A Nest for Celeste: Chapters 16–26

by Henry Cole
In this charming novel, a mouse searches for a comfortable home — and befriends a young man named Joseph.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–15, Chapters 16–26, Chapters 27–37
35 words 8 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
    Joseph sighed, trying to muster up interest in the lesson.
  2. putrefy
    decay with an offensive smell
    The odor of putrefying flesh had begun to hang closely in the hot room, and flies hovered constantly around the bird.
  3. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    Joseph raced outside and gingerly pulled back more of the old shirt.
  4. brocade
    weave a design into
    The next morning, after Joseph had gone outside to wash, Celeste scrambled down the shirt to the floor and then carefully clawed her way up the brocaded drape and leaped to the tabletop.
  5. doting
    extravagantly or foolishly loving and indulgent
    She remembered three brothers and a sister, and a doting mother and father.
  6. warble
    sing or play with trills
    The wood thrush then lifted his head and let loose a startlingly clear warble that resonated throughout the room.
  7. pang
    a sudden sharp feeling
    The beauty of it made Celeste’s chest give a tiny heave; and she felt a pang, and an ache so intense that her heart skipped and trembled.
  8. lilting
    characterized by a buoyant rhythm
    The lilting birdsong ended, and the room was still.
  9. stagnant
    not circulating or flowing
    The stagnant air sat unmoving around the plantation.
  10. oppressive
    weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
    The oppressive heat seemed even hotter because of the persistent drone of cicadas in the treetops.
  11. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    From Joseph’s room she warily made her way down the two flights of stairs and to the dining room without being discovered.
  12. whinny
    the characteristic sounds made by a horse
    Celeste heard the whinnies of horses as they were hurried into the barn, along with wagons of cotton and flax.
  13. rivulet
    a small stream
    Rivulets ran down the tree trunk and then gathered into streams and waterfalls.
  14. torrent
    a violently fast stream of water or other liquid
    Trickles of rainwater on the ground quickly became streams, then torrents, turning reddish brown with clay.
  15. buffet
    strike against forcefully
    The wind increased even more, rocking the tree and buffeting Celeste back and forth, rattling the roof of the barn, and blowing bits of leaves and debris into the sky like gunshot.
  16. maelstrom
    a powerful circular current of water
    The basket of berries was ripped from her, and it flew away, lost in the swirling maelstrom.
  17. shoal
    a sandbank in a stretch of water that is visible at low tide
    After riding through a series of rapids and strong currents, the raft bumped into a muddy bank and slowed, then drifted against a sandy shoal and stopped.
  18. prostrate
    lying face downward
    Broken tree limbs littered lawns, and countless hollyhocks and sunflowers lay prostrate, blossoms stuck facedown in the mud.
  19. dwindle
    become smaller or lose substance
    The swollen creek had dwindled to a gurgling trickle.
  20. dappled
    having spots or patches of color
    It was the dappled glow of the late-summer sun that finally revived Celeste, warming her body, soothing her aches.
  21. intuitive
    obtained through instinctive knowledge
    Intuitively she figured she should head upstream, along the bank; but how far?
  22. humdinger
    something or someone of remarkable excellence
    You take a ride on a mighty big raindrop last night? That was a humdinger of a storm!
  23. tussock
    a bunch of hair, feathers, or growing grass
    She started by collecting dried grasses and weed stalks from the surrounding area, gathering big armfuls from the thick tussocks that were growing in abundance along the creek.
  24. cerulean
    bright blue in color, like a clear sky
    Emerald green dragonflies and cerulean damselflies darted around her head as she worked.
  25. adrenaline
    hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress
    She clutched the rim of the basket, adrenaline racing through her tiny body.
  26. rapturous
    feeling great delight
    “Eee!” Celeste squealed rapturously. “Do that again!”
  27. festoon
    decorate or adorn
    Their branches were festooned with long tresses of hanging moss.
  28. cacophony
    loud confusing disagreeable sounds
    The birds’ necks and wings stretched out, and they squawked and croaked in a deafening cacophony.
  29. ecstatic
    feeling great rapture or delight
    She was ecstatic to be back in Joseph’s room, where things looked and smelled and felt comforting.
  30. relish
    derive or receive pleasure from
    Celeste burrowed between his palms and wriggled rapturously, relishing the warmth and safety of his gentle hands.
  31. trill
    sing or play alternating with the half note above or below
    "Freedom!" Cornelius trilled.
  32. earnestly
    in a sincere and serious manner
    Cornelius looked earnestly at his friend.
  33. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    There was the cat, eyes black and focused, hind legs poised and ready to lunge.
  34. mote
    a tiny piece of anything
    Lemony yellow sunlight filtered through dust motes from several windows.
  35. arduous
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
    Celeste was exhausted. It had been a long, arduous several days.
Created on Sat Aug 07 12:57:47 EDT 2021 (updated Mon Aug 09 16:12:59 EDT 2021)

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