Holt - from Beowulf,Part 1

Heidi V.
23 words 1 learner

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. water witch
    someone who uses a divining rod to find underground water
    Then he saw
    595 The mighty water witch, and swung his sword,
    His ring-marked blade, straight at her head;
    The iron sang its fierce song,
    Sang Beowulf’s strength.
  2. moor
    come into or dock at a wharf
    And then
    As now warriors sang of their pleasure: So Hrothgar’s men lived happy in his hall
    Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend,
    Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild
    Marshes, and made his home in a hell
    Not hell but earth.
  3. talon
    a sharp hooked claw especially on a bird of prey
    That shepherd of evil,o guardian of crime,
    Knew at once that nowhere on earth
    Had he met a man whose hands were harder;
    435 His mind was flooded with fear—but nothing
    Could take his talons and himself from that tight
    Hard grip.
  4. stabbing
    painful as if caused by a sharp instrument
    The fight
    585 Brought other monsters swimming to see
    Her catch, a host of sea beasts who beat at
    His mail shirt, stabbing with tusks and teeth
    As they followed along.
  5. demon
    an evil supernatural being
    And then
    As now warriors sang of their pleasure: So Hrothgar’s men lived happy in his hall
    Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend,
    Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild
    Marshes, and made his home in a hell
    Not hell but earth.
  6. weapon
    any instrument used in fighting or hunting
    Beowulf arose, with his men
    135 Around him, ordering a few to remain
    With their weapons, leading the others quickly
    Along under Herot’s steep roof into Hrothgar’s
    Presence.
  7. protector
    a person who cares for persons or property
    Grant me, then,
    Lord and protector of this noble place,
    A single request!
  8. Finnish
    the official language of Finland
    The swift-flowing waters swept me along
    And I landed on Finnish soil.
  9. scabbard
    a sheath for a sword or dagger or bayonet
    He drew it
    From its scabbard, broke the chain on its hilt,o
    And then, savage, now, angry
    640 And desperate, lifted it high over his head
    And struck with all the strength he had left,
    Caught her in the neck and cut it through,
    Broke bones and all.
  10. Denmark
    a constitutional monarchy in northern Europe
    Unferth’s Challenge
    6

    Unferth spoke, Ecglaf’s son,
    Who sat at Hrothgar’s feet, spoke harshly
    235 And sharp (vexed by Beowulf’s adventure,
    By their visitor’s courage, and angry that anyone
    In Denmark or anywhere on earth had ever
    Acquired glory and fame greater
    Than his own):
    “You’re Beowulf, are you—the same
    240 Boastful fool who fought a swimming
    Match with Brecca, both of you daring
    And young and proud, exploring the deepest
    Seas, risking your live...
  11. Danish
    a Scandinavian language that is the official language of Denmark
    So Beowulf
    120 Chose the mightiest men he could find,
    The bravest and best of the Geats, fourteen
    In all, and led them down to their boat;
    He knew the sea, would point the prowo
    Straight to that distant Danish shore.
  12. crime
    an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
    He was spawned in that slime,
    20 Conceived by a pair of those monsters born
    Of Cain,o murderous creatures banished
    By God, punished forever for the crime
    Of Abel’s death.
  13. ocean
    a large body of water that is part of the hydrosphere
    A powerful monster, living down
    In the darkness, growled in pain, impatient
    As day after day the music rang
    Loud in that hall,o the harp’s rejoicing
    5 Call and the poet’s clear songs, sung
    Of the ancient beginnings of us all, recalling
    The Almighty making the earth, shaping
    These beautiful plains marked off by oceans,
    Then proudly setting the sun and moon
    10 To glow across the land and light it;
    The corners of the earth were made lovely with trees
    And leaves, made quick with life, wi...
  14. harp
    a chordophone with strings between the neck and the soundbox
    A powerful monster, living down
    In the darkness, growled in pain, impatient
    As day after day the music rang
    Loud in that hall,o the harp’s rejoicing
    5 Call and the poet’s clear songs, sung
    Of the ancient beginnings of us all, recalling
    The Almighty making the earth, shaping
    These beautiful plains marked off by oceans,
    Then proudly setting the sun and moon
    10 To glow across the land and light it;
    The corners of the earth were made lovely with trees
    And leaves, made quick with life, wi...
  15. pilgrimage
    a journey to a sacred place
    Then old and young rejoiced, turned back
    535 From that happy pilgrimage, mounted their hard-hooved
    Horses, high-spirited stallions, and rode them
    Slowly toward Herot again, retelling
    Beowulf’s bravery as they jogged along.
  16. victory
    a successful ending of a struggle or contest
    But to table, Beowulf, a banquet in your honor:
    Let us toast your victories, and talk of the future.”
  17. murder
    unlawful premeditated killing of a human being
    And that night
    50 Grendel came again, so set
    On murder that no crime could ever be enough,
    No savage assault quench his lust
    For evil.
  18. decorated
    decorated or dressed up to be more beautiful or distinct
    13

    Then he saw, hanging on the wall, a heavy
    Sword, hammered by giants, strong
    635 And blessed with their magic, the best of all weapons
    But so massive that no ordinary man could lift
    Its carved and decorated length.
  19. Norway
    a constitutional monarchy in northern Europe on the western side of the Scandinavian Peninsula; achieved independence from Sweden in 1905
    The sea carried him close
    To his home, to southern Norway, near
    The land of the Brondings, where he ruled and was loved,
    255 Where his treasure was piled and his strength protected
    His towns and his people.
  20. nation
    a politically organized body of people under a government
    A powerful monster, living down
    In the darkness, growled in pain, impatient
    As day after day the music rang
    Loud in that hall,o the harp’s rejoicing
    5 Call and the poet’s clear songs, sung
    Of the ancient beginnings of us all, recalling
    The Almighty making the earth, shaping
    These beautiful plains marked off by oceans,
    Then proudly setting the sun and moon
    10 To glow across the land and light it;
    The corners of the earth were made lovely with trees
    And leaves, made quick with life, with each...
  21. poet
    a writer of verse consisting of lines that often rhyme
    A powerful monster, living down
    In the darkness, growled in pain, impatient
    As day after day the music rang
    Loud in that hall,o the harp’s rejoicing
    5 Call and the poet’s clear songs, sung
    Of the ancient beginnings of us all, recalling
    The Almighty making the earth, shaping
    These beautiful plains marked off by oceans,
    Then proudly setting the sun and moon
    10 To glow across the land and light it;
    The corners of the earth were made lovely with trees
    And leaves, made quick with life, wi...
  22. music
    an artistic form of auditory communication
    A powerful monster, living down
    In the darkness, growled in pain, impatient
    As day after day the music rang
    Loud in that hall,o the harp’s rejoicing
    5 Call and the poet’s clear songs, sung
    Of the ancient beginnings of us all, recalling
    The Almighty making the earth, shaping
    These beautiful plains marked off by oceans,
    Then proudly setting the sun and moon
    10 To glow across the land and light it;
    The corners of the earth were made lovely with trees
    And leaves, made quick with life, wi...
  23. sound
    mechanical vibrations transmitted by an elastic medium
    There was the sound of laughter, and the cheerful clanking
    345 Of cups, and pleasant words.
Created on Tue Oct 04 15:38:29 EDT 2011

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.