The Canyon's Edge: List 2

by Dusti Bowling
When Nora gets lost while exploring a canyon, she must fight to survive and find her father.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part One, Part Two: Black Water–A Drink, Part Two: Carried Away–Desert Sun, Part Two: Forgive–Part Three
30 words 146 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. uproot
    pull up by or as if by the roots
    It carries
    all the desert:
    uprooted ironwoods,
    ocotillo wands,
    cholla balls,
    animals,
    rock,
    mud,
    and death.
  2. bile
    a digestive juice secreted by the liver
    the water
    rises as quickly
    as the
    bile
    shooting
    up
    my
    throat
  3. monsoon
    heavy rain accompanied by wind
    I’ve seen
    rivers and ponds
    form instantly
    when the heavy monsoons
    dump inches of water
    on the desert in seconds.
  4. roil
    make turbid by stirring up the sediments of
    The waters
    churn and turn
    and roil and boil
  5. turbulent
    agitated vigorously
    I have to remind myself
    the water’s not alive;
    it won’t...
    suck me down
    into its
    violently whirling,
    tirelessly turbulent
    mouth.
  6. fatigue
    temporary loss of strength and energy from hard work
    My muscles shake
    with fatigue.
  7. tremor
    an involuntary vibration, as if from illness or fear
    My heart pounds hard enough
    to send tremors through my body,
    make my fingers, hands, and arms shudder.
  8. adrenaline
    hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress
    Sliding down the wall,
    slowing my fall with friction,
    sanding skin off my
    palms, forearms, and knees,
    my body so filled with adrenaline,
    I don’t yet feel the pain.
  9. radiate
    extend or spread outward from a center or focus
    And now the pain comes.
    It radiates
    over my torn skin
    like a fire
  10. sludge
    any thick, viscous matter
    My boots sink deep into the dark
    sludge like quicksand.
  11. desperately
    with great urgency
    I need to know the reason so desperately
    that Dad sent me to Mary.
  12. suffocate
    impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of
    ...I’m just small and powerless,
    a single drop of water
    a raging river,
    a single grain of sand
    in a suffocating dust storm
  13. tethered
    confined or restricted with or as if with a rope or chain
    Unanchored.
    Untethered.
    Unpredictable.
  14. debris
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
    Dad has his backpack, but all that debris,
    the water so filled
    with sticks and stones
    and sludge,
    could tear it from
    his body.
  15. trill
    a note that alternates with another note a semitone above it
    I lie back on the cold rock,
    a trill floating back to me
    from somewhere
    down the canyon.
  16. rational
    having its source in or being guided by the intellect
    The Beast isn’t rational
    Or
    Real.
  17. torturous
    extremely painful or unpleasant
    I’ve made it through the torturous night.
  18. silt
    mud or clay or small rocks deposited by a river or lake
    My legs give out, and I stumble,
    my knees digging into the soaked silt,
    mud smothering and sanding and stinging my sores.
  19. smother
    form an impenetrable cover over
    My legs give out, and I stumble,
    my knees digging into the soaked silt,
    mud smothering and sanding and stinging my sores.
  20. waver
    move in a rising and falling pattern
    Lychen bursts like fireworks around me
    in different shades of green:
    lime and split pea and mint.
    The layers wobble and waver.
  21. shard
    a broken piece of a brittle artifact
    One shard of gray shale catches my eye,
    and I pick it up.
  22. anticipation
    an expectation
    My steps quicken
    and my heart speeds with anticipation
    as I round every new corner,
    expecting Dad to appear.
  23. effervescent
    giving off bubbles
    That sound. Effervescent.
    Sizzling. Like Dad frying
    sausage in the morning.
  24. venom
    toxin secreted by animals
    Coiled. Head held high and back.
    Ready to spring, fill me with venom
    if I get too near.
  25. tinge
    a pale or subdued color
    Looks like a diamondback
    but
    greenish tinge,
    fading diamond pattern,
    white rings on tail
    wider than black rings.
  26. sage
    any of various plants of the genus Salvia
    What do I smell?
    The desert:
    creosote, sage, and dust.
  27. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    It is poised
    for another strike
    as I back away
  28. unyielding
    resistant to physical force or pressure
    Standing again, I stare down the cactus.
    Did I really think I could open
    this tough, unyielding thing
    with only my stone knife?
  29. vivid
    having striking color
    It’s streaked with gold, red, brown, and blond,
    as though it’s reflecting
    the colors of the canyon,
    vivid and shining and alive
  30. slather
    spread thickly
    I take some mud and slather it on my
    stinging skin, dab it under my eyes
    before moving on.
Created on Mon Feb 08 17:03:50 EST 2021 (updated Tue Feb 23 15:43:27 EST 2021)

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