Tangleroot: Chapters 10–14

by Kalela Williams
Noni Reid has to leave her Boston home and move with her perfect, successful mom back to the family's southern roots in rural Virginia. There, she not only struggles with her mom's acceptance of her, but also the truth she uncovers about southern plantation life and who is related to whom.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–9, Chapters 10–14, Chapters 15–19, Chapters 20–25
15 words 0 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. mutual
    common to or shared by two or more parties
    “The divorce? I thought that decision was mutual.”
  2. zester
    a utensil that removes the peel from citrus fruits
    I hastily scraped a lemon across a zester.
  3. rote
    characterized by mechanical or thoughtless repetition
    Sewing scratched an itch. But I was making rote things, things I could sew with my eyes closed. I craved a big project, something that would challenge me.
  4. incensed
    angered at something unjust or wrong
    Cicada was nice enough, but she was Lana Jean’s daughter. Mom would be incensed.
  5. discretion
    power of making choices unconstrained by external agencies
    Cicada touched my arm. “Hey, I know our moms aren’t exactly best friends. But Mama promises ultimate discretion. We even have a workspace for you.”
  6. accoutrement
    an additional piece of equipment used for some activity
    Lana Jean had set up adjustable worktables against the wall, along with a whole sewing cabinet. Inside was an arsenal of accoutrements and, even better, a top-of-the-line machine.
  7. curate
    organize and oversee items in a collection or exhibit
    “I’m curating a theater exhibition. They’re old posters for plays and performances,” Hershel said.
  8. ephemera
    something transitory or not of lasting significance
    “He was an African American teacher,” Hershel informed me. “Quite a voice in Philadelphia. We have a file of his papers and ephemera.”
  9. minstrel
    a performer in a variety show that makes use of blackface
    “‘Minstrels No More!’” I read the headline aloud. “‘We must forever draw the curtains upon minstrel theater.’”
  10. flagrant
    conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible
    "It is a scourge, a flagrant affront!"
  11. levity
    feeling an inappropriate lack of seriousness
    "How can we find levity in these belittling farces? With every laugh, there dies a hope of our people, fading into the raucous hall…"
  12. reclamation
    rescuing from error and returning to a rightful course
    Every individual had different motivations, but for some Black people it could’ve been a reclamation: comedy by us, for us, with our spin, the way we did everything.
  13. dissertation
    a treatise advancing a point of view resulting from research
    Both Dad and my cousin ordered another drink, with Kadeem basically wanting a dissertation on all the beers on the menu.
  14. evince
    give expression to
    Their presence thus too evinced their heartfelt sympathy with the bereaved ones.
  15. panhandle
    a narrow strip of land projecting from a larger area
    “It was while they were on their way to Florida. To Mrs. Askew’s hometown on the panhandle.”
Created on Mon Sep 07 21:19:53 EDT 2026 (updated Tue Oct 13 12:00:42 EDT 2026)

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.