Vertigo

Vertigo Glossary

vertigo (noun)

a sensation of whirling and loss of balance, associated particularly with looking down from a great height, or caused by disease affecting the inner ear or the vestibular nerve; giddiness.

corset (noun)

a garment worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape, traditionally a smaller waist or larger bottom, for aesthetic or medical purposes (either for the duration of wearing it or with a more lasting effect), or to support the breasts.

acrophobia (noun)

extreme or irrational fear of heights.

doohickey (noun)

An informal term for a small object or gadget, especially one whose name the speaker does not know or cannot recall.

cantilever bridge (noun)

a bridge in which each span is constructed from cantilevers built out sideways from piers.

brassiere (noun)

a woman's undergarment to cover and support the breasts.

peninsula (noun)

a piece of land almost surrounded by water or projecting out into a body of water.

skid row (noun)

a run-down part of a town frequented by vagrants, alcoholics, and drug addicts.

rubber plant (noun)

an evergreen tree of the fig family, which has large dark green shiny leaves and is widely cultivated as a houseplant. Native to Southeast Asia, it was formerly grown as a source of rubber.

Embarcadero (proper noun)

The eastern waterfront and roadway of the Port of San Francisco, San Francisco, California, along San Francisco Bay.

mission settlement (noun)

Christian missions established by the Spanish Empire during the 15th and 17th centuries in Mexico and southwestern portions of today's US.

Sequoia sempervirens (proper noun)

The sole living species of the genus Sequoia in the cypress family Cupressaceae.

undercurrent (noun)

an underlying feeling or influence, especially one that is contrary to the prevailing atmosphere and is not expressed openly.

cloister (noun)

a covered walk in a convent, monastery, college, or cathedral, typically with a wall on one side and a colonnade open to a quadrangle on the other.

whitewashed (adjective)

painted (a wall, building, or room) with whitewash.

livery stable (noun)

a stable where horses are kept at livery or let out for hire.

aberration (noun)

a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected, typically one that is unwelcome.

postmortem (noun)

an examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death.

unsound (adjective)

not competent, reliable, or holding acceptable views.

dipsomaniac (noun)

A drunkard or alcoholic.