Lord Jim Study Guide

Glossary of Terms

Abhorrent

causing repulsion or strong disgust

Abjectly

with a degraded demeanor; lacking self-respect

Abscond

to hide away from the law, in haste and in secret

Alacrity

liveliness; eagerness

Assessor

a person with special expertise to evaluate, usually assisting or consulting a judge

Beatitude

perfect happiness

Bulkhead

partition standing upright to separate parts of a ship or airplane

Catacomb

underground burial place consisting of a series of chambers

Clamorous

noisy; loud, with a sense of confusion

Conjecture

a guess or conclusion based on incomplete evidence

Consternation

a state of shock and disappointment

Crepuscular

descriptive of twilight

Deferential

showing great respect

Diffusion

the process of being scattered, softened, or intermingled

Dormant

asleep; inactive

Dyspepsia

indigestion; discomfort caused by digesting food

Elucidate

to make clear; to explain

Entomologist

a person who studies insects

Expostulate

to argue with a person strongly and in earnest

Extortionate

excessive; exorbitant

Fecund

fertile; productive

Felicitous

suitable and pleasing to the occasion

Flaxen

like flax (pale yellow in color)

Foolscap

a sheet of writing paper

Fusillade

simultaneous and continuous discharge of firearms

Gale

a strong, howling wind

Half-caste

a person of mixed race or ancestry

Impel

to push; to propel; to urge

Imprecation

a curse

Inanition

condition of being exhausted of food or spirit; empty

Incognito

the state of having one's true identity concealed

Incontinently

with inability to control or restrain oneself

Indomitable

not easily conquered or discouraged

Inscrutable

mysterious; impenetrable

Jollity

a party; joyfulness

Lackadaisical

with lack of spirit; listless

Lank

lean

Lanyard

a short rope used to fasten something

Mongrel

of mixed breed or character (derogatory)

Monsoon

a seasonal wind that brings rain

Palaver

idle chatter; flattery

Peculate

to steal money; to embezzle

Perdition

Hell

Pestilence

plague; dangerous infectious disease

Placid

tranquil; satisfied

Propagate

to reproduce; to spread

Propitiatory

conciliatory; appeasing

Punkahs

large fans made from palm leaves, usually hung from the ceiling

Quay

a wharf for loading and unloading ships

Rapacious

seizing by force; greedy

Remonstrate

to protest or object

Renegade

outlaw; traitor

Rubicund

reddish; ruddy

Ruffian

a rowdy or lawless person

Sagacious

wise

Scintillate

to sparkle or flash

Sentient

to be conscious; to have sense perception

Shirk

to neglect

Sinuosity

having a wavy shape or movement

Stanchion

upright bar or post that provides support

Surreptitious

done in a secret or clandestine manner

Taffrail

the rail around the stern of a ship

Tenebrous

dark or gloomy

Totter

to sway or shake unsteadily, as if about to fall

Tractable

easily managed; malleable

Ungainly

clumsy; unattractive

Unpropitious

unfavorable; disadvantageous

Vagabond

a person who wanders aimlessly

Valise

a small suitcase

Verandah

an open balcony or porch, usually covered

Volubility

fluency of speech

Zenith

the highest point; the summit