Adventures of Don Quixote: Chapters 1–4

by Argentina Palacios
Sandy (United States of America)
Don Alonzo, who was an old man living in Spain during the Middle Ages, thought he was the heroic knight Don Quixote de la Mancha. He convinced a neighbor, Sancho Panza, to be his squire, and the two "sallied forth" to right the wrongs of the world. Their misadventures with the likes of windmills, castles, and "giants" made them humorously infamous!

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–10, Chapters 11–16, Chapters 17–20
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. honorable
    adhering to ethical and moral principles
    No one would ever expect anything bad from him or think anything wrong about him, for he was an honorable man, a perfect gentleman.
  2. respectable
    deserving of esteem
    He came from a respectable family—that's why he was called Don Alonso.
  3. armor
    protective covering made of metal and used in combat
    Somewhere in the house there was an old suit of armor that had belonged to his great-grandfather.
  4. steed
    a spirited horse for state or war
    To most people, the name means "This was once a horse," but to Don Alonso, it meant a steed above and beyond all other horses in the world!
  5. homage
    respectful deference
    But he still needed a lady, a lady to dream about, a lady to receive homage from his defeated enemies.
  6. moat
    ditch dug as a fortification and usually filled with water
    "A castle...I can see the moat from here...and on the other side, three or four imposing turrets."
  7. banquet
    a meal that is well prepared and greatly enjoyed
    For the starving knight, this was a banquet.
  8. improvise
    manage in a makeshift way; do with whatever is at hand
    The people at the inn improvised a drinking straw out of a reed, so he could drink.
  9. squire
    a young nobleman attendant on a knight
    He paused for a second, then added: "You, like all knights in armor, should have a squire to be your helper and companion."
  10. merchant
    a businessperson engaged in retail trade
    "We are peaceful people, sir; we are merchants, we are not knights," they said.
  11. stout
    fairly large
    His name was Sancho Panza. He was short and stout, a simple man who didn't know how to read and write.
  12. monstrous
    abnormally large
    "Look yonder, Sancho; there are thirty or more monstrous giants. I shall engage them in fierce combat. And when I win, Sancho, we'll be on our way to riches with the spoils."
  13. resigned
    accepting that something unpleasant cannot be changed
    "May it be the Almighty's will," said a resigned Sancho as he helped his master rise and mount poor, bruised Rocinante.
  14. dromedary
    a camel with a single hump
    There would be a lot of adventure there, for sure. A couple of friars riding mules (to Don Quixote, "horses as big as dromedaries") were approaching.
  15. bewilder
    be a mystery to
    This was one more thing to bewilder everyone, especially the horseman.
Created on Sun Mar 22 21:07:48 EDT 2026 (updated Wed Apr 01 15:54:32 EDT 2026)

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