Lyddie: Chapters 11–16

by Katherine Paterson
Determined to support her family, Lyddie is drawn to the textile mills flourishing in 19th-century Lowell, Massachusetts, but her dreams are threatened by the brutal working conditions she finds there.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–16, Chapters 17–23
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. seminary
    a private place of education for the young
    There was a college out West in Ohio that took female students—a real college, not a young ladies’ seminary.
  2. proficient
    having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude
    For she was proficient now. Weeks before she had begun tending her own loom without Diana's help.
  3. feign
    give a false appearance of
    She didn’t want Diana to think she was rejoicing in her absence, but she was not skilled at feigning feelings she did not own.
  4. scant
    less than the correct or legal or full amount
    So I’ve fifteen years here. But only a scant handful of Julys.
  5. sweltering
    excessively hot and humid; marked by sweating and faintness
    There was no one at home to explain the fearsome racket, but she satisfied herself that the iron cook stove had not blown up, and returned to her sweltering bedroom to continue reading and copying.
  6. thoroughfare
    a public road from one place to another
    Perhaps she was embarrassed to have a girl yelling rudely at her across a public thoroughfare.
  7. indefatigable
    showing sustained enthusiasm with unflagging vitality
    She was good at her work—fast, nimble-fingered, diligent, and even in the nearly unbearable heat of the weaving room, apparently indefatigable.
  8. dignitary
    an important or influential person
    One afternoon a pair of foreign dignitaries toured the mill, and Mr. Marsden brought them over to watch Lyddie work.
  9. rapier
    a straight sword with a narrow blade and two edges
    Bill Sikes—a name like a rapier—a real villain with nothing to dilute the evil of him, not even Nancy’s love.
  10. reimburse
    pay back for some expense incurred
    Lyddie felt a pang as she ran to fetch the coins to reimburse Mrs. Bedlow for the postage.
  11. disdain
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    Lyddie was given another loom and then another, and even at the increased speed of each loom, she could tend all four and felt a satisfying disdain for those who could not do the work.
  12. compelling
    driving or forcing
    The suitor in Rutland was urging her to give up factory life, but there was a more compelling reason for her to return. She had begun coughing, a dry, painful cough through the night that kept both Betsy and Amelia awake, though not Lyddie.
  13. commandeer
    take arbitrarily or by force
    On Tuesday and Thursday evenings they commandeered half the parlor of Number Five and hired their own teacher.
  14. perdition
    the place or state in which one suffers eternal punishment
    “I know about novels,” she said, her voice high and a little shaky. “They are the devil’s instrument to draw impressionable young minds to perdition.”
  15. pompous
    puffed up with vanity
    “For pity’s sake, Amelia. Where did you ever hear such pompous nonsense?”
  16. defiance
    an act boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
    I wait till I’ve got all the money I need, sign the petition, and exit this city of spindles in a veritable fireworks of defiance.
  17. plucky
    showing courage
    “Read this! Those plucky women are going after the legislature now!”
  18. chaff
    material consisting of seed coverings and pieces of stem
    He was sweeping chaff off a mill floor.
  19. impeccable
    without error or flaw
    His impeccable wife tying that impeccable tie, brushing down that black coat, which by six A.M. would be white with the lint blowing about the gigantic room.
  20. banter
    light teasing repartee
    At mealtimes the noise and complaints and banter of the other girls were like the commotion of a distant parade.
  21. allot
    make possible to have
    She ate the food set before her steadily, with no attempt to bolt as much as possible in the short time allotted.
  22. cajole
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
    Though Amelia cajoled and Mrs. Bedlow made announcements at mealtime, Lyddie did not attempt to go to church.
  23. blather
    talk foolishly
    “If they dismiss me, I’d have to stop stalling and blathering and get myself to Oberlin College and a new life.”
  24. subsidize
    support, as through grants or other funds
    Rumor also had it that these papists were willing to work for lower wages, and, since the corporations did not subsidize their board and keep, the Irish girls were cheaper still to hire.
  25. oppressive
    weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
    The sky was always oppressive and gray, and the smoke of thousands of chimneys hung low and menacing.
  26. ashen
    pale from illness or emotion
    “What’s this here?” His voice was stern, but his face went ashen as he looked down at the two girls.
  27. partial
    having a strong preference or liking for
    “Not partial to the sight of blood, are we?”
  28. infirmary
    a health facility where patients receive treatment
    Mrs. Bedlow helped Diana take Lyddie up the stairs to the second-floor infirmary, not her own room as she wished.
  29. ornery
    having a difficult and contrary disposition
    “Just ornery as a old sow.”
    “Ornery enough to add your name to the petition?” Diana whispered.
  30. apothecary
    a retail shop where medicine and other articles are sold
    One of the Female Labor Reform girls caught her in an apothecary shop one evening and got her to write in her name.
  31. painstaking
    characterized by extreme care and great effort
    The work of drawing the warp threads from the beam through the harness and reeds had to be done painstakingly by hand.
  32. garb
    clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion
    “I wondered if thee would know me in this strange garb.” He was wearing shirt and trousers of coarse cotton jean—the kind of cloth the Lowell mills spit out by the mile.
  33. draft
    a document ordering the payment of money
    Enclosed, therefore, herein is a draft which can never repay my great debt to you.
  34. solvent
    capable of meeting financial obligations
    Yes, it was a genuine draft from a solvent Montreal bank. Fifty dollars.
  35. remand
    place someone into legal custody or prison
    “We been obliged to remand her to Brattleboro—to the asylum down there.”
  36. oblivious
    lacking conscious awareness of
    The farm wagon stood outside; the patient oxen, oblivious to how comically out of place they looked on a city street, chewed their cuds contentedly.
  37. distraught
    deeply agitated especially from emotion
    By the seven o’clock bell, Brigid was looking a little less distraught, and Mr. Marsden came past to pat both girls proudly.
  38. squander
    spend thoughtlessly; throw away
    Having spent that much, Lyddie squandered fifty pence more to get the child a beginning reader and a small paper volume of verses that the bookseller recommended.
  39. begrudge
    allow unwillingly or reluctantly
    It was for Rachel, wasn’t it? How could she begrudge the child?
  40. concoction
    any foodstuff made by combining different ingredients
    Brigid had brought some Irish concoction that Mrs. Bedlow seemed to be trying to refuse, but the girl would not leave until she had been allowed to spoon some of it into the patient’s mouth.
Created on Fri Jan 15 11:22:49 EST 2016 (updated Thu Aug 11 15:11:29 EDT 2022)

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