The Visit Study Guide

Glossary of Terms

amicably

with friendliness; cooperatively

amnestied

pardoned

angler

a person who schemes to get something

apostle

an early leader of a new reform movement

arbitrate

to settle; to mediate

assiduous

persistent; diligent

bankrupt

in a state of financial ruin; destitute

bawd

a prostitute

benefactrice

a woman who gives monetary aid as a gift

Brahms

German classical composer (1833-1897)

brandy

an alcoholic drink made from distilled fruit juice

brazen

self-assured; insolent

bribe

a benefit given in exchange for certain conduct

cask

a barrel containing liquids

clangor

a loud clanging noise

coffers

funds; a treasury

Cognac

a high quality brandy

commandeered

taken by force; appropriated

communism

a political system where an authoritarian state controls the economy and divides goods equally amongst the citizens toward a collective vision of social order

commuter

a train transporting individuals back and forth from home to work (usually from the countryside or suburbs to a larger city)

compatriots

fellow citizens

condone

to excuse and allow

connive

to scheme; to plan an illegal action

conscience

one's sense of right and wrong

consternation

a state of terror

corpse

a dead body

Court of Appeal

a court to which appeals are made with regard to the judgment of a lower court

crockery

pots, jars, and dishes

denunciation

a public denouncement

distrain

to seize goods or property to force the payment of a debt

emigrated

to migrate to another country

emphatically

forcefully expressed

endowment

a gift of funds or property to a group

eunuch

a man whose testes have been removed and traditionally guards a woman's bedchamber

exorbitant

outrageously high

foundry

a factory where metal is melted and cast

Goethe

famous German poet, writer, and scientist (1749-1832)

grotesquerie

the state of being distorted and unnatural

homely

plain; unattractive

homicidal

capable of murder

humanitarian

one who advances the general human welfare; one who helps alleviate suffering

impassively

without emotion or expression

indignation

anger at an injustice

infernal

demonic; hellish; cruel

ironmongery

a hardware store

laymen

ordinary men without expert knowledge (not a part of the professional class or of the clergy)

liturgy

a form or rite of public worship

lorgnette

opera glasses

marrow

the tender innermost part of the bone

metamorphose

to transform

misdemeanors

petty crimes

morale

state of confidence

nihilistic

extremely skeptical of moral values

oath

a promise to tell the truth

on credit or account

to make purchases with the promise to pay later

opera-recitative

a passage sung in the rhythm of natural speech

opium

a highly addictive narcotic derived from poppy flowers

outmoded

no longer fashionable; no longer useful

pallid

lacking color; wan

paternity

fatherhood

pawned

to give some thing as a pledge on a loan

periphery

the outer boundary; perimeter

perjury

the deliberate breach of an oath to tell the truth by giving false testimony

perseverance

persistence; tenacity; determination

piteous

arousing compassion

poacher

someone who illegally hunts or catches fish

portals

entryways

portentous

overbearing pompousness

prodigal

lavish; extravagent; generous

ramrod

to watch over and force

ramshackle

ill-kept; broken-down; disintegrating

redeem

to make free of debt; to restore honor

sedan-chair

a covered chair for one person, usually lifted by two men

serviette

a napkin

soughing

murmuring; sighing

soutane

a long garment worn by the clergy with buttons down the front

spectre

an apparition or ghost

spires

steeples; the top part of a structure that tapers into a point

spurn

to reject with scorn

starlet

a young actress predicted to become a great film star

stethoscope

a medical instrument used to listen to the body

tatterdemalion

ragged; shabby

threadbare

old and frayed

toil

to work under difficult conditions

trysting-place

a meeting place; a designated place for a secret rendezvous

tuberculosis

an infectious disease where bacteria collects in the lungs