Snow Falling on Cedars Glossary

Glossary of Terms

accoutrements

accessories, usually for clothing

admonition

a mild reprimand; a warning

alder

a deciduous shrub or tree of the birch family, with toothed leaves, growing in a cool climate

ambivalence

the experience of opposite feelings, like love and hate, at the same time; not being committed to a point of view

asphyxiation

the causing of suffocation

bacchanal

a drunken party; carousing

billows

surges or swells of water

bracken

a growth of large, weed-like ferns

bunker

a protective space for fuel or weaponry, usually a part of an underground system

buoy

a floating object moored in the water to serve as a warning

castling

in the game of chess, moving the king two empty spaces to the one side or the other, and, in the same move, to move the rook to the space that the king has passed over; this move normally helps protect the king

coroner

a public officer who determines the possible cause or causes of death, when it does not appear to be due to natural causes

dura mater

the tough, fibrous, and outermost membrane covering the brain and spinal cord

elope

to run away and marry a lover in secret

emaciation

becoming too thin from starvation or disease

espaliered

when a tree or shrub is trained to grow flat against a trellis or wall

fishing gaff

a hook attached to a pole or rope, used to catch large fish

freighter

a ship or airplane carrying cargo or goods

frigate

a fast, medium-sized warship chiefly used for escort duty

gill-netting

a method of fishing that sets the net vertically down in the water so that the fish swim and are caught by their gills

gunnel

a family of small, elongated fish, found in waters off of northern coastlines

guttural

rasping; the kind of sound produced by the throat

haberdasher

a person whose work is selling men's accessories, such as hats, gloves, and neckties

happenstance

a chance; an accidental circumstance

hillock

a small hill

implacability

the impossibility of lessening or pacifying

jacklight

a light used in fishing or hunting to lure prey

karma

fate or destiny, usually the total effect of a person's conduct

kendo

the Japanese sport of stylized fencing (usually with bamboo swords)

kindling

bits of dry wood used to ignite a flame

larynx

the part of the respiratory tract containing the vocal cords

miasma

a poisonous vapor caused by the decomposition of plant and animal life in a swamp

minesweeper

a ship designed to detect and destroy explosive mines in the sea

moldering

disintegrating

mooring

(v) holding in place or securing with cables; (n) something to which a vessel is secured

mucus

a slimy, usually protective secretion from cells or glands

neurasthenia

a mental disorder marked by fatigue, anxiety, and localized pain, believed to be caused by an exhausted nervous system (no longer a category in scientific use)

perfunctory

done without care or concern

plaited

braided; interwoven

prejudice

a judgment or opinion (often unfavorable and unreasonable) that is formed before all of the relevant evidence is known

preternaturally

abnormally; supernaturally

proffering

(n) an offer or proposal; (v) offering

schooner

a sailing ship with two or more masts

seiner

a large fishing net hung in the water vertically with weights

sentient

conscious; having feelings

squall

a sudden, violent rainshower

starboard

the right side as one faces forward on a vessel

statuary

(adj) having a statue-like form; (n) a set of statues

stern

the rear of a boat

symbiotic

mutually intimate and interdependent

Teutonic

Germanic

wharf

a structure on a harbor for ships to tie to; a shore

yarrow

a strong-smelling herb with small flowers, which is sometimes brewed into tea