City of the Plague God: Chapters 25–33

by Sarwat Chadda
Thirteen-year-old Sikander Aziz must join forces with the legendary hero Gilgamesh to stop an ancient god from destroying New York City.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–15, Chapters 16–24, Chapters 25–33, Chapters 34–41
40 words 33 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. snippet
    a small piece of anything
    As we slipped past, trying to find a good place to wait for the train, I caught snippets of their conversations.
  2. wispy
    thin and weak
    Harry started combing the few strands of his wispy white hair.
  3. scintillating
    having brief brilliant points or flashes of light
    The train stopped, and the car door opened to scintillating colors. I squinted against the brightness.
  4. stele
    an ancient upright stone slab bearing markings
    I saw a few tall stone slabs—steles—engraved with cuneiform and other unintelligible markings.
  5. obsidian
    glass formed by the cooling of lava without crystallization
    Someone had taken a lot of care in carving it. The mane had been delicately cut, as had the wide-open roaring mouth and the wrinkles in the folds of fur. The eyes were inlaid obsidian.
  6. frayed
    worn away or tattered along the edges
    The leather satchel he carried looked familiar, worn and oily dark with handling, the edges frayed and repaired with duct tape.
  7. frieze
    an ornament consisting of a horizontal sculptured band
    The broken walls were covered with friezes of men and women in strange outfits with bands of cuneiform running both above and below.
  8. arid
    lacking sufficient water or rainfall
    I did find a flower out in the desert south of Basra....Like an orchid, but totally adapted to an arid environment.
  9. aloof
    distant, cold, or detached in manner
    Erishkigal bore an aloof, regal beauty.
  10. extraction
    a process of obtaining something from a mixture or compound
    "He wanted to create fragrances. We Arabs invented the perfume-making technology, you know. Distillation, steam extraction from flower petals. He kept a kit back at the deli."
  11. primogeniture
    right of inheritance belonging exclusively to the eldest son
    If the firstborn does better, then perhaps it feels more...acceptable?Primogeniture and all that.
  12. reminisce
    recall the past
    He and his monsters often gather to reminisce about the great slaughters. Good times.
  13. encompass
    include in scope
    "And where is this Sea of Tiamat? How big is it?"
    "It encompasses all that is made, unmade, and yet to be made."
  14. enigmatic
    not clear to the understanding
    "And how do we get to this sea?"
    "It will come to you," she replied enigmatically.
  15. malevolent
    wishing or appearing to wish evil to others
    Erishkigal nodded, but her eyes shone with malevolent amusement. She was enjoying this way too much. This was my punishment for entering Kurnugi.
  16. palatial
    suitable for or like a large and stately residence
    Erishkigal's ugallus had erected a palatial tent of shimmering midnight blue.
  17. adverse
    contrary to your interests or welfare
    "I need you to be careful with the flower of immortality when you find it. If you get contaminated by it—if its pollen or sap enters your system—there could be adverse side effects."
  18. laceration
    a torn ragged wound
    How many miles of guts were wrapped around him? They dangled from every limb and trailed on the ground. Many were infected; ugly sores dotted the lining, and the stomachs had lacerations and bleeding patches.
  19. imminent
    close in time; about to occur
    "One final toast to our gruesome and imminent deaths?"
  20. tract
    a system of body parts that serves some specialized purpose
    We watched it dribble down his digestive tract.
  21. primordial
    having existed from the beginning
    The primordial ocean from which all existence arose.
  22. tempest
    a strong storm with violent winds
    Bottomless trenches, gigantic whirlpools, tempests ravaging the surface, and who-knows-what kind of leviathans patrolling its depths.
  23. leviathan
    a massive sea creature
    Bottomless trenches, gigantic whirlpools, tempests ravaging the surface, and who-knows-what kind of leviathans patrolling its depths.
  24. incantation
    a ritual reciting of words believed to have a magical effect
    "Weren't you given a magical incantation or something?"
  25. barrage
    an overwhelming or vigorous outpouring
    The canoe, and us clinging on with every ounce of strength, spun in the barrage of churning water.
  26. buoyant
    tending to float on a liquid or rise in air or gas
    Wave after wave broke over our ancient stone boat, and yet it—somehow—stayed buoyant.
  27. spire
    a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building
    An ugly rock stood defiantly against the sea with five jagged spires projecting from it, as though a hand were clawing its way out.
  28. impervious
    not admitting of passage or capable of being affected
    The surface was covered with razor-sharp edges and spikes, seemingly impervious to the smoothing effects of the seawater barrage.
  29. patron
    someone who supports or champions something
    "Symbol of Shamash, the patron god of kings, and the guy who had a magical net capable of trapping all sorts of terrible evils. You're very lucky to have such a powerful gift."
  30. grotto
    a small cave, usually with attractive features
    I pulled myself out into a small grotto.
  31. sinuous
    curved or curving in and out
    Thick, sinuous branches hung over our heads, sagging with immense age. They all fed to an alcove in the back.
  32. alcove
    a small recess opening off a large room or garden
    Thick, sinuous branches hung over our heads, sagging with immense age. They all fed to an alcove in the back.
  33. cloying
    overly sweet
    Its perfume was delicate, changing from moment to moment, sometimes light and fresh, then heavy and cloying.
  34. shoal
    a large group of fish
    A huge shoal of fish circled the opening, barely acknowledging our presence.
  35. asunder
    into parts or pieces
    The serpent curled around, thinking it would snag the net with its tail and use its whole body to rip it asunder.
  36. impotent
    lacking power or ability
    Bound up from head to tail, it couldn't swim anymore and was now a twenty-mile-long deadweight, looped in over itself like a ring of impotent fury.
  37. sodden
    wet through and through; thoroughly wet
    Litter bobbed on the surface: empty plastic bottles, sodden burger containers, soda cans, and pieces of Styrofoam.
  38. ensemble
    a coordinated outfit (set of clothing)
    The only bright color in her ensemble was a scarlet sash where she'd tucked
 Kasusu's scabbard.
  39. fetid
    offensively malodorous
    The tents we'd seen previously had been torn apart, and their ragged canvas flapped limply in the fetid breeze.
  40. distillation
    purifying a liquid by boiling it and condensing its vapors
    I'll set up the distillation plant out back and turn the flower into a liquid.
Created on Mon May 09 10:49:13 EDT 2022 (updated Wed Jan 11 10:10:58 EST 2023)

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