Homeless Bird: Chapters 2–3

by Gloria Whelan
Growing up in a traditional Indian village, Koly expects to enter into an arranged marriage at a young age. But Koly's husband and his family are not what they seemed, and she must forge a new path to independence.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapter 1, Chapters 2–3, Chapters 4–6, Chapters 7–8, Chapters 9–11
35 words 104 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. trace
    an indication that something has been present
    I was up early, dressing quietly while Chandra still slept. All traces of the wedding had disappeared, and the house and courtyard were bare and unfamiliar.
  2. unseemly
    not in keeping with accepted standards of what is proper
    Husband was too serious a word, and it would have been unseemly of me to call him by his name.
  3. scour
    rub hard or scrub
    I took the bowls to the well in the courtyard and scoured them with ashes and sand.
  4. accustomed
    in the habit of or adapted to
    As my eyes grew accustomed to the dim room, I noticed with amazement that pinned onto the mud-brick walls was an endless array of butterflies and bugs.
  5. array
    an impressive display or assortment
    As my eyes grew accustomed to the dim room, I noticed with amazement that pinned onto the mud-brick walls was an endless array of butterflies and bugs.
  6. hoarse
    deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness
    His voice was hoarse from coughing.
  7. peer
    look searchingly
    He peered at me from under his long eyelashes.
  8. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    Hari gave his maa a sullen look.
  9. fare
    the sum charged for riding in a public conveyance
    “No. Only Maa and Baap will go. They have friends to stay with, but the railway fare is expensive.”
  10. cunning
    marked by skill in deception
    It was not I who was wanted at all. It was the money. I felt as if I were tangled like a small fly in the web of a cunning spider.
  11. pyre
    wood heaped for burning a dead body as a funeral rite
    I had been told stories of terrible days long ago when widows were thrown on the burning funeral pyres of their husbands.
  12. quarrel
    an angry dispute
    That evening, when Hari’s baap returned home, there was a terrible quarrel in Hari’s room.
  13. sly
    marked by skill in deception
    He was sitting up in his bed, the two spots on his cheeks redder than ever. He had a sly look on his face. “I fixed it so you can come with us,” he said.
  14. sacred
    made, declared, or believed to be holy
    I settled cross-legged on the floor beside his charpoy and began the story of the man who came to ask my baap to write to the government because the government’s train killed his cow. As everyone knows, cows are sacred to Hindus, so it was a serious thing.
  15. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    The doctor’s voice was very solemn. “I cannot hold out much hope for him. His tuberculosis is of a new kind that does not respond to medication. Still, with complete rest he may have weeks, perhaps months to live.”
  16. tuberculosis
    infection transmitted by inhalation or ingestion of bacilli
    The doctor’s voice was very solemn. “I cannot hold out much hope for him. His tuberculosis is of a new kind that does not respond to medication. Still, with complete rest he may have weeks, perhaps months to live.”
  17. tread
    stomp heavily or roughly
    I felt the sharp pokes of elbows in my side and the crush of other people’s feet treading on my feet.
  18. urn
    a large vase that usually has a pedestal or feet
    Just before the train pulled out, I saw several urns being loaded onto the baggage compartment of the train.
  19. urge
    push for something
    We had brought cooked rice and a melon to slice. Sass urged Hari to have some, but he would not eat.
  20. mercy
    something for which to be thankful
    Much of the time he slept, which was a mercy, for he coughed less in his sleep.
  21. alms
    money or goods contributed to the poor
    Sassur paused to drop coins into their cups, for the giving of alms brings one much credit with the gods.
  22. rickshaw
    a small two-wheeled cart for one passenger
    Sassur found two bicycle rickshaws. After bargaining with the rickshaw wallahs, Sass settled Hari and Sassur in one rickshaw and directed me to join her in the second one.
  23. flush
    turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
    Hari’s face was flushed, and like me he was looking about in amazement.
  24. shrine
    a place of worship associated with something sacred
    In this city of fifteen thousand shrines, each shrine was more splendid than the next, but he was pointing to the great mosque of Aurangzeb, where the city’s Muslims worshiped.
  25. mosque
    a Muslim place of worship that usually has a minaret
    In this city of fifteen thousand shrines, each shrine was more splendid than the next, but he was pointing to the great mosque of Aurangzeb, where the city’s Muslims worshiped.
  26. stately
    refined or imposing in manner or appearance
    Mr. Lai and his wife greeted us warmly. They were elderly and very stately.
  27. dignified
    formal or stately in bearing or appearance
    I wondered if Hari’s parents were ashamed to admit before this dignified man that they had married so young and so sick a son to get money.
  28. pilgrimage
    a journey to a sacred place
    With Mr. Lai and Sass and Sassur, we began our pilgrimage to the Golden Temple.
  29. saffron
    a shade of yellow tinged with orange
    In their saffron robes, sadhus, holy men, were everywhere.
  30. content
    satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are
    I could hardly bear to look at all the misery. Yet the expressions on the faces of the sick were not sad. They were not hopeful, but they were peaceful. Even Hari looked more comfortable and content.
  31. skim
    travel on the surface of water
    Beyond the pilgrims hundreds of small boats skimmed over the river.
  32. liveliness
    animation and energy in action or expression
    Though he scolded, I saw that he was pleased at Hari’s liveliness.
  33. grave
    causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm
    Speaking in a low voice so Hari could not hear, the doctor said, “I am sorry to have to tell you this, but the boy is gravely ill. There is nothing to be done.”
  34. procession
    the action of a group moving ahead in regular formation
    There were many processions like ours that morning, all moving toward the Ganges.
  35. respectable
    conforming to socially acceptable morals or standards
    After the cremation the scattering of Hari’s ashes over the Ganges would set his soul free by returning his body to fire, water, and earth. As we three women waited at a respectable distance, we clung to one another.
Created on Thu Jul 11 20:06:51 EDT 2019 (updated Fri Sep 13 14:00:22 EDT 2019)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.