Twelve Years a Slave

Twelve Years a Slave Glossary

appellation

a name or title

ascertain

find out for certain

attire

clothes, esp. fine or formal ones

bemoan

express discontent or sorrow over something

candid

truthful and straightforward

castigation

severe punishment

cherish

protect and care for someone lovingly

compassionate

feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others

countenance

a person's face or facial expression

deliverance

the action of being rescued or set free

dissipate

disperse or scatter

excruciate

torment someone physically or mentally

expatiate

speak or write at length or in detail

imprecation

a spoken curse

inclement

unpleasantly cold or wet

infer

deduce or conclude information from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements

legerdemain

skillful use of one's hands when performing conjuring tricks

notorious

famous or well known, typically for some bad quality or deed

odious

extremely unpleasant, repulsive

poignancy

sadness, sorrow

reconcile

restore friendly relations between

redeem

compensate for the faults or bad aspects of something

repugnance

intense disgust

solicitous

characterized by or showing interest or concern

squeal

a long, high-pitched cry or noise

thither

to or toward that place

vicinity

the area near or surrounding a particular place

zealous

eager