Canterbury Tales Vocab

Front 1

abstruse

Back 1

difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge

Front 2

accrue

Back 2

grow by addition

Front 3

adversity

Back 3

a stroke of ill fortune; a calamitous event

Front 4

apothecary

Back 4

pharmacist: a health professional trained in the art of preparing and dispensing drugs

Front 5

ascendant

Back 5

position or state of being dominant or in control

Front 6

avouch

Back 6

To freely and openly admit; To confess; To confirm or verify, to affirm the validity of

Front 7

bailiff

Back 7

an officer of the court who is employed to execute writs and processes and make arrests etc.

Front 8

benefice

Back 8

Land granted to a priest in a church that has a source of income attached to it

Front 9

benign

Back 9

pleasant and beneficial in nature or influence;

Front 10

boorish

Back 10

ill-mannered and coarse and contemptible in behavior or appearance

Front 11

carbuncle

Back 11

an infection larger than a boil and with several openings for discharge of pus

Front 12

choleric

Back 12

easily moved to anger

Front 13

deferred

Back 13

Of or pertaining to delay of an action; Of or pertaining to bending to someone else's decision or judgment

Front 14

diligent

Back 14

quietly and steadily persevering especially in detail or exactness

Front 15

discreet

Back 15

Respectful of privacy or secrecy; quiet; diplomatic; Not drawing attention, anger or challenge; inconspicuous

Front 16

disdainful

Back 16

contemptuous: expressing extreme contempt

Front 17

duress

Back 17

Being constrained by threat

Front 18

ecclesiast

Back 18

Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion

Front 19

eminent

Back 19

standing above others in quality or position

Front 20

engender

Back 20

To bring into existence, to cause; To stimulate

Front 21

farthing

Back 21

a former British bronze coin worth a quarter of a penny

Front 22

frugal

Back 22

the practice of acquiring goods and services in a restrained manner, and resourcefully using already owned economic goods and services, to achieve a longer term goal

Front 23

fustian

Back 23

bombast: pompous or pretentious talk or writing

Front 24

garner

Back 24

earn: acquire or deserve by one's efforts or actions

Front 25

garnish

Back 25

a substance used as an embellishment or decoration on a prepared food dish or drink item. In some cases, it may give added or contrasting flavor, but a typical garnish is used to augment the visual impact of the plate, not just enhance the flavor

Front 26

gelding

Back 26

castrated male horseg

Front 27

guile

Back 27

craft: shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception

Front 28

heath

Back 28

a tract of level wasteland; uncultivated land with sandy soil and scrubby vegetation

Front 29

mercenary

Back 29

a person hired to fight for another country than their own

Front 30

motley

Back 30

assortment: a collection containing a variety of sorts of things

Front 31

obstinate

Back 31

stubborn: tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield

Front 32

personable

Back 32

having pleasing appearance or manner; attractive; handsome; friendly; amiable

Front 33

pestilence

Back 33

plague: a serious (sometimes fatal) infection of rodents caused by Yersinia pestis and accidentally transmitted to humans by the bite of a flea that has bitten an infected animal

Front 34

repine

Back 34

to regret; to complain; to be low spirited or fretful

Front 35

screed

Back 35

a long, informal, biased piece of writing. It is commonly used in reference to a written "rant"

Front 36

scurrility

Back 36

foul-mouthed or obscene abuse

Front 37

shire

Back 37

a former administrative district of England; equivalent to a county

Front 38

shrift

Back 38

The act of going to or hearing a religious confession; Confession to a priest; Forgiveness given by a priest after confession

Front 39

solicitous

Back 39

full of anxiety and concern

Front 40

splay

Back 40

turned outward in an ungainly manner

Front 41

stature

Back 41

high level of respect gained by impressive development or achievement

Front 42

statute

Back 42

legislative act: an act passed by a legislative body

Front 43

sundry

Back 43

assorted: consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds

Front 44

tabard

Back 44

a short sleeveless outer tunic emblazoned with a coat of arms; worn by a knight over his armor or by a herald

Front 45

tithe

Back 45

a levy of one tenth of something

Front 46

varlet

Back 46

rogue: a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel

Front 47

verity

Back 47

truth: conformity to reality or actuality

Front 48

victuals

Back 48

comestible: any substance that can be used as food

Front 49

wanton

Back 49

piddle: waste time; spend one's time idly or inefficiently

Front 50

wend

Back 50

to make (one's way) in a particular direction; the process of making one's way in a particular direction

Front 51

withal

Back 51

however: despite anything to the contrary (usually following a concession)

Front 52

YEOMAN!!

Back 52

a farmer who cultivates his own land, historically a lesser freeholder of England, below the gentry but with political rights