Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild

Amy B. (United States of America)
Forward through Chapter 5
65 words 12 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. transcendent
    exceeding or surpassing usual limits
  2. peregrination
    traveling or wandering around
  3. enigma
    something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
  4. idealism
    belief that the best possible concepts should be pursued
  5. destitute
    poor enough to need help from others
  6. asceticism
    rigorous self-denial and active self-restraint
  7. Tolstoy
    Russian author remembered for two great novels (1828-1910)
  8. renunciation
    the act of sacrificing or giving up or surrendering
  9. fulminate
    cause to explode violently and with loud noise
  10. narcissist
    someone who is excessively self-centered
  11. unsullied
    free from blemishes
  12. sonorous
    full and loud and deep
  13. congenial
    suitable to your needs
  14. caribou
    Arctic deer with large antlers in both sexes
  15. ominous
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
  16. mirthless
    lacking mirth
  17. Sphinx
    (Greek mythology) a riddling winged monster with a woman's head and breast on a lion's body; daughter of Typhon
  18. infallibility
    the quality of never making an error
  19. futility
    uselessness as a consequence of having no practical result
  20. rampart
    an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes
  21. escarpment
    a long steep slope at the edge of a plateau or ridge
  22. amalgam
    a combination or blend of diverse things
  23. alder
    north temperate shrubs or trees having toothed leaves and conelike fruit; bark is used in tanning and dyeing and the wood is rot-resistant
  24. antimony
    a metallic element having four allotropic forms
  25. permafrost
    ground that is permanently frozen
  26. anomaly
    deviation from the normal or common order, form, or rule
  27. cursory
    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
  28. enigmatic
    not clear to the understanding
  29. combine
    put or add together
  30. amiable
    diffusing warmth and friendliness
  31. muck
    any thick, viscous matter
  32. surrogate
    someone or something that takes the place of another
  33. stasis
    inactivity resulting from a balance between opposing forces
  34. plebeian
    of or associated with the great masses of people
  35. mien
    a person's appearance, manner, or demeanor
  36. eddy
    a miniature whirlpool or whirlwind
  37. jetsam
    part of a ship's cargo thrown overboard to lighten the load
  38. altruistic
    showing unselfish concern for the welfare of others
  39. grievously
    in a grievous manner
  40. wallow
    roll around
  41. detritus
    loose material that is worn away from rocks
  42. austere
    of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor
  43. esthetic
    concerning an appreciation of beauty or good taste
  44. inimical
    tending to obstruct or cause harm
  45. kinesthetic
    of or relating to kinesthesis
  46. aridity
    a deficiency of moisture
  47. gypsum
    a white or colorless mineral used in cements and plasters
  48. cholla
    arborescent cacti having very spiny cylindrical stem segments; southwestern United States and Mexico
  49. tamarisk
    any shrub or small tree of the genus Tamarix having small scalelike or needle-shaped leaves and feathery racemes of small white or pinkish flowers; of mostly coastal areas with saline soil
  50. indolently
    in an indolent manner
  51. sere
    having lost all moisture
  52. Precambrian
    the vast span of time from about 4.6 billion to 541 million years ago
  53. jubilance
    a feeling of extreme joy
  54. reconnaissance
    the act of scouting, especially to gain information
  55. portage
    carrying boats and supplies overland
  56. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
  57. perfunctory
    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
  58. precipitous
    extremely steep
  59. unsavory
    morally offensive
  60. lumpen
    mentally sluggish
  61. garrulous
    full of trivial conversation
  62. rheumy
    watery and red, as of the eyes
  63. razed
    torn down and broken up
  64. itinerant
    traveling from place to place to work
  65. constituent
    one of the individual parts making up a composite entity
Created on Tue Jan 18 20:02:43 EST 2011 (updated Tue Jan 18 20:42:37 EST 2011)

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