The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket Glossary

admeasurement

determining and comparing proportions

ague

fever

anomaly

something different or abnormal

aperture

opening

aver

to declare positively

avidity

ardent desire or craving; eagerness

azimuth

used in navigation, an arc of the horizon measured between a fixed point and the vertical circle passing through the center of an object

biche de mer

sea cucumber

bulwark

rampart

capricious

fickle

chicanery

trickery; deceit

declivity

downward slope

deleterious

harmful

deter

discourage; prevent

disquietude

uneasiness or anxiety

egregious

outstandingly bad; shocking

ejaculation

a sudden cry

erysipelas

a type of skin disease that causes inflammation

exigency

something that is required in a particular situation

firmament

the heavens

heterogeneous

consisting of diverse or different ingredients; mixed

impudent

rude; shameless; insolent

incipient

developing; about to come into being

inducement

a motive or consideration that pushes someone to action

interment

burial

interstices

spaces that intervene between things

larboard

port (left)

limpid

clear

obstreperously

acting in an unruly and aggressive manner

orlop

the lowest deck of a ship

paroxysm

a sudden violent fit or convulsion

perfidy

disloyalty; treachery

pernicious

evil; wicked; deadly

picul

a unit of weight

platitudes

banal and trite remarks

prostrate

lying flat

protracted

extended or prolonged

putrefaction

rot; decomposition

reconnoiter

to make a reconnaissance of

remonstrate

protest; object

rotundity

roundness

sagacity

wisdom; cleverness; shrewdness

squall

a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed, usually associated with storms

stertorous

harsh and loud, as with snoring

trepidation

nervousness; fear

windlass

a winch with a horizontal or vertical shaft and two drums used to raise a ship's anchor