Daughters of the Lamp: Part Two

by Nedda Lewers
This first book of the series introduces twelve-year-old budding scientist Sahara Rashad from 1980s New York and thirteen-year-old servant Morgana Salem from 980s Baghdad, who are connected by their family's mission to protect an underground Egyptian chamber that contains magical treasures.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Parts Four–Five
40 words 9 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. incense
    a substance that produces a fragrant odor when burned
    A sweet, woody aroma shrouded the hall. It reminded her of the incense sticks Amitu sometimes burned in their apartment.
  2. quip
    make jokes or witty remarks
    “Why is everybody honking? It’s not like they can go anywhere.”
    Sahara’s father shook his head. “It’s to express their displeasure. Get used to it,” he quipped.
  3. emanate
    proceed or issue forth, as from a source
    The street outside her window bustled with pedestrians, motorcycles, and cars. It pulsed with Arabic music, emanating from nearly every shop and café they passed.
  4. deter
    try to prevent; show opposition to
    She quickly stuck out her hand, hoping to deter another kiss-on-both-cheeks greeting.
  5. casual
    without or seeming to be without plan or method; offhand
    Her New York accent suddenly sounded casual and gruff compared to his proper tea-with-the-queen one.
  6. tress
    (usually plural) a long lock of hair
    Sahara hadn’t realized girls covered their hair at the age of twelve. She adjusted her ponytail, suddenly feeling self-conscious about her visible tresses.
  7. tarboosh
    a felt cap for a man
    He wore a regal-looking brimless cap, a silk tassel dangling from its top. Tarboosh.
  8. materialize
    come into being; become reality
    Suddenly, a silver necklace materialized inside it, identical to the one Amitu had given her a few days ago.
  9. unfurl
    unroll, unfold, or spread out
    She shut her hand to keep it from falling out, but that only seemed to make it shake more feverishly. Quickly, she unfurled her fingers, groping around in case she’d missed the switch to turn the dang thing off.
  10. exploit
    use or manipulate to one's advantage
    “The magic in these treasures must be closely protected from the evil shadows lurking in the darkness, waiting to strike. If given a chance to possess the enchanted objects, they will exploit them for their own greed, with no regard for the costs.”
  11. chide
    scold or reprimand severely or angrily
    Morgana chided herself for the split-second decision to flee on Ali Baba’s Arabian.
  12. undue
    beyond normal limits
    He was the fastest of her mawlay’s horses—an asset on the run—but also the finest, attracting undue attention from the porter who stopped in front of the sack.
  13. prowess
    a superior skill learned by study and practice
    Morgana prayed that the enchanted rug wouldn’t use this opportunity to show off its flying prowess.
  14. devise
    come up with after a mental effort
    She’d had plenty of hours on the road to devise an answer to questions about the partially exposed rug.
  15. lament
    express grief verbally
    Home. Her throat tightened. Will I ever see it again? she lamented, eyeing the scattered merchants’ stalls.
  16. stave off
    prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
    Unable to stave off hunger any longer, Morgana quickly steered her horse to the stables. She undid the sack and heaved it over her shoulder, then headed straight for the dining hall.
  17. facade
    a showy misrepresentation to conceal something unpleasant
    A servant girl about her age brought over a plate of roasted hen that made Morgana’s mouth water. She restrained herself from jumping up and showering the girl with grateful kisses—a move that would’ve earned her male facade a slap.
  18. insignia
    a badge worn to show official position
    Morgana froze, recognizing the gold insignia embroidered on their coats. The emir’s officers!
  19. pungent
    strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell
    The pungent smells of garlic and cumin reminded her of Amitu’s cooking.
  20. fanfare
    a gaudy outward display
    In unison, heads swung in her direction, and a fanfare of greetings commenced.
  21. emboss
    raise in a relief
    She pointed to the Arabic letters embossed on the sign under the awning.
  22. encompass
    include in scope
    “Our family.” Naima beamed, drawing a circle in the air with her finger that encompassed Sahara, her brother, and herself.
  23. rail
    criticize severely
    “Open sesame.”
    “With the key, you clown,” his sister railed.
  24. conceit
    feelings of excessive pride
    “It’s like I said, now that the thief knows he messed with Fanta Saeed’s family, he’s not coming back.”
    Sahara resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her cousin’s conceit while Naima shoved him down the two stairs that led into the shop.
  25. oust
    remove and replace
    When Naima flicked on the lights, delight ousted Sahara’s hesitation.
  26. impending
    close in time; about to occur
    She was too busy checking the door for his bride-to-be’s impending arrival.
  27. snide
    expressive of contempt
    “I wonder. Are you as grand as your name?”
    Sahara had been asked many questions about her name before, but never this one and never in this snide way.
  28. bechamel
    milk thickened with a butter and flour roux
    Sahara blew out a breath, trying to calm down, as Sittu and Khaltu walked in with lunch, plunking down two casserole dishes of macarona béchamel.
  29. pompous
    puffed up with vanity
    Who the heck was Naima talking about, and why had her name rattled Queen Pompous—
  30. distinguished
    standing above others in character or attainment
    I’m just anxious to find her and bring her back to Baghdad as our distinguished captain has ordered, that’s all.
  31. seethe
    be in an agitated emotional state
    “We will bring her to justice.” The eldest officer seethed. “No one, especially not a filthy servant, gets away with such villainous acts on our watch.”
  32. contempt
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    The fear coursing through Morgana turned into contempt.
  33. servitude
    the state of being required to labor for someone else
    Over her years of servitude, she’d met with her fair share of cruelty—none from her mawlay or his family, but from other gentlemen and ladies around town whose purses overflowed with gold but whose hearts lacked a shred of kindness.
  34. fruition
    the attainment or fulfillment of a plan or objective
    Morgana’s worst fear had come to fruition.
  35. implicate
    bring into intimate and incriminating connection
    She’d been worried that fleeing would implicate her.
  36. tout
    advertise in strongly positive terms
    While Queens hummed with the buzz of cars on the expressway, the clang of construction vehicles breaking ground, and the beeps of trucks in reverse, here, it was the people who made the music—the street merchants touting their wares, the children in the alley yelling “goal,” and Uncle Gamal howling at someone’s joke.
  37. adversity
    a state of misfortune or affliction
    She will experience wonders and adversity. And like the great desert that has braved millions of years of shifting winds, Sahara will persevere.
  38. gilded
    made from or covered with gold
    She thumbed the gilded pages of the journal, then unraveled the leather cord around it.
  39. balk
    show unwillingness towards
    “Are you sure you weren’t dreaming?” Sahara balked, recalling how there was barely room to move in the shop.
  40. insidious
    working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
    An insidious voice wormed its way into her ear.
Created on Thu Aug 22 16:44:44 EDT 2024 (updated Fri Aug 23 15:31:38 EDT 2024)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.