Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Glossary

Glossary of Terms

abhorrence

hatred; disgust

betide

happen

brook

to put up with; tolerate

calking

the process of waterproofing a ship

censured

judged; found fault with and criticized as blameworthy

commenced

began

conjecture

to arrive at or deduce by surmise or guesswork; guess

consummate

complete in every detail; perfect

debase

reduce or degrade

dispositions

temperamental makeups

dissipation

intemperate living

emaciated

feeble; wasting away physically

entreaties

earnest requests; pleas

evince

indicate

exculpate

to clear from alleged fault or guilt

execrate

to declare to be evil or detestable; denounce

goad

provoke

hectoring

playing the bully; swaggering

immutable

unchangeable

imprudent

not showing care for the consequences of an action

impudent

marked by contemptuous or cocky boldness or disregard of others; insolent

interposition

the act of interposing (placing in an intervening position; putting oneself between; intruding)

joist

beam built parallel to the wall in support of a floor or ceiling

lacerated

torn roughly; wounded jaggedly

Lynch law

extrajudicial punishment by hanging

maxim

a general truth, fundamental principle, or rule of conduct; a proverbial saying

myriads

great numbers

obdurate

obstinate; stubborn; headstrong

offal

the waste or by-product of a process; rubbish

perdition

eternal damnation; Hell

pernicious

harmful

privation

a state in which essential human needs (food, warmth) are lacking

profligate

recklessly extravagant; wasteful

quail

wither; decline; falter

reproving

expressing rebuke or disapproval

sagacity

wisdom; cleverness

scow

a large flat-bottomed boat with broad square ends used chiefly for transporting bulk material (as ore, sand, or refuse)

scurf

flakes of dry skin that forms when new skin is made by the body

sloop

a single-mast boat

sunder

to break or rip apart; separate

vindicate

avenge; to free from allegation or blame

writhed

twisted; wrenched