'World’s Ugliest Woman’ Finally Given a Dignified Burial, 153 Years After Her Death

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. gingival
    of or relating to the gums
    Born in Mexico in 1834, Pastrana suffered from two rare diseases that were undiagnosed in her time: generalized hypertrichosis lanuginose, which gave her copious facial hair and gingival hyperplasia, which thickened her jaw, Reuters reported.
  2. mummify
    remove the organs and dry out in order to preserve it
    She passed away in 1860 but was never given a proper burial — instead, she was mummified so she could continue being displayed as a circus object.
  3. hyperplasia
    abnormal increase in number of cells
    Born in Mexico in 1834, Pastrana suffered from two rare diseases that were undiagnosed in her time: generalized hypertrichosis lanuginose, which gave her copious facial hair and gingival hyperplasia, which thickened her jaw, Reuters reported.
  4. Bigfoot
    large hairy humanoid creature said to live in wilderness areas of the United States and Canada
    (MORE: Bigfoot Is Part Human, and Here Are the DNA Tests to Prove It, Claims Researcher) In the mid-1850s, she was sold to Theodore Lent, a U.S. impresario who later married her to keep control of her and the money she was bringing in, according to the New York Times.
  5. orangutan
    large, long-armed apes that live mostly in trees
    She was called “bear woman,” “the bearded and hairy lady” and once described as the hybrid of a human and an orangutan.
  6. facial hair
    hair on the face (especially on the face of a man)
    Born in Mexico in 1834, Pastrana suffered from two rare diseases that were undiagnosed in her time: generalized hypertrichosis lanuginose, which gave her copious facial hair and gingival hyperplasia, which thickened her jaw, Reuters reported.
  7. undiagnosed
    eluding diagnosis
    Born in Mexico in 1834, Pastrana suffered from two rare diseases that were undiagnosed in her time: generalized hypertrichosis lanuginose, which gave her copious facial hair and gingival hyperplasia, which thickened her jaw, Reuters reported.
  8. Lent
    a period of 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday
    (MORE: Bigfoot Is Part Human, and Here Are the DNA Tests to Prove It, Claims Researcher) In the mid-1850s, she was sold to Theodore Lent, a U.S. impresario who later married her to keep control of her and the money she was bringing in, according to the New York Times.
  9. repatriation
    the act of returning to one's country of origin
    The New York Times reported that Mario Lopez, the current governor of Sinaloa state, the birthplace of Pastrana, later joiner her cause and made a crucial contribution to Pastrana’s repatriation.
  10. dignify
    confer honor upon
    “It’s a very dignified story.”
  11. joiner
    a person who likes to join groups
    The New York Times reported that Mario Lopez, the current governor of Sinaloa state, the birthplace of Pastrana, later joiner her cause and made a crucial contribution to Pastrana’s repatriation.
  12. impresario
    a sponsor who books and stages public entertainments
    (MORE: Bigfoot Is Part Human, and Here Are the DNA Tests to Prove It, Claims Researcher) In the mid-1850s, she was sold to Theodore Lent, a U.S. impresario who later married her to keep control of her and the money she was bringing in, according to the New York Times.
  13. humankind
    all of the living human inhabitants of the earth
    “Imagine the aggression and cruelty of humankind she had to face, and how she overcame it,” Lopez told Reuters.
  14. freak
    a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed
    Throughout her life, her husband exhibited her as a freak of nature on a worldwide tour.
  15. Oslo
    the capital and largest city of Norway
    The son’s remains were damaged beyond repair, but the mother’s body ended up in a storage room at the University of Oslo in Norway, according to the New York Times.
  16. garland
    a circular band of flowers or other foliage
    After a Roman Catholic mass at a local church, Pastrana was buried in the town cemetery in a white coffin garlanded with white rose while traditional music played.
  17. thicken
    make thick or thicker
    Born in Mexico in 1834, Pastrana suffered from two rare diseases that were undiagnosed in her time: generalized hypertrichosis lanuginose, which gave her copious facial hair and gingival hyperplasia, which thickened her jaw, Reuters reported.
  18. researcher
    a scientist devoted to systematic investigation
    (MORE: Bigfoot Is Part Human, and Here Are the DNA Tests to Prove It, Claims Researcher) In the mid-1850s, she was sold to Theodore Lent, a U.S. impresario who later married her to keep control of her and the money she was bringing in, according to the New York Times.
  19. inherit
    receive from a predecessor
    Pastrana died in 1860 after giving birth to Lent’s son, who inherited his mother’s condition.
  20. relentless
    never-ceasing
    The boy died five days later, but Lent was relentless in his pursuit of circus fame.
  21. ensuing
    following immediately and as a result of what went before
    In the ensuing decades, the bodies changed many hands.
  22. accord
    concurrence of opinion
    (MORE: Bigfoot Is Part Human, and Here Are the DNA Tests to Prove It, Claims Researcher) In the mid-1850s, she was sold to Theodore Lent, a U.S. impresario who later married her to keep control of her and the money she was bringing in, according to the New York Times.
  23. lobby
    a large entrance or reception room or area
    Today, more than 150 years after her death, her remains were finally brought back to her hometown after the New York-based visual artist Laura Anderson Barbata spent almost a decade lobbying for her return.
  24. contribution
    a voluntary gift made to some worthwhile cause
    The New York Times reported that Mario Lopez, the current governor of Sinaloa state, the birthplace of Pastrana, later joiner her cause and made a crucial contribution to Pastrana’s repatriation.
  25. Roman Catholic
    of or relating to or supporting Romanism
    After a Roman Catholic mass at a local church, Pastrana was buried in the town cemetery in a white coffin garlanded with white rose while traditional music played.
Created on Mon Mar 04 10:18:38 EST 2013

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