Villette Study Guide

Glossary of Terms

almsgiving

Charitable giving to the poor, especially monetary gifts made as a specifically religious devotion

attent

Attentive

berceau

A shaded, arbor-covered outdoor walkway

bey

A Turkish governor

blent

Mixed together; a British past participle of "blend"

book-muslin

A fine lightweight cotton fabric, with a somewhat open weave. It was folded in the manner of a book when sold in quantity.

bougie

A candle made of wax

cambric

Fine white linen from Cambray in Flanders. The fabric of handkerchiefs.

catarrh

A historical term for respiratory disease; the common cold

cicerone

A tourist guide; a person who takes visitors to art galleries, museums, etc.

collation

A light meal set out for a party, or a meal allowed on fasting days

collyrium

A medicine or healing liquid applied to the eye

commodious

Convenient, spacious, comfortable, or easily adapted

coquelicot

A brilliant red-orange poppy

dey

A man in charge of a dairy

estrade

A low raised platform or dais

exigeant

The characteristic of being demanding, or requiring complete attention

fain

Gladly or willingly

fête

A large festival or party, usually put on by a community (school, church, village, etc.)

flagon

A bottle for liquor or wine

furbelow

A flounce or trimming on a petticoat or a dress

gasconading

Blustering or boasting

grenier

Attic or uppermost floor of a house

grisette

A young Frenchwoman of the working class; sometimes meant with a negative connotation of being grasping or mercenary.

guinea

An English gold coin not made since 1813. It was originally worth the value of twenty shillings (equalling one pound) but came to be worth a pound plus one shilling. Also, the color of this coin.

hebdomadal

Happening on a weekly basis

horn-book

Originally a primer (alphabet, numbers, and prayers) printed on one sheet of paper, covered with a translucent sheet of horn to make it visible but protected from soiling or tearing, and usually with an attached frame and handle for holding. Now the term is simply a euphemism for a textbook.

imprimis

Firstly, or to begin

Labassecourian

from Labassecour

minaudieres

Small decorated bags used to carry cosmetics, jewelery, or handkerchiefs, used as handbags by women

nacarat

Bright orange-red

odalisque

A female concubine in a harem; an exotic or sexually attractive woman, often depicted in art

oratory

A small room for private devotion. A private chapel.

pensionnat

A French word meaning a boarding school.

perfidious

Untrustworthy or treacherous

perforce

Must be so; necessarily

philoprogenitiveness

A historical idea that the love of one's children (or of children in general) was located in a certain part of the brain, and constituted a separate organ that could have various levels of development between people. This idea was still current in Bronte's time.

physiognomy

The pseudoscientific study of facial features as being indicative of character

probity

Honesty and integrity

pthisis

A historical term for tuberculosis

recontre

A meeting or encounter

savoir-faire

The ability to know what to do in any situation; worldliness

secresy

Variant archaic spelling of "secrecy"

thereanent

Concerning

turbid

Obscured or clouded

vicinage

The surrounding area or neighborhood

weltering

Turning, twisting, or wallowing