Young Goodman Brown and Other Hawthorne Short Stories

Young Goodman Brown and Other Hawthorne Short Stories Glossary

abased

lowered or reduced; shamed

abode

dwelling, place that one inhabits

accost

to approach; to confront boldly

affright

frighten

alacrity

liveliness, cheerful briskness

alembic

something that purifies or refines

aliment

means of sustenance or nourishment

allay

to relieve, to mitigate

allegory

a symbolic narrative

alleviation

relief, something that palliates

anathema

a curse; someone/something that is cursed or hated

annals

historical records; chronicles

antipathy

hatred

aperture

opening, gap

apportion

divide; assign

apprise

to inform, to notify

approbation

commendation, praise

arcana

mysteries

assiduous

constant, persevering

assuage

make unpleasant feelings less intense

asunder

into separate pieces

aver

to assert, to state as a fact

Baal

a demon, also known as Beelzebub

baneful

destructive, harmful

bas-relief

in architecture, a carving of figures which stand out against a flat background

blasphemy

impious utterance or act against religion, the church, or God

brevity

briefness, shortness

bugbear

bogeyman

cacchination

loud and uncontrolled laughter

caravansary

generally in Eastern European countries, an inn or hotel where caravans can stop at night for rest

casement

a window that is attached to its frames by hinges

censure

disapproval or blame

charter

a written instrument or document that details the rights of a city or institution

chastened

restrained, subdued

cittern

a stringed instrument

compliance

the act of yielding to another's desire or to a rule

Comus

Greek god of festivity

Comuss

in mythology, god of revelry

conclave

private or secret meeting

concoct

to prepare or create by combining ingredients

conduce

to lead or contribute to a certain result

conjecture

to form a guess or to speculate

connoisseur

a discerning judge of a field, an expert

consort

to associate with, to interact with

constituent

an individual who authorizes another (i.e., elected official) to act on his or her behalf

conveyance

means of transportation

coquetry

flirtation

corrosive

harmful or destructive; eating away at

countenance

facial expression

counterpoise

counterbalance; annul; cancel out

covenant

a formal agreement established between two people or entities

cudgel

a short, heavy club

cur

mongrel

cursory

brief, hasty, superficial

damask

a reversible, patterned fabric

daubings

unskilled painted sketches

decorum

politeness, dignified manners

decrepitude

state of being feeble or in bad condition due to age

deleterious

harmful

deportment

behavior or demeanor

deprecate

to devalue, to belittle; to strongly disapprove or object

depreciation

decrease in value

desolate

deserted; dismal emptiness

destitute

lacking, devoid of

detrimental

harmful, having a negative effect upon

devious

circuitous, indirect

discourse

to converse

dispense

to distribute or give out

dolefully

mournfully

dotage

the later years in one's life; old-age

duodecimo

a size of book page that results from the folding of each printed sheet into 12 leaves (24 pages)

ebullition

act of boiling up or rushing forward

eccentric

odd, unusual, bizarre

ecclesiastical

not secular; pertaining to the church

eddy

to move in currents

edification

act of educating

effervescent

bubbling

efficacy

effectiveness

emaciated

extremely skinny

emanate

to come from a source

emblem

representative sign or symbol

eminent

(noun) an individual of importance

empiric

one guided by practical experience rather than theory; charlatan

endeavor

to try, to attempt

enmity

hostility; antagonism

ensign

badge, flag or banner

evanescnet

fading away, fleeting

evince

to display clearly, to demonstrate

exemplary

of excellent character

exemplification

example

exhort

to urge, to advise urgently

expiate

to atone for

fastidious

hard to please; marked by being excessively particular

felicity

happiness, good fortune

fervid

heated or extremely enthusiastic; glowing, hot

folly

foolishness; a foolish undertaking

forbear

to refrain from doing something

foster

to cultivate

gait

stride, manner of walking

garrison

a location where soldiers or troops are stationed

gentry

the upper class, aristocracy

grimed

made dirty

haggard

appearing gaunt or exhausted

hardihood

boldness; daring

hazard

(verb) to attempt

hillock

a small hill

hoary

ancient, aged

imbibe

to drink, to absorb

impertinent

presumptuous; rude

imperturbable

unable to be bothered or shaken

impute

to ascribe or to assign

inauspicous

ominous

incontrovertible

indisputable

incur

to become liable or subject to

indecorous

improper; indecent

indefatigable

tireless

inebriety

state of intoxication or drunkenness

ineffaceable

unable to be erased

ineludible

inescapable

inevitable

unavoidable

infernal

hellish, diabolical

iniquity

wickedness, sin

innocuous

having no effect, harmless

insurrection

rebellion against authority

intimate

to hint

intonation

rise and fall of voice pitch; tone of voice

inveterate

long-established through habit/time

irreparable

unable to be corrected or undone

itinerant

traveling from one place to another

kiln

a furnace or oven for burning, baking, or drying something

lachryma

sadness; teary

languor

fatigue, physically lacking energy

lineament

a distinctive shape, contour, or line, especially of the face

lofty

high-handed, rather arrogant

lurid

gruesome, terrible

magi

the wise men

mendicant

beggar

meridian

point of highest development or prosperity

mien

air or demeanor

minstrelsy

music/art by a performer

misanthropic

antisocial; disliking people

mitigate

to alleviate

mouldering

slowly decaying; disintegrating

muslin

a cotton fabric

nincompoop

fool, idiot

nostrum

a medicine with unproven effectiveness

obliquity

obscurity

obsequies

funeral rites

obstinacy

stubbornness

obtuse

not bright, not perceptive

ocular

pertaining to the eyes

odious

terrible, hated, detestable

omniscient

all-knowing; having complete knowledge

opulent

wealthy, very rich

ordination

act or ceremony of ordaining; act of decreeing

ostentatious

conspicuous, meant to attract others' attention

partake

to participate

pastille

aromatic substance that contains medicating effects

pathos

pity; empathy or compassion

patronize

to be a client or customer of, or to provide support

pensive

thoughtful, but marked by a touch of sadness/nostalgia

peril

danger

pertinacity

persistence

perturbation

disturbance or agitation

pervade

to spread throughout, to flood

petrified

terrified; or, paralyzed

physiognomy

face or outward appearance

pious

devout

portentous

ominous; sinister

portmanteau

a suitcase that opens into two halves

posterity

descendants, or future generations

potation

an alcoholic drink

potentate

an individual who possesses a lot of authority or power

predilection

preference

prepossessing

pleasing, attractive

presentiment

foreboding feeling that something negative is imminent

prevarication

lie

prodigious

wonderful, extraordinary

prodigy

something monstrous or terrible

prolixity

wordy

proselyte

a (religious) convert

quaff

to drink

quarto

a book by 24 x 30 cm

recompense

to repay, to remunerate

recondite

secret; obscure; deep

rectify

to correct

recumbent

state of lying down, or inactive

recur

to repeat

remonstrance

reproach, objection, disapproval

reprehension

censure, disapproval

reprobate

depraved or unprincipled person

retrograde

moving backward

sagacity

wisdom; shrewdness

sanguine

cheerful, optimistic, hopeful

scruple

a moral or ethical belief

scrutiny

a thorough look or review

sedulously

carefully; with diligence

sepulchral

funereal, gloomy

sepulture

the act of burial or entombment

sexangular

having six sides; hexagonal

simper

to smile in a silly way

simpering

coyly smiling; flirtatious

solicitude

extreme care or attentiveness

sophistry

a subtly fallacious but seemingly viable method of reasoning

spectra

ghostly, phantom

subsist

to exist

succor

aid

suffusion

spreading of color or liquid

superfluous

unnecessary, wastefully extra

supplication

prayer

susceptible

liable to, capable of being affected

sustenance

food for survival

swain

a male admirer or lover

sylvan

made of tree boughs or wood

taciturn

not inclined to be talkative

tarry

to linger, to wait

tedium

boredom

timorous

timid; shy; fearful

tincture

to infuse with something

torpid

inactive, sluggish

torpor

lethargic indifference; inertia; apathy

transient

brief, fleeting

transmute

to transform

tremulous

shaking with fear

trifling

inconsequential

ubiquitous

being everywhere at once

uncouth

unrefined, awkward, clumsy

unfathomable

not able to be understood, incomprehensible

unpremeditated

unplanned

unsought

not solicited

unutterable

unspeakable

vacuity

emptiness, void, blankness

vagary

unpredictable or unusual idea/act

valor

bravery, courage

venerated

respected, revered

veracious

truthful

verdure

greenness, vegetation

vicissitude

a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant

victual

food, or supply of food

vile

evil, harmful

visage

face, expression

votary

follower of a religion or cult

waggery

roguish jest