To Kill a Mockingbird: Chapters 4–10

by Harper Lee
In this classic coming-of-age story, Scout Finch recounts her childhood in Maycomb, Alabama. When Scout's father is appointed to defend a black man in a high-profile trial, racial tensions in the small town come to a head.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–10, Chapters 11–15, Chapters 16–19, Chapters 20–31

Here are links to our lists for Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. auspicious
    indicating favorable circumstances and good luck
    The remainder of my school days were no more auspicious than the first.
  2. arbitrate
    act between parties with a view to reconciling differences
    Jem arbitrated, awarded me first push with an extra time for Dill, and I folded myself inside the tire.
  3. benign
    pleasant and beneficial in nature or influence
    Until Jem and Dill excluded me from their plans, she was only another lady in the neighborhood, but a relatively benign presence.
  4. tacit
    implied by or inferred from actions or statements
    Our tacit treaty with Miss Maudie was that we could play on her lawn, eat her scuppernongs if we didn't jump on the arbor, and explore her vast back lot, terms so generous we seldom spoke to her, so careful were we to preserve the delicate balance of our relationship, but Jem and Dill drove me closer to her with their behavior.
  5. edification
    uplifting enlightenment
    "No," said Atticus, "putting his life's history on display for the edification of the neighborhood."
  6. respective
    considered individually
    Jem said Mr. Avery misfigured, Dill said he must drink a gallon a day, and the ensuing contest to determine relative distances and respective prowess only made me feel left out again, as I was untalented in this area.
  7. aberration
    a state or condition markedly different from the norm
    Mr. Avery said it was written on the Rosetta Stone that when children disobeyed their parents, smoked cigarettes and made war on each other, the seasons would change: Jem and I were burdened with the guilt of contributing to the aberrations of nature, thereby causing unhappiness to our neighbors and discomfort to ourselves.
  8. accost
    approach and speak to someone aggressively or insistently
    When we were on the sidewalk in front of Miss Maudie's, Mr. Avery accosted us.
  9. lineament
    the characteristic parts of a person's face
    A flip of the coin revealed the uncompromising lineaments of Aunt Alexandra and Francis.
  10. ingenuous
    lacking in sophistication or worldliness
    He was a year older than I, and I avoided him on principle: he enjoyed everything I disapproved of, and disliked my ingenuous diversions.
  11. innate
    inborn or existing naturally
    I was proceeding on the dim theory, aside from the innate attractiveness of such words, that if Atticus discovered I had picked them up at school he wouldn't make me go.
  12. trousseau
    clothes and linens that a bride brings to a marriage
    There went with the house the usual legend about the Yankees: one Finch female, recently engaged, donned her complete trousseau to save it from raiders in the neighborhood; she became stuck in the door to the Daughters' Staircase but was doused with water and finally pushed through.
  13. tarry
    stay longer than you should
    I was debating whether to stand there or run, and tarried in indecision a moment too long: I turned to flee but Uncle Jack was quicker.
  14. obstreperous
    noisily and stubbornly defiant
    "And why do I not understand children, Miss Jean Louise? Such conduct as yours required little understanding. It was obstreperous, disorderly and abusive—"
  15. invective
    abusive language used to express blame or censure
    Her use of bathroom invective leaves nothing to the imagination. But she doesn't know the meaning of half she says...
Created on Wed Jul 25 09:13:37 EDT 2018 (updated Thu Jun 26 13:51:19 EDT 2025)

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