More Room by Judith Ortiz Cofer

cathy C.
17 words 12 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. chamber
    a natural or artificial enclosed space
    My grandmother's house is like a chambered nautilus; it has many rooms, yet it is not a mansion.
  2. countertop
    the top side of a counter
    Though I have seen it recently, and both woman and room have diminished in size, changed by the new perspective of my eyes, now capable of looking over countertops and tall beds, it is not this picture I carry in my memory of Mama's casa.
  3. secluded
    hidden from general view or use
    It was on this bed where her own children were had been born that the smallest grandchildren were allowed to take naps in the afternoons; here too was where Mama secluded herself to dispense private advice to her daughters, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at whoever sat on the rocker where generations of babies had been sung to sleep.
  4. empress
    a woman emperor or the wife of an emperor
    To me she looked like a wise empress right out of the fairy tales I was addicted to reading.
  5. mahogany
    a reddish-brown wood commonly used to make furniture
    Though the room was dominated by the mahogany four-poster, it also contained all of Mama's symbols of power.
  6. acrid
    strong and sharp, as a taste or smell
    If the acrid aftertaste of her cures for malingering did not get you out of bed, then it was time to call el doctor.
  7. malingering
    evading duty or work by pretending to be incapacitated
    If the acrid aftertaste of her cures for malingering did not get you out of bed, then it was time to call el doctor.
  8. satin
    a smooth, shiny fabric
    This chifforobe was the place where I imagined she kept jewels, satin slippers, and elegant sequined, silk gowns of heartbreaking fineness.
  9. sequined
    covered with beads or jewels or sequins
    This chifforobe was the place where I imagined she kept jewels, satin slippers, and elegant sequined, silk gowns of heartbreaking fineness.
  10. lamented
    mourned or grieved for
    As a middle child, my mother remembers these occasions as a time when the women sat in the kitchen and lamented their burdens, while the men feasted out in the patio, their rum-thickened voices rising in song and praise for each other, companeros all.
  11. burden
    a serious or difficult concern
    As a middle child, my mother remembers these occasions as a time when the women sat in the kitchen and lamented their burdens, while the men feasted out in the patio, their rum-thickened voices rising in song and praise for each other, companeros all.
  12. spire
    a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building
    He painted it his favorite color, sky blue, and made large windows looking out over a green hill and the church spires beyond.
  13. reservoir
    a large or extra supply of something
    She gave up the comfort of Papa's sexual love for something she deemed greater: the right to own and control her body, so that she might live to meet her grandchildren-me among them- so that she could give more of herself to the ones already there, so that she could be more than a channel for other lives, so that even now that time has robbed her of the elasticity of her body and of her amazing reservoir of energy, she still emanates the kind of joy that can only be achieved by living according
  14. emanate
    give out, as breath or an odor
    She gave up the comfort of Papa's sexual love for something she deemed greater: the right to own and control her body, so that she might live to meet her grandchildren-me among them- so that she could give more of herself to the ones already there, so that she could be more than a channel for other lives, so that even now that time has robbed her of the elasticity of her body and of her amazing reservoir of energy, she still emanates the kind of joy that can only be achieved by living according
  15. deem
    judge or regard in a particular way
    She gave up the comfort of Papa's sexual love for something she deemed greater: the right to own and control her body, so that she might live to meet her grandchildren-me among them- so that she could give more of herself to the ones already there, so that she could be more than a channel for other lives, so that even now that time has robbed her of the elasticity of her body and of her amazing reservoir of energy, she still emanates the kind of joy that can only be achieved by living according
  16. dutiful
    willingly obedient out of a sense of respect
    So, when she discovered her first pregnancy, she supposedly drew plans for another room, which he dutifully executed.
  17. renowned
    widely known and esteemed
    Papa acceded to her wishes, child after child, since he had learned early that Mama's renowned temper was a thing that grew like a monster along with a new belly.
Created on Wed Sep 12 17:11:38 EDT 2012 (updated Tue Oct 09 13:19:54 EDT 2012)

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