The Marvellers: List 4

by Dhonielle Clayton
In this first book of The Conjureverse series, eleven-year-old Ella Durand is admitted into the Arcanum Training Institute for Marvelous and Uncanny Endeavors, where she must prove to the magical sky-dwellers that her earthly background and Underworld abilities can be trusted.

This list covers Part III: Arcanum Secrets.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
40 words 8 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. cacophony
    loud confusing disagreeable sounds
    A cacophony of tick-tocks and cuckoos filled the space, and she felt like she was inside a clock itself.
  2. affinity
    a natural attraction or feeling of kinship
    “Time is a funny thing.”
    “Indeed,” he replied. “I've always had an affinity for it.” He obsessively fingered a pocket watch.
  3. staple
    a necessary commodity for which demand is constant
    Gia could sense weakness in the way someone might catch the scent of a person's shampoo. It made her adept at making others feel comfortable just long enough to get what she wanted. Her father had taught her that. A staple of the theater.
  4. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    His heart-shaped face reminded her of her ex-partner, and for a fleeting moment she felt sorry for what she was about to do.
  5. quip
    make jokes or witty remarks
    “The only bad luck comes from your terrible breath,” quipped a voice from behind.
  6. interim
    the time between one event, process, or period and another
    MASTERJI THAKUR WILL BE ON AN EXTENDED VACATION. HIS TASTE COURSES WILL NOW BE TAUGHT BY DR. AHLUWALIA IN THE INTERIM IN THE FOURTH FLOOR FLAVOR LABS.
  7. extraction
    a process of obtaining something from a mixture or compound
    I'm trying to regrow sunspice, which will bring the sand-dragons back home. This week is seed extraction.
  8. vivarium
    an indoor enclosure for keeping living animals and plants
    “It's a vivarium. Helps grow things.”
  9. conundrum
    a difficult problem
    WILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF? THE CONJURE INTEGRATION CONUNDRUM
  10. tender
    young and immature
    The most famous of the lot, Celeste Baptiste, never returned at the tender age of eleven.
  11. compel
    necessitate or exact
    She didn't know why she felt compelled to go see if Abina was okay.
  12. patois
    a characteristic language of a particular group
    Brigit cut into her patois patty, then pressed her napkin in it when its reggae tune started.
  13. tome
    a large and scholarly book
    But Conjurors didn't pass down grimoires or spell books or magical tomes of knowledge.
  14. spiel
    artful or slick talk used to persuade
    Jason started his usual spiel.
  15. reverence
    a feeling of profound respect for someone or something
    She traced a clockwise circle in the soil as a sign of respect and reverence, a technique she'd seen Gran do.
  16. genesis
    a coming into being
    All trainees in Masterji Thakur's Introduction to Spice Elixirs, Indian Spice Alchemy, and Spice Genesis classes will report to Dr. Khan and Dr. Ahluwalia.
  17. cherub
    a sweet innocent baby
    Gia glanced into her satchel at the three other faces she'd packed: the man with the curling mustache and button chin, the cherub blonde with rosy cheeks, and the deep brown woman with a constellation of freckles on her cheeks.
  18. cravat
    a scarf or band of cloth worn around the neck
    He loosened his cravat as if that would help him speak what she did not want spoken.
  19. sconce
    a decorative wall bracket for holding candles or lights
    Wall sconces flickered.
  20. shambles
    a condition of great disorder
    The entire room was in shambles: Chairs were overturned, toilet paper littered the branches of Ella's bottle tree, instruction manuals and books and parchment notebooks and styluses were scattered everywhere, and worst of all, their night-balloons wore nasty messages scrawled in red ink.
  21. vigil
    a purposeful surveillance to guard or observe
    “How did we not see them come in? We must stand vigil at all times now,” St. Joseph replied. “Take turns staying awake.”
  22. strew
    spread by scattering
    Little white spots blurred her vision, but it didn't stop her determined hands from gathering the chaos of items strewn all over the floor.
  23. tendril
    something long, light, slender, and often curling
    A tiny tendril of smoke curled out of it before the candle ignited.
  24. tincture
    a medicine consisting of an extract in an alcohol solution
    Black shelves held curious bottles of tonics and powders and tinctures that on any other day would draw Gia's attention.
  25. lattice
    framework consisting of an ornamental wood or metal design
    A lattice of climbing ivy hooked around him like an arbor.
  26. arbor
    a framework that supports climbing plants
    A lattice of climbing ivy hooked around him like an arbor.
  27. temperamental
    likely to perform unpredictably
    But it's very expensive...and as you probably already know, this particular species doesn't work for everyone. It's temperamental. Very few non-Conjurors can earn its full allegiance. I cannot guarantee it will behave.
  28. stingy
    deficient in amount or quality or extent
    It's very stingy with its spice and nectar.
  29. sinewy
    consisting of tendons or resembling a tendon
    The vines above his head moved, one sinewy cord wiggling loose and snaking along the floor.
  30. outlook
    belief about the future
    Ella abandoned the looking glass and dropped the bundle of fortune sticks, holding the question—What happened to Masterji Thakur?—in her brain.
    She thumbed through the interpretation guide.
    The answer: Outlook uncertain.
  31. necromancy
    conjuring up the dead, especially for prophesying
    Conjure folk already used necromancy to talk to spirits for many reasons, so maybe not that one, because she already knew how to do it.
  32. articulate
    characterized by clear expressive language
    You are a very bright and articulate girl.
  33. wallop
    hit hard
    Her words walloped Ella like a punch.
  34. pertain
    be relevant to
    This letter is to inform you that there’s been an incident pertaining to your child Ella Durand.
  35. grating
    unpleasantly harsh in sound
    “I don't want to hear the word magic, Ella. It offends me. I hate the sound of it. The syllables, even. Grating on the nerves.”
  36. goad
    give heart or courage to
    Generally, she could persuade people into liking her, goad them into trusting her confidence, and manipulate children into abandoning their instinctive suspicions of strangers.
  37. bungle
    make a mess of, destroy, or ruin
    “A problem is nothing more than a tiny machine whose insides are all bungled up needing repair,” he'd told her once.
  38. impart
    transmit, as knowledge or a skill
    Bronze statues of former Headmarvellers waved as they passed, while imparting wise sayings.
  39. flair
    a natural talent
    “Clare has a flair for the dramatic, and I do wonder why she's come forward all of a sudden...as this was many months ago, but her parents are making a fuss, so we have to take it seriously.”
  40. deter
    try to prevent; show opposition to
    “Clearly monitoring hasn't deterred your behavior.”
Created on Mon Nov 06 09:05:39 EST 2023 (updated Tue Nov 07 12:17:14 EST 2023)

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