Zorba the Greek

Zorba the Greek Glossary

Balderdash

Senseless talk or writing; nonsense

Brazier

A portable heater consisting of a pan or stand for holding lighted coals

Caique

A small eastern Mediterranean sailing ship

Callow

Inexperienced and immature

Consternation

Feelings of anxiety or dismay, typically at something unexpected

Diaphanous

Light, delicate, and translucent, especially of fabric

Discomfiture

A feeling of unease or embarrassment; awkwardness

Drachma

The basic monetary unit of Greece before the introduction of the Euro

Escutcheon

A shield or emblem bearing a coat of arms

Fichus

A small triangular shawl, worn around a woman's shoulders and neck

Frigate

A sailing warship of a size and armament just below that of a ship of the line

Incorporeal

Not composed of matter; having no material existence

Lignite

A soft, brownish coal showing traces of plant structure

Lithe

Thin, supple, and graceful

Lugubrious

Looking or sounding sad and dismal

Peevish

Easily irritated, especially by unimportant things

Taciturn

(Of a person) reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little

Tamarisk

An Old World shrub or small tree with tiny scalelike leaves borne on slender branches, giving it a feathery appearance

Turgid

Swollen and distended or congested

Sinuous

Having many curves and turns