Noxious
Harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant
Pickaninny
An outdated (now offensive) term for a small black child
Bale
A large wrapped or bound bundle of cotton, also used to mean a 500-lb measure of cotton
Acumen
The ability to make good judgements and take quick decisions
Mull
Think about (a fact, proposal, or request) deeply and at length
Hatchet
A small axe with a short handle for use in one hand
Gale
A very strong wind
Lascivious
Feeling or revealing an overt sexual interest or desire
Nautilus
A type of snail; any of a genus (Nautilus) of cephalopod mollusks of the South Pacific and Indian oceans with a spiral chambered shell that is pearly on the inside; used by the narrator in The Underground Railroad as an adjective to describe a burrowing behavior
Mortify
To subdue or deaden (the body, bodily appetites, etc.) especially by abstinence or self-inflicted pain or discomfort
Caprice
A sudden, impulsive, and seemingly unmotivated notion or action
Dexterity
Skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Scourge
A whip used as an instrument of punishment
Cat-o'-nine-tails
A rope whip with nine knotted cords, formerly used to flog offenders
Pyre
A heap of combustible material, especially one for burning a corpse
Buzzard
A large hawklike bird of prey with broad wings and a rounded tail, often seen soaring in wide circles
Florid
Excessively intricate or elaborate
Incorrigible
(Of a person or their behavior) not able to be changed or reformed
Syphilis
A chronic bacterial disease that is contracted chiefly by infection during sexual intercourse
Recalcitrant
Having an obstinately uncooperative attitude towards authority or discipline
Emissary
A person sent as a diplomatic representative on a special mission
Almanac
An annual calendar or handbook containing important dates, information of general interest, and statistical information such as astronomical data and tide tables
Cotton gin
A machine for separating cotton from its seeds, invented by Eli Whitney in America in 1794
Rickety
(Of a structure or piece of equipment) poorly made and likely to collapse
Peculiar institution
Used in the 19th century to refer to the system of slavery in the southern states of the U.S.
