English Vocab 1

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Ennui

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n-complete boredom

an old-fashioned man would have lost his sense or dies of ennui before this

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threnodies

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n- songs of the dead

they are the spirits, the low spirits and melancholy forebodings... now expiating their sins with their wailing hymns or threnodies in the scenery of their transgressions

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supernal

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adj- of or coming from on high

...the mutual consolations of suicide lovers remembering the pangs and the delights of supernal love in the infernal groves

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expiate

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v-to tone or appease

they are the spirits, the low spirits and melancholy forebodings... now expiating their sins with their wailing hymns or threnodies in the scenery of their transgressions

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sanctify

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v-to make holy, set apart as sacred, consecrate

they cause that in all the universe men to purify and sanctify their hearts...

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misanthrope

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n- hater of humankind

...society may be found in any natural object, even for the poor misanthrope and the most melancholy man

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transient

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adj-not lasting, enduring, or permanent; transitory

for the most part we allow only outlying and transient circumstances to make our occasions

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remunerate

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v- to pay, recompense, or reward for work, trouble, etc

[He tries to, after a long day alone] remunerate himself for his day's solitude

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etesian

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adj-occurring annually. Used of the prevailing northerly summer winds of the Mediterranean

some have such a vast appetite for the former commodity... that they can sit forever in public avenues withour stirring and let it simmer and whisper through them like the Etesian winds

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caryatides

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n- a supporting column sculpted in the form of a draped female figure

..or else leaning against a barn with their hands in their pockets, like caryatides, as if to prop it up

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gantlet (gauntlet)

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n- a section of double railroad tracks very close together, but never crossing

and the houses were so arranged... so that every traveler had to run the gantlet, and every man, woman, and child might get a lick at him

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homeopathic

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adj- characteristic of a medical practice in which low doses of a disease are used to cure the disease in a sick person, causing disease in a well person

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talaria

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n- the wings or winged sandals on the feet of Hermes or Mercury

... not to rise in this world, he nor his posterity, till their wading webbed bog-trotting feet get talaria in their heels

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festoon

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v-to adorn with or as with festoons
n-a string or chain of flowers, foliage, ribbon, etc, suspended in a curve between two points, or a decorative representation of this

the usnea lichen hangs in festoons from the black-spruce trees

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demur

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v-to make an objection, especially on the grounds of scruple
n- the act of making an objection

you'd better go now, John, said his wife, with glistening and hopeful face, but john demurred

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scanty

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adj- meager; not adequate; barely sufficient in amount, quantity, etc

I set out one afternoon to go a-fishing to Fair Haven, through the woods, to eke out my scanty fare of vegetables

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endeavor

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n-a conscious or concerted effort toward an end, an earnest attempt
v- to make a concerted effort or earnest attempt

he was endeavoring with feeble struggles, being without feelers and with only the remnant of a leg

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roiling

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adj- (of a liquid) agitated vigorously, in a state of turbulence

i had dug out the spring and made a well of clear gray water, where i could dip a pailful without roiling it

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pontificate

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v-carry on at great length
n- the office or term of office of a pontiff

the action was fought in the pontificate of Eugenius the fourth

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demoniac

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adj- of, pertaining to, or like a demon, demonic

his usual note was this demoniac laughter

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actaeon

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allusion to Greek mythology, Actaeon was killed by dogs

the woods ring agains, and yet no fox burst forth, on the open level of the pond, nor following pack pursuing their actaeon

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epaulet

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n-an ornamental shoulder piece worn on uniforms, chiefly by military officers

i felt that i was more distinguished by that circumstance that i should have been by any epaulet

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rudimental/ rudimentary

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adj-of the nature of a rudiment; undeveloped or vestigial, simple

they seemed to me to be rudimental, burrowing men, still standing on their defense, awaiting their transformation

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dropsical

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adj- swelling from excessive accumulation of watery fluid in cells, tissues, or serous cavities

his large eyes appeared young and unhealthy, almost dropsical