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

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
30 words 137 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. doze
    sleep lightly or for a short period of time
    I dozed off to sleep.
  2. whimper
    cry weakly or softly
    I pictured Legs lying at Dante’s feet, whimpering at the sound of the thunder.
  3. miserable
    very unhappy
    It made me feel miserable.
  4. euphemism
    an inoffensive expression substituted for an offensive one
    That was Dante’s euphemism.
  5. berserk
    frenzied as if possessed by a demon
    I came home with Legs, who went berserk when I brought her home.
  6. censor
    forbid the public distribution of
    Dogs didn’t censor themselves.
  7. alley
    a narrow street with walls on both sides
    “It happened in some alley,” I said.
  8. graceful
    characterized by beauty of movement, style, or form
    I wanted to tell them that I never knew that people like Dante existed in the world, people who looked at the stars, and knew the mysteries of water, and knew enough to know that birds belonged to the heavens and weren’t meant to be shot down from their graceful flights by mean and stupid boys.
  9. fender
    a guard that protects a vehicle's wheel
    We walked up to my truck and he ran his hand over the chrome fenders.
  10. decent
    socially or conventionally correct; refined or virtuous
    “You’re not screwed up at all. You’re sweet and good and decent.”
  11. inexplicable
    incapable of being explained or accounted for
    In a strange and inexplicable way, my brother had come home.
  12. concussion
    injury to the brain caused by a blow
    They had to make sure he was okay because he’d had a concussion.
  13. drowsy
    half asleep
    They made him drowsy.
  14. pensive
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    He just kept nodding pensively.
  15. shallow
    lacking depth of intellect or knowledge
    “He’s good-looking? How shallow is that?”
  16. prologue
    an introductory section of a novel or other literary work
    High school was just a prologue to the real novel.
  17. hesitate
    pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
    He hesitated a moment.
  18. mope
    move around slowly and aimlessly
    “You know you’ve been moping around the house for the past four or five days. Moping and lifting weights.”
  19. stern
    serious and harsh in manner or behavior
    She wasn’t angry, she wasn’t wearing that stern look that she sometimes wore when she was playing mother.
  20. skirmish
    a minor short-term fight
    Did I ever you tell you about any of my skirmishes while I was in Vietnam?”
  21. reconnaissance
    the act of scouting, especially to gain information
    “We were on a reconnaissance mission. Things were pretty quiet for a few days. It was monsoon season."
  22. monsoon
    a seasonal wind in southern Asia
    “We were on a reconnaissance mission. Things were pretty quiet for a few days. It was monsoon season. God, I hated those endless rains."
  23. convoy
    the act of escorting while in transit
    “We were just ahead of a convoy. The area had been cleared. We were there to make sure the coast was clear."
  24. ambush
    the act of hiding and waiting to make a surprise attack
    There were bullets all over the place. Grenades going off. We were pretty much ambushed."
  25. thrive
    grow vigorously
    All this time, I’d wanted my father to tell me something about the war and now I couldn’t stand to see the rawness of his pain, how new it was after so many years, how that pain was alive and thriving just beneath the surface.
  26. instinct
    inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to stimuli
    "All of your instincts, Ari, all of them, tell me something. You love that boy.”
  27. aloof
    distant, cold, or detached in manner
    “I guess I’m a little aloof sometimes.”
  28. insignificant
    conveying nothing
    I felt small and insignificant and inadequate.
  29. inadequate
    lacking the requisite qualities or resources to meet a task
    I felt small and insignificant and inadequate.
  30. compassion
    a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
    I thought of that look of love and compassion that she wore as she looked at me.
Created on Fri Sep 29 15:27:54 EDT 2017 (updated Fri Oct 06 16:24:52 EDT 2017)

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