Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World: List 4

by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
In this second book of the series, high school seniors Aristotle Mendoza and Dante Quintana struggle to find places and ways for them to safely figure out what love means to them.

This list covers "The World, the Universe, and Aristotle and Dante."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
30 words 19 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. wallow
    devote oneself entirely to something
    I could see they weren’t going to let me wallow in my own sorrow.
  2. chastise
    scold or criticize severely
    ...another teacher chastised them, but I was too far away to hear the conversation.
  3. allegation
    a formal accusation against somebody
    We should think three times before we make destructive allegations.
  4. entomologist
    a scientist who studies insects
    Leave it to Susie to get to the bottom of the mystery of the crickets in the classroom. “It was David Brown. I should have figured it out. He said he wanted to be an entomologist when we were in the fifth grade.”
  5. platform
    a document stating the principles of a political party
    “I want to run for Congress someday.”
    “Good for you. And good for us. Do you have a platform?”
    “Make the rich poor and make the poor rich.”
  6. appeal
    be attractive to
    And, yeah, they laughed and laughed, and when they stopped laughing, I said, “High school behavior doesn’t appeal to me. Cassandra, you’re regressing.”
  7. regress
    get worse or fall back to a previous condition
    And, yeah, they laughed and laughed, and when they stopped laughing, I said, “High school behavior doesn’t appeal to me. Cassandra, you’re regressing.”
  8. prospect
    someone who is considered for something
    I’m not gonna be roommates with an impossibly handsome man. You’d scare away all my prospects.
  9. plaque
    a tablet that commemorates a person or achievement
    The school district had an award ceremony where my mother was given a really nice plaque and a nice big fat check.
  10. endeavor
    attempt by employing effort
    You have set a standard of excellence for me that I have always endeavored to live up to.
  11. contradiction
    opposition between two conflicting forces or ideas
    Life, Ari, can be an ugly thing. But life can be so incredibly beautiful. It’s both. And we have to learn to hold the contradictions inside us without despairing, without losing our hope.
  12. inflict
    impose something unpleasant
    I’d hate to think that I would be inflicting one more cruelty on you. I know it’s more than a little arrogant to give you a name you never chose—but I intend this gesture as a kindness.
  13. accost
    approach and speak to someone aggressively or insistently
    When Cassandra stepped out into the hallway, we accosted her with hugs.
  14. bigotry
    intolerance and prejudice
    “That bigotry was their problem, not mine.”
  15. fellowship
    money granted for advanced study or research
    There was a fellowship for promising young artists at some institute in Paris that had a summer program.
  16. muse
    the source of an artist's inspiration
    “How does it feel to be someone’s muse?”
  17. inarticulate
    without or deprived of the use of speech or words
    I recognized that his tears came from an inarticulate shame.
  18. modest
    marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself
    Cricket was a modest man. “I’m not anybody’s hero.”
  19. lethargic
    deficient in alertness or activity
    I lived in that sadness that lay beyond tears. I wasn’t exactly melancholy. I was more like lethargic or, what was that word Dante taught me?
  20. malaise
    a vague sense of unease or dissatisfaction
    I was more like lethargic or, what was that word Dante taught me? Oh yeah, “malaise.” I was feeling malaise.
  21. conjure
    summon into action or bring into existence
    “What do you see when you look at that painting?”
    Susie shrugged. “Is that a trick question? I see you and Dante holding hands and looking out into the desert.”
    “Does it conjure anything up for you?”
  22. itinerary
    a proposed route of travel
    Of course, he’d gone over the itinerary twice on the way to the airport.
  23. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    I had a window seat, and as the plane took off, I got this feeling in the pit of my stomach—and a fleeting moment of fear.
  24. seasoned
    rendered competent through trial and experience
    A lot of people looked annoyed going through customs, but they must have been seasoned travelers.
  25. distinguished
    befitting an eminent person
    Gerald looked like a distinguished, well-to-do older gentleman who had the eyes and smile of a much younger man.
  26. disoriented
    having lost your bearings
    Gerald took me on a practice run to the Louvre and back so I wouldn’t get lost. But the Metro wasn’t hard to maneuver. Not at all. I didn’t feel as disoriented as I’d thought I would.
  27. jilt
    cast aside capriciously or unfeelingly
    And then he jilted me for another man.
  28. thesis
    a treatise advancing a point of view resulting from research
    I miss engaging with young, ambitious, and brilliant minds. Like Sam’s. I directed his thesis. He had a passion for poetry.
  29. weariness
    temporary loss of strength and energy from hard work
    It was more than just sadness—a kind of weariness, a kind of hurt, the voice of a man whose dreams were slowly, slowly taken from him.
  30. insignificant
    of little importance or influence or power; of minor status
    I stood in front of the painting—and I felt so small and insignificant.
Created on Fri Oct 21 13:45:23 EDT 2022 (updated Wed Aug 30 10:59:33 EDT 2023)

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