Crime and Punishment Part 3, Pevear and Volokhonsky trans.

MJKubus (United States of America)
Note word meanings, of course, and pay attention to the word origins. Sometimes, they're interesting and helpful.Click a word for explanation, usage notes, etc. When I don't like vocabulary.com's definition, I use the Oxford Dictionary: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/The page number listed for each word is probably the page number I take the Crime and Punishment sentences from. (Note the word probably.)
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. apprehensive
    in fear or dread of possible evil or harm
    Yossarian escaped, but kept looking back over his shoulder anxiously as he retreated through the street People stared at him strangely, making him more apprehensive.
  2. entreaty
    earnest or urgent request
    Hall shot back that Ang Dorje had in fact tried repeatedly to rouse them but they had ignored his entreaties.
  3. philander
    have amorous affairs; of men
    Her philandering husband, played by Hugh Grant, has been hiding the truth from her, allowing his wife to think she is an operatic wonder.
    208
  4. reticence
    the trait of being uncommunicative
    If there was one individual about the place who could break down Micah's reticence and get him to talk it was Madeline.
    208
  5. brawl
    quarrel or fight noisily, angrily or disruptively
    The Howards’ sporting gesture had disintegrated into a back-alley brawl.
    211
  6. cynic
    someone who is critical of the motives of others
    It takes a cynic to be an idealist; the sentimentalist gets left at the first fence.
    211
  7. slovenly
    negligent of neatness especially in dress and person
    It was slovenly and almost wilfully ugly in its speech and gestures.
    211
  8. vengeance
    harming someone in retaliation for something they have done
    So why should they be lumped into the same foul den as the racists, and made the object of hate and vengeance?
    211
  9. claptrap
    foolish, empty, or pompous talk or writing
    We also suffer through the endless verbal claptrap that is emanating from the politicos, whether principals or analysts.
    212
  10. taciturn
    habitually reserved and uncommunicative
    “My grandfather was taciturn. He didn’t tell the kids much about the past.”
    215
  11. salutary
    tending to promote physical well-being; beneficial to health
    And exposure to a rich array of indoor germs may actually be salutary, helping stave off a variety of illnesses.
    215
  12. pique
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    As a Gen Xer, I said, I remember feeling so piqued and helpless when demographers started telling me what was wrong with my generation.
    216
  13. capricious
    determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity
    You’d be forgiven for thinking you were in the Maldives but for the capricious summer weather.
    216
  14. frank
    characterized by directness in manner or speech
    He now visits schools and mental clinics to prompt frank discussion of taboo topics, which he said is not customary for Germans.
    218
  15. derision
    the act of treating with contempt
    It prompted a flood of online derision even as the Las Vegas Review-Journal published a step-by-step guide for how to be a Raiders fan.
    224
  16. sentimentality
    the quality of being falsely emotional in a maudlin way
    I’ve always been bothered by the self-pity and sentimentality in Ford’s writing — Mother of God, how many more dead children will he write about?
    224
  17. mutter
    talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
    He saw my Connecticut license plates and muttered something about “Yankees.”
    225
  18. deranged
    driven insane
    In the same vein, Alex Jones’ deranged conspiracy theories are acutely reflected in Trump’s worldview as well as those of the others mentioned here.
    226
  19. clever
    mentally quick and resourceful
    The surface was just 3 inches thick, including rebar, but a clever curvature helped it stretch 100 feet.
    226

    clever often has a negative connotation—e.g. clever, not wise; too clever for one's own good; too clever by half.
  20. melancholic
    characterized by or causing or expressing sadness
    To break the spell of melancholic nostalgia, Corrado, looking a little wounded, looked up and said, “So when do we get to delete it?”
    231

    word origin: Middle English: from Old French melancolie, via late Latin from Greek melankholia, from melas, melan- ‘black’ + kholē ‘bile’, an excess of which was formerly believed to cause depression.

    Word is rooted in the ancient theory of the four humors: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/shakespeare/fourhumors.html

    Read more here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1S_ef9LIhVsV3Y5akVuN0dGRmc/view?usp=sharing
  21. notorious
    known widely and usually unfavorably
    The special “Ted Bundy: An American Monster” recalls the manhunt for a notorious serial killer.
    235
  22. timid
    showing fear and lack of courage
    Jaliyah was passive and somewhat timid around other children before she started attending the camp three years ago, said her mother, Nicole Peck.
    236

    word origin: Mid 16th century: from Latin timidus, from timere ‘to fear’.
  23. flit
    move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
    She flits so easily between horror and genre work, and then huge teen movies and Pitch Perfect.
    236
  24. muddled
    confused and vague; used especially of thinking
    At 34 years old and ending my maternity leave soon, I am in a constant state of question and muddled with new fears.
    247

    word origin: Late Middle English (in the sense ‘wallow in mud’): perhaps from Middle Dutch moddelen, frequentative of modden ‘dabble in mud’; compare with mud. The sense ‘confuse’ was initially associated with alcoholic drink (late 17th century), giving rise to ‘busy oneself in a confused way’ and ‘jumble up’ (mid 19th century).
  25. solvent
    capable of meeting financial obligations
    The Social Security program will remain solvent until 2034, a projection unchanged from last year.
    250
  26. solicitous
    full of anxiety and concern
    On the plane, the belly found solicitous flight attendants.
    252

    word origin: Late Middle English: from Old French solliciter, from Latin sollicitare ‘agitate’, from sollicitus ‘anxious’, from sollus ‘entire’ + citus (past participle of ciere ‘set in motion’).
  27. impertinent
    improperly forward or bold
    But it’s definitely the kind of outside entertainment that can make a young mind impertinent, skeptical of authority, disinclined to join the rat race.
    255
  28. deduce
    reason from the general to the particular
    In structure-determination experiments using conventional X-ray sources, molecules must be packed into crystals to scatter enough photons to deduce their structure.
    257

    word origin: Late Middle English (in the sense ‘lead or convey’): from Latin deducere, from de- ‘down’ + ducere ‘lead’.
  29. tinge
    affect as in thought or feeling
    The occasion will also be tinged with sadness.
    257

    word origin: Late 15th century: from Latin tingere ‘to dip or colour’. The noun dates from the mid 18th century.
  30. dissemble
    behave unnaturally or affectedly
    Harvard’s admissions policy is “a figleaf”, he says, “to hide, dissemble and obfuscate racial balancing and quotas.”
    257

    word origin: Late Middle English: alteration (suggested by semblance) of obsolete dissimule, via Old French from Latin dissimulare ‘disguise, conceal’.
  31. valiant
    having or showing heroism or courage
    I am saddened at the loss of a man who has come to symbolise Cuba and its valiant resistance to foreign oppression.
    260

    word origin: Middle English (also in the sense ‘robust, well-built’): from Old French vailant, based on Latin valere ‘be strong’.
  32. transgress
    act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises
    The more he transgresses, the more it proves the rules were “establishment” fixes to deny him his rights.
    260

    word origin: Late 15th century (earlier ( late Middle English) as transgression): from Old French transgresser or Latin transgress- ‘stepped across’, from the verb transgredi, from trans- ‘across’ + gradi ‘go’.

    Notice something interesting: transgress (step) is related to the Russian word for crime—преступление (prestupleniye), the first word of the novel's title (преступное наказание)—which includes the meaning of step. How frequently does the word step occur in the novel.
  33. tirade
    a speech of violent denunciation
    Hard to believe anyone was converted by your hateful, loud and endless tirades.
    261

    word origin: Early 19th century: from French, literally ‘long speech’, from Italian tirata ‘volley’, from tirare ‘to pull’.
  34. snort
    a cry or noise made to express displeasure or contempt
    Acknowledging this here is likely to earn me open scorn by some, derisive snorts from others.
    264

    word origin: Late Middle English (as a verb, also in the sense ‘snore’): probably imitative; compare with snore. The noun dates from the early 19th century.
  35. pensive
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    In the most luxuriant images, Mr. Lillis’s expression is often pensive, with a tinge of sadness.
    264

    pensive sometimes carries overtones of sadness or melancholy.

    word origin: Late Middle English: from Old French pensif, -ive, from penser ‘think’, from Latin pensare ‘ponder’, frequentative of pendere ‘weigh’.
  36. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    Ofri seeks to humanize a profession often seen as haughty, privileged, uncommunicative and indifferent to criticism.
    265

    word origin: Mid 16th century: extended form of obsolete haught, earlier haut, from Old French, from Latin altus ‘high’.
  37. disdain
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    Affirming its disdain for "Obamacare," the Trump administration Thursday announced sharp cuts in programs promoting healthcare enrollment under the Affordable Care Act for next year.
    265

    word origin: Middle English: from Old French desdeign (noun), desdeignier (verb), based on Latin dedignari, from de- (expressing reversal) + dignari ‘consider worthy’ (from dignus ‘worthy’).

    Are you noticing a pattern of similar words, or synonyms, associated with Raskolnikov, his attitudes, actions, and ideas? spite, disdain, haughty, pride, arrogance, snort, spit, tirade, defiant, insolent....

    You might look for similar lists associated with other characters. (Possible essay topic.)
  38. plausible
    apparently reasonable, valid, or truthful
    Maybe, but there are other plausible theories to account for a dramatic drop in traffic infractions issued by the Seattle Police Department.
    269

    word origin: Mid 16th century (also in the sense ‘deserving applause or approval’): from Latin plausibilis, from plaus- ‘applauded’, from the verb plaudere.
  39. lurk
    lie in wait or behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
    I was about to climb down off my desk, but first I looked around to be sure that nothing was lurking on the floor.
    276
  40. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
    He played a joyful counterpoint to her plaintive dirge—his notes light and hopeful to drive back the desolation of the future.
    277

    word origin: Late Middle English: from Old French plaintif, -ive, from plainte ‘lamentation’ (see plaint).
Created on Wed Sep 20 21:02:08 EDT 2017

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