Beasts of Prey: "Forbidden Fruit"–Chapter 4

by Ayana Gray
Koffi, a sixteen-year-old indentured worker at the Night Zoo, joins forces with Ekon, the son of a decorated hero, to hunt down a dangerous creature that is threatening their home.

This list covers "Forbidden Fruit"–Chapter 4.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
40 words 53 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. repose
    a disposition free from stress or emotion
    Perhaps in the repose of their dreams, their daughter is different, a responsible girl instead of one who sneaks out.
  2. anoint
    choose by or as if by divine intervention
    It isn’t likely I’d get in trouble if the city’s anointed warriors caught me, but they’d almost certainly make me turn back, and I don’t want to.
  3. stoic
    seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
    They seem to watch my approach with an immemorial regard, as stoic as the goddess said to dwell among them.
  4. chastise
    scold or criticize severely
    In his eyes, I’m not a girl to be chastised but a woman to be respected.
  5. heady
    extremely exciting as if by alcohol or a narcotic
    I close my eyes again as my fingers reach to brush the closest fragments of the splendor. This time, at my touch, they course through my veins in an eager, heady rush.
  6. fetid
    offensively malodorous
    It was a nauseating smell, both fetid and sickly sweet, thick in the dusk as it filled Koffi's lungs.
  7. lambent
    softly bright or radiant
    The oil lamp to her right bathed one side of her face in lambent light; the other was cast in shadow.
  8. indenture
    bind by a contract for work, as an apprentice or servant
    Like Koffi, Sahel had been a beastkeeper indentured to the Night Zoo, which meant he’d had little money in life and likely had even less in death.
  9. indelible
    not able to be forgotten, removed, or erased
    Those fissures would fade to a gentler violet as monsoon season drew nearer, but they’d never truly disappear. They’d been there all Koffi's life, an indelible mark left by the Rupture.
  10. paddock
    a pen for horses
    She followed Mama’s lead around cages of white pygmy elephants, chimpanzees, a pair of giraffes grazing quietly in their paddock.
  11. lurid
    shining with an unnatural red glow
    Her heartbeat only settled after the hasira leaf’s power took effect and the lurid yellow glow in his eyes slightly dimmed.
  12. subdued
    quieted and brought under control
    She stooped down, and the moment she fastened its worn straps under his scaled belly and tightened them, she relaxed. The flimsy binds were a silly thing to take comfort in—they’d do nothing if Diko's mood soured—but he was subdued, at least for now.
  13. cloying
    overly sweet
    Even now, wisps of the leaves’ cloying fragrance still suffused the air.
  14. fervor
    the state of being emotionally aroused and worked up
    She spoke with a fervor Koffi had never heard before. “You and I, we’ll leave this place and start over somewhere else, and we’ll never, ever look back. We’ll never return.”
  15. sonorous
    full and loud and deep
    A horn’s brassy trumpeting split the air without warning, its summons rising from the distant Temple of Lkossa to reverberate across the Night Zoo’s lawns in long, sonorous notes.
  16. erratic
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
    The symptoms had become increasingly apparent over time: fits, erratic mood swings, worsening amnesia.
  17. stipple
    produce a mottled effect
    Goose bumps stippled his bare arms despite the heat, but he did his best to ignore them too, and continued his counting.
  18. respectively
    in the order given
    Most people said that Ekon and Kamau, seventeen and nineteen respectively, looked more like twins than like older and younger brother—both had skin the color of rain-soaked earth, umber-brown eyes, and coiled black hair tapered on the sides in Yaba fashion.
  19. discretion
    power of making choices unconstrained by external agencies
    “The rites change each year at the presiding Kuhani’s discretion, Ekkie. It’ll be Father Olufemi who chooses yours. Even I don’t know what it will be.”
  20. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    Gradually, the evening air filled with the familiar din that was the city of Lkossa, the sounds and smells of home.
  21. gilded
    made from or covered with gold
    He counted fifteen different merchants waving wax-dyed textiles through the air and a pair of boys stooped over a wooden oware board as they stopped their game to wave enthusiastically at Kamau when they saw his hanjari’s gilded hilt.
  22. apprehensive
    in fear or dread of possible evil or harm
    At once, the street’s bustle died, and apprehensive gazes lifted.
  23. appraise
    consider in a comprehensive way
    She offered Ekon a gummy smile as they appraised each other, and he fought a shudder—she was missing several teeth.
  24. discern
    perceive, recognize, or detect
    They made their way up its winding path, and even from there he could already discern the temple itself.
  25. adage
    a condensed but memorable saying embodying an important fact
    Kutoka mzizi meant “from the root.” The old family adage was a reminder of where he came from and the expectations that came with that.
  26. hallowed
    worthy of religious veneration
    Baba had been the one to teach him and Kamau those hallowed words when they were small.
  27. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    “Jabir,” she started tentatively. “I need to tell you some—”
  28. patronage
    the act of providing approval and support
    If this merchant couple did agree to a patronage, it would add not only prestige but new revenue for the zoo.
  29. dulcet
    pleasing to the ear
    A dulcet chorus of voices suddenly rose from the inside of the tent, beautiful and harmonic.
  30. cadence
    a recurrent rhythmical series
    It took only seconds for a thunderous percussion of goatskin drums to join the singing, and instinctively Koffi's own heart attuned to their pounding cadence.
  31. ruse
    a deceptive maneuver, especially to avoid capture
    With his red dashiki and fake-silk slippers, he looked jolly, if not slightly overdressed. Koffi knew better than to believe the ruse.
  32. gaudy
    tastelessly showy
    Beside him, his wife was the opposite, uncomfortably young and gaudy.
  33. delectation
    a feeling of extreme pleasure or satisfaction
    For your delectation and delight, I present to you the many creatures of my spectacular Night Zoo!
  34. doting
    extravagantly or foolishly loving and indulgent
    “Ah, I’m afraid my younger, better half is right, Baaz.” Bwana Mutunga gave his wife a doting look.
  35. wistfully
    in a pensively sad manner
    “Well, a man can dream,” he said wistfully.
  36. boon
    something that is desirable, favorable, or beneficial
    “That abomination has been something of a boon for my business.”
  37. corpulent
    excessively large
    A corpulent man dressed in a sweeping blue robe met their gaze.
  38. austere
    of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor
    When none of them raised objections, Father Olufemi gave an austere nod.
  39. stifling
    characterized by oppressive heat and humidity
    New beads of sweat slicked Ekon’s neck, and it wasn’t from the small room’s stifling heat.
  40. painstaking
    characterized by extreme care and great effort
    Unlike Fahim, he reached into it with painstaking care, sweat gathering on his upper lip as his fingers hovered over the snakes’ knotted bodies.
Created on Wed Apr 20 08:40:39 EDT 2022 (updated Mon Apr 25 13:15:02 EDT 2022)

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