Maus I: My Father Bleeds History: Chapters 1-3

by Art Spiegelman
A celebrated classic of the graphic novel form, Maus explores a man's relationship with his Holocaust-survivor father and with history itself.

Here are links to our lists for the graphic novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–6

Here is a link to our list for Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman.
30 words 9407 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. dowry
    money brought by a woman to her husband at marriage
    Her family was nice, but had no money, even for a dowry.
  2. sensitive
    being susceptible to the attitudes or feelings of others
    I've had many students...but never one as sensitive and intelligent as Anna.
  3. hosiery
    socks, stockings, and tights collectively
    The Zylberbergs had a hosiery factory—one of the biggest in Poland.
  4. proper
    marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
    But this isn't so proper, so respectful.
  5. communist
    a socialist in favor of collectivism in a classless society
    Not romantic... But one tall boy from Warsaw...he was...a Communist!
  6. seamstress
    someone who makes or mends clothes
    Hey Vladek—they just arrested the seamstress that lives down your hall!
  7. textile
    artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting fibers
    You ought to have a textile factory!
  8. premature
    born after a gestation period of less than the normal time
    But wait—if you were married in February, and Richieu was born in October, was he premature?
  9. hysterical
    characterized by a state of violent mental agitation
    She's always hysterical or depressed...a breakdown!
  10. sanitarium
    a hospital for recuperation or for treating chronic diseases
    The sanitarium was inside Czechoslovakia, one of the most expensive and beautiful in the world.
  11. governess
    a woman who cares for and instructs a child in a household
    Everything's arranged—the child can stay here with a governess.
  12. pogrom
    organized persecution of an ethnic group, especially Jews
    I tell you, there's a pogrom going on in Germany today!
  13. synagogue
    the place of worship for a Jewish congregation
    It was many, many such stories—synagogues burned, Jews beaten with no reason, whole towns pushing out all Jews—each story worse than the other.
  14. loot
    steal goods; take as spoils
    Were you looted as part of some kind of anti-Semitic activity?
  15. draft
    compulsory military service
    A draft notice! I was in the Polish Reserves Army, and so I had to go right away!
  16. frontier
    an international boundary or the area immediately inside it
    I went then in a different direction...to the frontier against Germany.
  17. hemorrhage
    lose blood from one's body
    Ever since I got in my left eye the hemorrhaging and the glaucoma, it had to be taken out from me. And now I don't see so well.
  18. glaucoma
    eye disease that damages the optic nerve and impairs vision
    Ever since I got in my left eye the hemorrhaging and the glaucoma, it had to be taken out from me. And now I don't see so well.
  19. cataract
    disease that involves the clouding of the lens of the eye
    And now I have a cataract inside my one good eye.
  20. trench
    any long ditch cut in the ground
    ...We were all digged into trenches near the river. On the other side it was Germans.
  21. delicate
    easily broken or damaged or destroyed
    Like you, Artie, my hands were always very delicate.
  22. frostbite
    damage to bodily tissue caused by extreme cold
    Many others got frostbite wounds.
  23. abundant
    present in great quantity
    War prisoners may volunteer for labor assignments to replace German workers called to the front. Housing and abundant food will be supplied.
  24. comrade
    a friend who is frequently in the company of another
    When my comrades saw I was going, they too registered.
  25. protectorate
    a state or territory partly controlled by a stronger state
    You see, the Nazis divided Poland into pieces: Protectorate and Reich, with a guarded border between.
  26. annex
    take territory as if by conquest
    Reich: Annexed to Germany.
  27. bribe
    make illegal payments to in exchange for favors or influence
    We've bribed the Germans to release prisoners into the homes of local Jews who will claim you as relatives.
  28. recuperate
    restore to good health or strength
    With Orbachs' I stayed a few days recuperating. But I was restless. How could I manage to sneak across the border to my family?
  29. curfew
    an order that after a certain time activities are prohibited
    I must bring Vladek home to Anja before curfew.
    At 7:00 it was a rule. All Jews had to be in their homes and all lights out.
  30. shabby
    showing signs of wear and tear
    Such an old shabby coat. It's a shame my son would wear such a coat.
Created on Sat Jul 11 13:11:55 EDT 2015 (updated Wed Jul 10 09:45:22 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.