The Scarlet Letter

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. quietude
    a state of peace and quiet
    noun
    a state of stillness, calmness, and quiet in a person or place
  2. decorous
    characterized by propriety and dignity and good taste
    adjective
    in keeping with good taste and propriety; polite and restrained
  3. benumbed
    lacking sensation
    benumb
    verb [ trans. ] [often as adj.] (benumbed)
    deprive of physical or emotional feeling
  4. heretofore
    up to this point or up to the present time
    adverb (formal)
    before now
  5. dilapidated
    in a state of decay, ruin, or deterioration
    dilapidate
    verb [trans.]
    cause (something) to fall into disrepair or ruin
  6. edifice
    a structure that has a roof and walls
    noun (formal)
    a building, esp. a large, imposing one
    - (figurative) a complex system of beliefs
  7. portico
    porch or entrance to a building consisting of a covered area
    noun
    a structure consisting of a roof supported by coumns at regular intervals, typically attached as a porch to a building
  8. truculency
    obstreperous and defiant aggressiveness
    truculent
    adjective
    eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant
  9. eider
    duck of the northern hemisphere much valued for the fine soft down of the females
    noun
    a northern sea duck, of which the male has mainly black and white plumage with a colored head, and the female has soft down feathers that are used to line the nest
  10. multitudinous
    too numerous to be counted
    adjective
    very numerous
    - consisting of or containing many individuals or elements
    - (poetic/literary) (of a body of water) vast
  11. schooner
    sailing vessel used in former times
    noun
    1. a sailing ship with two or more masts, typically with the foremast smaller than the mainmast, and having gaff-rigged lower masts
    2. a tall beer glass
  12. tarpaulin
    waterproofed canvas
    noun
    1. a heavy-duty waterproof cloth, originally of tarred canvas
    - a sheet or covering of this
    2. (historical) a sailor's tarred or oilskin hat
    - (archaic) a sailor
  13. besom
    a broom made of twigs tied together on a long handle
    noun
    a broom made of twigs tied around a stick
  14. emolument
    compensation received by virtue of holding an office
    noun (formal)
    a salary, fee, or profit from employment or office
  15. laudable
    worthy of high praise
    adjective
    (of an action, idea, or goal) deserving praise and commendation
  16. Whig
    a member of the political party that urged social reform in 18th and 19th century England; was the opposition party to the Tories
    noun
    an American colonist who supported the American revolution
    - a member of an American political party in the 19th century, succeeded by the Republicans
    "The greater part of my officers were Whigs." (page 13)
  17. detriment
    a damage or loss
    noun
    the state of being harmed or damaged
    - a cause of harm or damage
    "Much and deservedly to my own discredit, therefore, and considerably to the detriment of my official conscience..." (page 14)
  18. incumbency
    a duty that is incumbent upon you
    noun
    the holding of an office or the period during which one is held.
    "... and considerably to the detriment of my official conscience, they continued, during my incumbency, to creep about the wharves..." (page 14)
  19. sagaciously
    in a wise or thoughtful manner
    sagacious
    adjective
    having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgement; shrewd
    “Sagaciously, under their spectacles, did they peep into the holds of vessels!” (page 14)
  20. eulogy
    a formal expression of praise for someone who has died
    noun
    a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly, typically someone who has just died
    “Instead of a reprimand for their previous negligence, the case seemed rather to require an eulogium on their praiseworthy caution...”
  21. coadjutor
    an assistant to a bishop
    noun
    a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop, and often also designated as his successor
    “In the first place, my coadjutors were not invariably old...” (page 15)
  22. unction
    anointing as part of a religious ceremony or healing ritual
    noun (formal)
    a manner of expression arising or apparently arising from deep emotion
    “They spoke with far more interest and unction of their morning’s breakfast...” (page 15)
  23. fourscore
    being ten more than seventy
    cardinal number (archaic)
    eighty
    “This Inspector, when I first knew him, was a man of fourscore years...” (page 16)
  24. contrivance
    the faculty of inventive skill
    noun
    a thing that is created skillfully and inventively to serve a particular purpose
    “...he seemed — not young, indeed, — but a kind of new contrivance of Mother Nature in the shape of man...” (page 16)
  25. threescore
    being ten more than fifty
    cardinal number (poetic/literary)
    sixty
    “The brave soldier had already numbered, nearly or quite, his threescore years and ten...” (page 18)
  26. cumbrous
    difficult to handle or use, especially because of size or weight
    adjective
    poetic or literary term for cumbersome - large or heavy and therefore difficult to carry
    “.. but elsewhere may be only a shapeless mound, cumbrous with its very strength...” (page 19)
Created on Fri Oct 01 04:11:22 EDT 2010 (updated Thu Oct 14 00:54:39 EDT 2010)

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