangborn fled. We stayed and cooperated with the Clave. Gave them names. Helped them track down the ones who had run away. For that we received clemency.
  2. extenuating
    partially excusing or justifying
    “But the Lightwoods weren’t punished,” Clary said. “Why not? They’d done the same thing you’d done.”
    “There were extenuating circumstances in their case—they were married, they had a child..."
  3. nigh
    near in time or place or relationship
    “Dear God,” said Jace, “the dread hour is nigh.”
  4. cull
    look for and gather
    He would use the Cup on any human he could capture, and cull out the twenty percent who survived to be his army.
  5. candid
    openly straightforward and direct without secretiveness
    “You hate the Silent Brothers,” protested Isabelle.
    “I don’t hate them,” said Jace candidly. “I’m afraid of them. It’s not the same thing.”
  6. archivist
    a person in charge of a repository of documents and records
    “The Silent Brothers are archivists, but that is not all they are,” interrupted Hodge, sounding as if he was running out of patience.
  7. exhaustive
    performed comprehensively and completely
    “The Brothers keep records on all members of the Clave,” explained Hodge. “Exhaustive records—”
    “Not that exhaustive,” said Jace, “if they didn’t even know she was still alive.”
  8. reprovingly
    in a disapproving, disappointing, or critical manner
    “Jace,” Hodge said reprovingly.
  9. cowl
    a loose hood or hooded robe
    His face was hidden beneath the cowl of his parchment-colored robe.
  10. gargoyle
    an ornament consisting of a grotesquely carved figure
    From this vantage point she could see the upper floors of the old apartment buildings that lined the avenue, elaborately carved with gargoyles and ornamental cornices.
  11. cornice
    a molding between the ceiling and the top of a wall
    From this vantage point she could see the upper floors of the old apartment buildings that lined the avenue, elaborately carved with gargoyles and ornamental cornices.
  12. arcane
    requiring secret or mysterious knowledge
    He taught me everything—weapons training, demonology, arcane lore, ancient languages.
  13. lore
    knowledge gained through tradition or anecdote
    He taught me everything—weapons training, demonology, arcane lore, ancient languages.
  14. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    “But if you had the Mortal Cup, you could make more, right? More demon hunters?” Clary asked tentatively.
  15. trellis
    train on latticework, as of a vine
    They were rolling toward a heavy wrought iron gate, trellised with dark vines.
  16. jounce
    a sudden jarring impact
    “We’re here,” announced Jace as the smooth roll of wheels over pavement turned to the jounce of cobblestones.
  17. whorl
    a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles
    As they moved away from the tunnel and toward the forest of arches, Clary saw that the floor was inscribed with the same runes that sometimes decorated Jace’s skin with lines and whorls and swirling patterns.
  18. emboss
    raise in a relief
    Just in front of the table was a larger square, made of white marble and embossed with a parabolic design of silver stars.
  19. leaden
    darkened or overcast
    Her mother was hurrying her down a night-black street between piles of heaped and dirty snow. Then a lowering sky, gray and leaden, rows of black trees stripped bare.
  20. lance
    move quickly, as if by cutting one's way
    A sudden pain lanced through her right arm.
  21. lope
    run easily
    He loped toward them, eyes on Jace, ignoring Clary as usual.
  22. kelpie
    a water spirit in the form of a horse
    “Who eats whole raw fish?” she inquired aloud.
    “Kelpies,” said Alec. “Selkies. Maybe the occasional nixie.”
  23. fastidious
    giving careful attention to detail
    Isabelle fastidiously ordered a fruit smoothie, Simon asked for coffee, and Clary, after a moment’s hesitation, chose a large coffee and coconut pancakes.
  24. flounce
    walk in an emphatic or exaggerated way
    The waitress winked a blue eye at her and flounced off.
  25. reflexive
    without volition or conscious control
    Something folded slid out from between the pages and fluttered to the floor at her feet. She bent to retrieve it, smoothing it open reflexively.
  26. venerable
    impressive by reason of age
    The Accords have never had the support of the whole Clave. The more venerable families, especially, cling to the old times, when Downworlders were for killing.
  27. torrid
    characterized by intense emotion
    “A diary with no drawings of me in it? Where are the torrid fantasies? The romance novel covers? The—”
  28. chiaroscuro
    the arrangement or interplay of light and dark in an artwork
    The late afternoon light came in through the curtains and made his face a study in contrasts. Chiaroscuro, she thought. The art of shadows and light.
  29. ensemble
    a coordinated outfit (set of clothing)
    “I was just going to wear this,” Clary said, indicating her jeans and T-shirt ensemble.
  30. scrabble
    grope, scratch, or feel searchingly
    Isabelle sounded near tears as she scrabbled around among the piles of junk on top of the vanity.
  31. chassis
    the skeleton of a motor vehicle
    Coming around the car, she saw what they were looking at: several motorcycles, sleek and silvery, with low-slung black chassis.
  32. abashed
    feeling or caused to feel uneasy and self-conscious
    He plucked the stele out of Jace’s hand—Clary hadn’t even realized he was holding it—and held it up. Jace looked faintly abashed.
  33. ambient
    completely enveloping
    Floor-to-ceiling windows were smeared with a thick film of dirt and paint, blocking out most of the ambient light from the street.
  34. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    Alec looked sullen as usual. Jace was wearing a strand of tiny glowing flowers around his neck and seemed pleased with himself.
  35. lieu
    the post or function properly occupied or served by another
    Simon was doing what he usually did in lieu of dancing, which was to bounce up and down on the balls of his feet, looking uncomfortable.
  36. sinuous
    curved or curving in and out
    Isabelle was slinking in a circle around him, sinuous as a snake, trailing her fingers across his chest.
  37. winsome
    charming in a childlike or naive way
    He offered a winsome smile.
  38. splay
    widen or spread apart
    “Now go.” He splayed the fingers of his hand, and the vampire turned as smartly as if someone had grabbed his shoulders and spun him around.
  39. devious
    characterized by insincerity or deceit
    “What’s on your devious little minds?”
  40. hubris
    overbearing pride or presumption
    “My signature,” he said. “I knew it was folly when I did it. An act of hubris...”
Created on Thu Apr 23 14:02:46 EDT 2020 (updated Tue Apr 28 13:24:38 EDT 2020)

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