The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: Chapters 9–10

by Joyce Sidman
This biography, which won the Robert F. Sibert Medal, recounts the life of Maria Merian, a naturalist who studied insects.

Here are links to our lists for the book: "The Girl in the Garden"–Chapter 5, Chapters 6–8, Chapters 9–10, Chapter 11–"The Woman in Her World"
15 words 111 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. renounce
    turn away from; give up
    In the spring of 1685, Maria put most of her belongings in storage, renounced the world — including her increasingly distant husband — and bumped over rutted roads to the flat, open moors of Friesland in the northern Netherlands.
  2. moor
    open land with peaty soil covered with heather and moss
    In the spring of 1685, Maria put most of her belongings in storage, renounced the world — including her increasingly distant husband — and bumped over rutted roads to the flat, open moors of Friesland in the northern Netherlands.
  3. shroud
    burial garment in which a corpse is wrapped
    Within
    a shriveled shroud
    I melt, shift,
    change.
  4. contemplative
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    Perhaps, having begun this more modest, contemplative life, she considered destroying the messy pile of sketches.
  5. permeate
    spread or diffuse through
    In the 1600s, religion permeated life as thoroughly as water or air.
  6. acquisition
    the act of contracting or assuming possession of something
    Europe had grown prosperous after the Thirty Years’ War, spurring a demand for luxury and worldly acquisition.
  7. frivolity
    the trait of being not serious or sensible
    Maria had grown up Calvinist, a form of Protestant Christianity with a deep distrust of frivolity and vanity.
  8. azure
    bright blue in color, like a clear sky
    She pored over specimens of huge azure butterflies that van Sommelsdijk had shipped home for his own collection.
  9. unfurl
    unroll, unfold, or spread out
    Slowly
    I spread wet wings,
    pump, flex,
    unfurl
    these bright
    soft sails
    to gather wind.
  10. throng
    press tightly together or cram
    From her doorstep on Vijzelstraat, near one of the city’s three great canals, she could smell the tang of salt air, hear merchants hawk their colorful goods, and observe all manner of people thronging the streets.
  11. progressive
    favoring or promoting modern or innovative ideas
    Most important, under the Netherlands’ more progressive laws for women, Maria could open her own business, train apprentices, and paint whatever she wanted.
  12. prestigious
    having an excellent reputation; respected
    Witsen was a member of the prestigious Royal Society of London, one of Europe’s first “scientific” groups.
  13. conservatory
    a greenhouse in which plants are arranged
    Block, who befriended Maria, owned superb conservatories and gardens.
  14. dispatch
    send away towards a designated goal
    Dutch companies dispatched merchant ships daily to all corners of the globe, so Amsterdam was flooded with such objects.
  15. glean
    gather, as of natural products
    Using skills gleaned from her mother, Johanna was able to launch her own artistic career in Amsterdam.
Created on Tue Feb 11 16:14:58 EST 2020 (updated Fri Jul 11 16:24:30 EDT 2025)

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