A Game of Thrones: Prologue–Chapter 12

by George R.R. Martin
Lord Ned Stark is summoned to serve as an advisor to the King of Westeros, setting in motion a sweeping saga of courtly intrigue, military battle, and fire-breathing dragons.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 12, Chapters 13–24, Chapters 25–36, Chapters 37–48, Chapters 49–60, Chapters 61–72

Here are links to our lists for other volumes in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin: A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Dance with Dragons
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. implacable
    incapable of being appeased or pacified
    All day, Will had felt as though something were watching him, something cold and implacable that loved him not.
    The Latin "placare" means "to calm"--compare with "placid" in the list for Chapters 49-60 ("placid" has a slightly different root of "placere" which means "to please"). Both adjectives are used in descriptions about the Others, whose deadly anger cannot be calmed by anything a man has to offer and who would make even the most placid horses scream.
  2. gaunt
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    Tall, it was, and gaunt and hard as old bones, with flesh pale as milk.
  3. transfix
    pierce with a sharp stake or point
    A shard from his sword transfixed the blind white pupil of his left eye.
    "Transfix" also means "to render motionless, as with a fixed stare"--this definition could be suggested as a pun, since Will was transfixed, upon looking into the transfixed eye of a man who had been lying dead but who was now standing over him.
  4. sentinel
    a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
    This was a wood of stubborn sentinel trees armored in grey-green needles, of mighty oaks, of ironwoods as old as the realm itself.
  5. melancholy
    grave or even gloomy in character
    A face had been carved in the trunk of the great tree, its features long and melancholy, the deep-cut eyes red with dried sap and strangely watchful.
  6. usurper
    one who wrongfully seizes and holds the place of another
    Viserys had been a boy of eight when they fled King's Landing to escape the advancing armies of the Usurper, but Daenerys had been only a quickening in their mother's womb.
  7. enrapture
    hold spellbound
    "She is a vision, Your Grace, a vision," he told her brother. "Drogo will be enraptured."
  8. affront
    a deliberately offensive act
    "Some trifling affront. He sold some poachers to a Tyroshi slaver instead of giving them to the Night's Watch. Absurd law. A man should be able to do as he likes with his own chattel."
  9. endure
    continue to live through hardship or adversity
    "The winters are hard," Ned admitted. "But the Starks will endure. We always have."
    "Stark" means "providing no shelter or sustenance" and "complete or extreme"--this seems like a fitting last name for a family who endures winters and other hardships (the Latin "durus" means "hard").
  10. sepulcher
    a chamber that is used as a grave
    Between the pillars, the dead sat on their stone thrones against the walls, backs against the sepulchres that contained their mortal remains.
  11. apprehensive
    in fear or dread of possible evil or harm
    "I am yours to command, Your Grace. Always." They were words he had to say, and so he said them, apprehensive about what might come next.
  12. tedious
    so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
    Laws are a tedious business and counting coppers is worse.
  13. foreboding
    a feeling of evil to come
    For a moment Eddard Stark was filled with a terrible sense of foreboding.
  14. disdainful
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    Sansa looked radiant as she walked beside him, but Jon did not like Joffrey's pouty lips or the bored, disdainful way he looked at Winterfell's Great Hall.
  15. tactful
    having a sense of what is considerate in dealing with others
    Dwarfs don't have to be tactful. Generations of capering fools in motley have won me the right to dress badly and say any damn thing that comes into my head.
  16. sardonic
    disdainfully or ironically humorous
    "Am I?" the dwarf replied, sardonic. "Do tell my lord father. My mother died birthing me, and he's never been sure."
    Compare with "disdainful" in this list--the adjectives are nearly synonymous, but "sardonic" includes humor that could either soften or sharpen the disdain. In this example sentence, the sardonic tone of the dwarf, since it's directed mostly at himself, makes Tyrion a more likable character than Joffrey, whose disdain is directed at the home of the Starks.
  17. bluster
    be gusty, as of wind
    If I refuse him, he will roar and curse and bluster, and in a week we will laugh about it together.
    "Bluster" also means "act in an arrogant, overly self-assured, or conceited manner"--this definition fits Robert when he wants to act like the king that he is, but in this example sentence, Ned is describing Robert as a friend whom he has grown up with; the chosen definition goes with the other verbs "roar" and "curse" to describe the harmless blowing of hot air.
  18. resentment
    a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
    She did everything prettily, Arya thought with dull resentment.
  19. sufficient
    of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement
    "You'd think the royal sigil would be sufficient, but no. He makes his mother's House equal in honor to the king's."
  20. insipid
    lacking interest or significance or impact
    He's still in love with the sister, the insipid little dead sixteen-year-old.
  21. vertigo
    a reeling sensation; a feeling that you are about to fall
    There was an instant of vertigo, a sickening lurch as the window flashed past.
  22. loathing
    hate coupled with disgust
    "The things I do for love," he said with loathing.
  23. petulant
    easily irritated or annoyed
    Joffrey looked as petulant as only a boy prince can look.
  24. perfunctory
    as a formality only
    He gave Sandor Clegane a perfunctory nod and walked away as briskly as his stunted legs would carry him, whistling.
  25. timorous
    shy and fearful by nature
    "I don't want Brandon to die," Tommen said timorously.
  26. perverse
    deviating from what is considered moral or right or proper
    "You are a perverse little imp, aren't you?"
  27. absolution
    the condition of being formally forgiven by a priest
    "I need none of your absolution, bastard."
  28. seethe
    be in an agitated emotional state
    Viserys seethed with impatience. "I piss on Dothraki omens. The Usurper sits on my father's throne. How long must I wait?"
  29. berate
    censure severely or angrily
    A lesser man may beg a favor from the khal, but must never presume to berate him.
  30. trepidation
    a feeling of alarm or dread
    Ned unrolled the paper with trepidation, thinking of Lysa and her terrible accusation, but the message did not concern Lady Arryn.
    Compare with "foreboding" (used as a noun but also could be an adjective) and "apprehensive" (adjective) in this list. All three words connect to Eddard Stark, who has led warriors into battle, yet admits to his young son that the only time a man can be brave is when he's afraid.
Created on Tue Dec 10 14:10:39 EST 2013 (updated Mon Oct 01 17:00:40 EDT 2018)

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