Matthew Arnold: Poems

Matthew Arnold: Poems Glossary

balmy

pleasantly warm

beguile

to charm or enchant someone in a deceptive way

blithe

showing a casual or cheerful indifference, considered to be improper

churl

an impolite and mean-spirited person

cloy

to disgust or sicken with an excess of sweetness

eddy

to move in a circular way

emprize

an enterprise of adventure, power, or daring

enisle

to isolate, as if on an island

folly

foolishness

girdled

encircled; surrounded

hamlet

a small settlement

languid

slow and relaxed

linden

a deciduous tree with heart-shaped leaves

lore

a body of traditions and knowledge on a subject, held by a certain group

palsy

to affect with paralysis or tremors

pensive

engaged in serious thought

perennial

enduring or continually recurring

raiment

clothing

rill

a small stream

scythe

an agricultural tool used for harvesting crops

skiff

a small rowboat

succour

assistance and support in times of hardship

tempestuous

characterized by strong, turbulent, or conflicting emotion

torpor

a state of physical or mental inactivity

transient

short-lived

tribulation

a cause of great sorrow or suffering

unalloyed

pure