Beasts of Prey: "A True Vessel"–Chapter 19

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 "A True Vessel"–Chapter 19.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
40 words 8 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. apoplectic
    marked by extreme anger
    Brother Lekan is charging toward me, looking apoplectic.
  2. parry
    blocking a lunge with a circular motion of the sword
    With practiced steps, she twirls the sword through the air in graceful arcs, thrusting and parrying against an invisible foe.
  3. bovine
    any of various wild or domestic cattle
    “Did you know that bovines have a typical gestation period of approximately two hundred and eighty-three days?”
  4. gestation
    the period during which an embryo develops
    “Did you know that bovines have a typical gestation period of approximately two hundred and eighty-three days?”
  5. tome
    a large and scholarly book
    Around him, the leather-bound tomes of the Temple of Lkossa’s library seemed to reach into the heavens, stacked so high that some shelves required ladders to reach.
  6. dissertation
    a treatise advancing a point of view resulting from research
    There were yellow-paged dissertations like Master Kenyatta's In Defense of East Eshōzan Dendrology, thicker-bound treatises like Master Azikiwe’s A Chronicle of Curious Creatures, even a somewhat-concerning old pamphlet on the varying benefits of carnivorous plant life written by a scholar simply called Nyerere.
  7. treatise
    a formal text that treats a particular topic systematically
    There were yellow-paged dissertations like Master Kenyatta's In Defense of East Eshōzan Dendrology, thicker-bound treatises like Master Azikiwe’s A Chronicle of Curious Creatures, even a somewhat-concerning old pamphlet on the varying benefits of carnivorous plant life written by a scholar simply called Nyerere.
  8. mundane
    belonging to this earth or world
    On the subject of monsters, those mundane and those divine, none is so wretched and feared as the Shetani.
  9. chasten
    censure severely
    All three of them bowed their heads, chastened. One at a time, they mumbled quiet apologies.
  10. lithe
    moving and bending with ease
    She didn’t run, but her steps were quick, lithe, and silent like a stalking cat’s.
  11. goad
    give heart or courage to
    Each clink of the coins at her side was a metallic reminder, a goading force driving her forward.
  12. contrive
    make or work out a plan for; devise
    Not the most sophisticated plan ever contrived, but the only one they had.
  13. imposing
    impressive in appearance
    In the distance, the imposing grandeur of the temple came into view.
  14. inflection
    the patterns of stress and intonation in a language
    Jabir bowed his head, keeping as much of his Gede inflection from his words as he could.
  15. relegate
    assign to a lower position
    Black and green mold had begun to cover one side of her face—no doubt the reason this statue had been relegated here—but the goddess didn’t seem to mind.
  16. gossamer
    so thin as to transmit light
    She was wearing a pale blue dress, a gossamer veil, and a scowl, gesturing at herself.
  17. pretentious
    creating an appearance of importance or distinction
    “Each morning, Father Olufemi visits the worship hall to receive prayers and offerings from the temple’s patrons.”
    Koffi rolled her eyes. “Sounds pretentious.”
  18. cursory
    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
    He gave the stairs to their left a cursory glance.
  19. brethren
    people who are members of the same social or cultural group
    Again, his eyes were drawn to the gods and goddesses, arranged in birth order. It was said they were brethren and sistren, each tasked to watch over a particular piece of the world—the skies, seas, jungles, deserts, mountains, and realm of the dead.
  20. guttural
    relating to or articulated in the throat
    There was a guttural roar as Shomari lunged.
  21. feint
    deceive by a mock action
    Ekon feinted left, then turned on his heel.
  22. condone
    excuse, overlook, or make allowances for
    “I am quite sure the Kuhani would not condone such conduct here,” said Brother Ugo.
  23. predicate
    involve as a necessary condition or consequence
    His and Koffi's plan had been predicated on the assured fact that Father Olufemi was not going to be in his study during the shukrani service.
  24. simper
    smile in an insincere, unnatural, or coy way
    The old man offered a simpering smile.
  25. enamored
    marked by foolish or unreasoning fondness
    She was immediately enamored by it, fascinated, but there wasn’t time for further investigation here, so that would have to wait until later.
  26. cerulean
    bright blue in color, like a clear sky
    One was young, tall, and muscled and wore the bright blue kaftan of a Yaba warrior; the other was significantly older and wore a cerulean robe.
  27. countenance
    the appearance conveyed by a person's face
    She’d never seen the man before, but everything in his countenance confirmed it.
  28. gait
    a person's manner of walking
    He walked with the slow, deliberate gait of someone who rushed for no one, with the confidence of a man who ruled the city.
  29. speculation
    a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
    “Well, people say—”
    “Not speculation,” said Koffi. “What do we know to be fact?”
  30. renege
    fail to fulfill a promise or obligation
    What if, after he told her, she reneged on their deal?
  31. debilitate
    make weak
    He tends to strike to debilitate, light rapid hits that take an opponent down before they even know what’s hit them.
  32. volatile
    liable to lead to sudden change or violence
    Dangerous, those whispers say. Volatile. Unstable.
  33. cacophony
    loud confusing disagreeable sounds
    There were low hums and high-pitched shrieks, roars, and the occasional click of something above him. For a moment, he was entirely lost in its cacophony.
  34. verdant
    characterized by abundance of vegetation and green foliage
    The world was a verdant blur of color all around her—hues of deep green colliding with browns and blacks, and the occasional pink or yellow.
  35. torrid
    extremely hot
    Koffi had worked in the Night Zoo for eleven years—looking after its beasts in every condition, from torrid rainfall to scorching sunshine—but she’d never felt a heat quite like this.
  36. repertoire
    the range of skills in a particular field or occupation
    “That tactic is...somewhat effective, but you should always have a variety of moves in your repertoire. When you only have one, you become predictable and easy to defeat.”
  37. posit
    put forward, as an idea
    “Well, actually, there’s been a respectable amount of academic study done on it. Most scholars agree that while it’s visible from anywhere on the continent, it’s most prominent in the Zamani Region. Others posit that it’s the result of a barometric—”
  38. viscous
    having a relatively high resistance to flow
    He watched the black bark of the tree nearest him twist, reshaping itself into something else: the face of a woman. Her mouth hung slack, viscous sap the color of molten gold glistening on her lips.
  39. tacit
    implied by or inferred from actions or statements
    She and Ekon hadn’t spoken in the hours since they’d escaped Anatsou’s web, but there seemed to be a tacit understanding between them that, for now, the priority had changed.
  40. abate
    make less active or intense
    Adrenaline had numbed her body for hours, abating all the usual signs of fatigue, but suddenly everything returned in a rush.
Created on Wed Apr 20 08:41:42 EDT 2022 (updated Mon Apr 25 13:15:19 EDT 2022)

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