Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe: Part Three

by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Aristotle and Dante are two teenagers with classical names and loner attitudes. When their paths cross, they develop a friendship that will change their lives.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six
35 words 265 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. surgeon
    a physician who specializes in surgery
    “You had a very, very fine surgeon. All the breaks are below the knees. God—”
  2. internal
    located inward
    They were checking to make sure I had no other internal injuries.
  3. gene
    part of DNA controlling physical characteristics and growth
    “It’s luck and genes,” I said.
  4. therapist
    a person skilled in a particular type of care
    “And then I’ll get you to a physical therapist.”
  5. depressed
    filled with melancholy and despondency
    I was getting really depressed.
  6. fracture
    breaking of hard tissue such as bone
    “That fracture wasn’t so bad. It’ll be off in a month.”
  7. paraplegic
    a person who is immobilized from the waist down
    “You could have wound up a paraplegic. Or worse.”
  8. reflex
    an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus
    “It wasn’t like that. It was just a reflex, you know, like when someone hits your funny bone below the knee. Your leg just jerks.”
  9. courageous
    able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
    “Listen, son, I know you don't think of yourself as being brave or courageous or any of those things. Of course you don’t.”
  10. gesture
    something done as an indication of intention
    And really, I thought that the gesture was kind of nice, you know, sweet, but it made me a little bit uncomfortable.
  11. counselor
    someone who gives advice about problems
    Mrs. Quintana said she was going to take Dante to a counselor.
  12. gratitude
    a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation
    I don’t know why I couldn’t stand the gratitude in Mr. Quintana’s eyes when he said good-bye.
  13. serene
    completely clear and calm
    Her words were serene and sober and she looked right at me because she wanted me to know that she meant every word of what she’d said to me.
  14. sober
    completely lacking in playfulness
    Her words were serene and sober and she looked right at me because she wanted me to know that she meant every word of what she’d said to me.
  15. initiate
    bring into being
    “Are you going to initiate a no-laughing rule?”
  16. sketch
    make a preliminary drawing for later elaboration
    “You going to sketch me in my casts?”
    “Nope. I just thought that maybe you’d want to look at some of my sketches.”
  17. fling
    throw with force or recklessness
    I took his sketch pad in my hands and flung it across the room.
  18. sarcasm
    witty language used to convey insults or scorn
    “I know sarcasm when I hear it. And I don’t think a counselor would be such a bad idea.”
  19. addict
    someone who is physiologically dependent on a substance
    “Yeah, okay, Mom. We can’t have a little addict running around, now can we?”
  20. crutch
    a staff that fits under the armpit and supports body weight
    I tried using crutches. It just wasn’t going to happen.
  21. humiliating
    causing embarrassment or awareness of your shortcomings
    I guess you could say that I found it humiliating.
  22. flock
    a group of birds
    Every afternoon, the clouds would gather like a flock of crows, and it would rain.
  23. blurt
    utter impulsively
    One day he blurted out that he’d finally gone to see a counselor.
  24. inconsistent
    displaying a lack of regularity
    I was hoping he wouldn’t tell me anything about his counseling
    session. He didn't. I was glad about that. And then I was sort of mad he didn’t. Okay, so I was moody. And inconsistent.
  25. passive
    lacking in energy or will
    I’d learned to make myself perfectly passive when my mother bathed and shaved me.
  26. methodical
    characterized by orderliness
    He was slow, methodical, careful.
  27. porcelain
    ceramic ware made of a more or less translucent ceramic
    He made me feel as fragile as porcelain.
  28. cruelty
    feelings of extreme heartlessness
    I couldn’t stand my own cruelty.
  29. invalid
    someone who is incapacitated by a chronic illness or injury
    “I only have two questions. The first question is this: Are you getting me a car because you feel bad that I’m an invalid?”
  30. claustrophobic
    uncomfortably closed or hemmed in
    I hated living in the small and claustrophobic atmosphere of my house.
  31. atmosphere
    distinctive but intangible quality around a person or thing
    I hated living in the small and claustrophobic atmosphere of my house.
  32. vicious
    able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
    So there it was, my own vicious cycle.
  33. confession
    an admission of misdeeds or faults
    “I have a confession to make,” I said.
  34. deliberate
    carefully thought out in advance
    They were exact and deliberate and full of all the things he felt.
  35. spontaneous
    said or done without having been planned in advance
    And yet they seemed to be so spontaneous.
Created on Mon Sep 18 14:19:52 EDT 2017 (updated Fri Oct 06 16:35:02 EDT 2017)

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.