Collection 6: The Odyssey, Part 1

As you read Part 1 of Robert Fitzgerald's translation of Homer's "The Odyssey," learn this word list. Here are links to lists for texts in Grade 9's Collection 6: elements of an epic, The Odyssey, Part 1, The Odyssey, Part 2, The Cruelest Journey, The Real Reasons We Explore Space
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. Muse
    in ancient Greek mythology any of 9 daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne; protector of an art or science
  2. harry
    annoy continually or chronically
  3. recklessness
    the trait of acting without caution
  4. formidable
    extremely impressive in strength or excellence
  5. guile
    shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception
  6. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
  7. Cyclops
    (Greek mythology) one of a race of giants having a single eye in the middle of their forehead
  8. stern
    the rear part of a ship
  9. laurel
    a small aromatic tree with shiny dark green leaves
  10. victuals
    a source of materials to nourish the body
  11. whey
    the watery part of milk that separates from cheese curds
  12. offer
    present as an act of worship
  13. withy
    strong flexible twig
  14. traffic
    buying and selling, especially illicit trade
  15. ponderous
    having great mass and weight and unwieldiness
  16. brace
    a set of two similar things considered as a unit
  17. lugger
    small fishing boat rigged with one or more lugsails
  18. profusion
    the property of being extremely abundant
  19. nectar
    the food and drink of the gods
  20. ambrosia
    the food and drink of the gods
  21. fuddle
    a confused jumble
  22. pike
    a sharp point (as on the end of a spear)
  23. smithy
    a workplace where metal is worked by heating and hammering
  24. adze
    an edge tool used to cut and shape wood
  25. diverse
    many and different
  26. sage
    having wisdom that comes with experience
  27. breach
    an opening, especially a gap in a dike or fortification
  28. pectoral
    of or relating to the chest or thorax
  29. fleece
    outer coat of especially sheep and yaks
  30. breakers
    waves breaking on the shore
  31. adversary
    someone who offers opposition
  32. avowal
    a statement asserting the truth of something
  33. titanic
    of great force or power
  34. aft
    situated at or toward the stern or tail
  35. Cronus
    the supreme god until Zeus dethroned him
  36. offing
    the part of the sea that can be seen from the shore and is beyond the anchoring area
  37. fawn
    try to gain favor through flattery or deferential behavior
  38. foreboding
    a feeling of evil to come
  39. assuage
    cause to be more favorably inclined
  40. Erebus
    Greek god of darkness who dwelt in the underworld
  41. flay
    strip the skin off
  42. cairn
    a mound of stones piled up as a memorial or to mark a boundary or path
  43. Thebes
    an ancient Greek city in Boeotia destroyed by Alexander the Great in 336 BC
  44. kine
    domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age
  45. knead
    use the hands to mix and work something into a uniform mass
  46. harpy
    a malicious woman with a fierce temper
  47. beetling
    jutting or overhanging
  48. headland
    a natural elevation
  49. azure
    a light shade of blue
  50. abominably
    in an offensive and hateful manner
  51. maelstrom
    a powerful circular current of water
  52. invoke
    request earnestly; ask for aid or protection
  53. plumb
    exactly
  54. founder
    sink below the surface
  55. comber
    a long curling sea wave
  56. smother
    a stifling cloud of smoke
  57. travail
    use of physical or mental energy; hard work
  58. gorge
    the passage between the pharynx and the stomach
  59. spume
    foam or froth on the sea
  60. blanch
    turn pale, as if in fear
  61. Scylla
    (Greek mythology) a sea nymph transformed into a sea monster who lived on one side of a narrow strait; drowned and devoured sailors who tried to escape Charybdis (a whirlpool) on the other side of the strait
  62. anguish
    extreme distress of body or mind
  63. aloft
    high up in or into the air
  64. grapple
    the act of engaging in close hand-to-hand combat
  65. appease
    cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of
Created on July 18, 2014 (updated July 24, 2014)

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