Here are the vocabulary lists. Chapter 4 is done and the others will follow soon. I haven't put any pictures on this page, so it's easy to print the list (or copy and paste it) but there are a few links to click on which will make the meaning of some words clearer.
If you have any questions about this vocabulary then put them here, but other questions should go on the main Drowned World page.
Chapter 4 Vocab
p.47
Ebony - A hard wood, usually dark brown or black
Amber - A hard, clear yellow substance, originally tree sap (which bugs often get caught in)
Magma - Hot molten rock, as comes out of a volcano
Cataclysm - Disaster
Embalmed - Covered in a liquid which becomes hard, and therefore protected and preserved
Subsidence - Collapse, sinking
Khaki - A light brown colour, often used for military uniforms
De rigueur - Necessary; fashionable
Sauntering - Walking casually
Ensemble - Outfit; selection of clothes
Systematic - Organised
Precautions - Things done to prevent danger or protect oneself
Largesse - Generosity; willingness to help
Saddled with - Being unable to avoid; having to deal with
Accumulating - Increasing in number; gathering
Accommodating - Helpful
Inedible - Cannot be eaten
Capacious - Large, having space for many things
Foie gras - A rich pâté made from duck liver
Filet mignon - An expensive cut of beef
p.48
Negligible - So small that it's not worth thinking about
Cache - Store; hidden supply
Gutted - With nothing left inside; everything taken
Siphoned - Sucked, drained
Crusoeism - Like Robinson Crusoe, who is shipwrecked and has to survive on an island, in the book by Daniel Defoe
Carrack - A type of ship used the 14th - 16th centuries
Thermostat - A sensor which changes the temperature automatically
Nominal - A small thing done just so you can say you've done something
Schema - Diagrams, plans
Calibrated - Balanced, matched with
p.49
Canopy - A covering which provides shelter from the sun or rain
Fend off - Push away
Hoisted - Lifted up
Tarmac - The black stuff used to make roads and sidewalks
Prow - The front end of a boat
p.50
Vented - Released, blown out
Ennui - Being bored; having a lack of energy; not caring
Penal battalion - A large number of military prisoners
Billeted - Put in a certain place; given a room or station
Ambiguously - Without a clear meaning
Distastefully - Not liking what he sees; not approving
p.51
Torpor - Having no energy; not wanting to do anything (similar to ennui)
Intently - With concentration and focus
Loud-hailer - Megaphone
Davit - A crane for lifting a boat
Medley - Mix
p.52
Furl - Roll up
Awning - (See canopy)
Spasm - When a body part moves without you wanting it to, or a muscle becomes tight
Putrescent - Becoming rotten; decaying
Groves - A small area of forest
Clumps - Groups, lumps, clusters
p.53
Smothering - Covering, drowning, suffocating
Protruded - Stuck out
Morass - Marsh, swamp; soft, wet ground
Acacia - A type of small tree
Tamarisk - A tropical plant
Wound - Moved in curves
Encroached - Moved into an area; went past the limits
Shoring - Piling up
Viaduct - A bridge with arches
Oozing - A thick liquid moving slowly
Fetid - Stinking, rotten
Cloaca Maxima - The main sewer system of Ancient Rome (very disgusting)
Profuse - Thick, a large amount of growth
Mottled - With spots of different colour
Palisade - A row of poles or stakes, usually as a defense
Soot - The black powder made by a smoky fire
Water-fowl - A bird that lives mostly on water
Buffeted - Pushed around, blown by the wind
Vapour - Steam
Diaphanous - Hazy; see-through
Vivid - With strong colours
p.54
Undulating - Moving up and down like waves
Signature - Trail, pattern
Abandoning - Giving up, stopping
Infinitesimal - Extremely small; so small it cannot be measured
Starboard - The right side of a boat
Vigil - Search, looking out for something
Sparrow - A small brown garden bird
Jutting - Sticking out
Dawdle - Move slowly
Rebuke - Telling off, criticism
Orderly - Hospital staff, assistant
Scows - A basic open boat
Paddle - (In this case) Be paddled
Perimiter - The edge, the outer limit of an area
Acre - A fairly large area of land (4047 square metres)
Honeycombed - With many holes (or, in this case, many separate buildings)
Derelict - Abandoned, no longer being used (and therefore in bad condition)
Winched - Lifted up on a rope
p.55
Evaporated - Disappeared (usually, when liquid becomes gas)
Impotence - A feeling of powerlessness, of not being able to do anything
Unshackling - Releasing, taking off
Exasperation - Annoyance, mild anger
Terrain - Land
Wake - The trail left in the water behind a boat
Principal - Main
Uncongested - Not crowded, clear
Inclination - Angle
Perch - Set down, land
Neo-Assyrian - In the style of an ancient civilization in what is now Iraq (this isn't that important)
Portico - A roof supported by columns
p.56
Vistas - A view across the land
Herodotus - An Ancient Greek historian
Rampart - Walls built on top of mounds of earth
Aegean Sea - Part of the Mediterranean Sea between Greece and Turkey
Polythene - A thin plastic
Fibre-glass - A light but strong material made of fine strings of glass
Eddying - Swirling, moving like a whirlpool
Wavelets - Small waves
Sentinel bird - A type of bird which watches things closely
p.57
Bower - A shady area, a leafy shelter
In default of any other - With nothing else available
Tributaries - Small rivers which join a larger one
Indented - Made to bend or curve slightly
Diverted - Forced to change direction
p.58
Silhouetted - Seen only as a black shape or outline
Gaunt - Thin, skinny (usually due to hunger or exhaustion)
Motives - Reasons for doing something
Explicit - Clear, obvious; explained
Full manifold pressure - Maximum power
Prophesied - Predicted, said would happen
Distal - Moving away from the original or main point
Hydrodynamic - (In this case) Made into smooth shapes by the water
Contours - Curves, bends
Loam - Rich soil, usually containing clay
Matting - Connecting together
Morass - (p.53)
Camouflaged - Disguised, coloured the same as the things around it
Makeshift - Temporary; made quickly
Ten to one... - It's very unlikely that we would see him
Murmured - Spoke too quietly to be understood; made noises without real words
p.59
Parallel - Moving next to each other in the same direction
Slab - A thick slice; a big, flat piece
Refuse - Rubbish, trash, waste
Immersed - Concentrating on, focused on
Distinct - Clear, obvious
Hauling - Dragging, pulling (a heavy object)
Crude - Rough; not nicely made; unfinished
Bocage - Decorative trees or plants
Adjacent - Next to
Autonomous - Separate; running by themselves; individual
p.60
Jauntily - In a lively and relaxed way
Diagnostic - Being able to understand or read a situation or problem
Caking - Drying and becoming solid
Lash down - Tie down, make secure with ropes or cables
Swim for it - Swim away, escape by swimming
Cradled - Held loosely
In the crook of his arm - In the bend of his elbow
Waved this aside - Made a "no problem" gesture
p.61
Cloacal - Like a sewer
Exuded - Came out slowly
Corona - A surrounding cloud (literally, a crown)
Pulsing - Beating (like a heart), moving in a regular rhythm
Nausea - Feeling sick
Gullet - Throat
Premonition - A vision or feeling about the future
Orientation - Arrangement, the way something is set up
Minatory - Threatening, suggesting danger
Myriad-handed - With very many hands (literally, ten thousand)
Mandala - A Hindu or Buddhist diagram of the universe
Inlays - The layer underneath the floorboards
Warily - Carefully
Skirting boards - The strip of wood along the bottom of a room's walls
Lathes - Strips of wood or other material
Intertwined - Tangled together, twisted around each other
Ramifying - Spreading out
Frantically - Excitedly; in a panic
Dispersing - Splitting up, going in different directions
Scuttered - Crawled quickly
p.62
Exacerbated - Made worse or stronger
Condescending - As if from a superior to an inferior
Play over - Move across
Surveying - Looking around, trying to spot something
Promontory - A piece of land that sticks out or up
Obelisk - A tall, carved piece of stone (like in Ancient Egypt)
Translucent - Light can pass through it
Counterpane - A bed cover
Motes - Little specks or particles, like floating dust
p.63
Colonnaded façade - The front of a building, with a row of columns
Register - Level
Carillon - A set of bells at the top of a tower
Dalinian - In the style of Salvador Dalí
Fused - Having become solid
Spatio-temporal - To do with space and time (i.e. the whole universe)
Clutter - Mess, untidiness
Debris - Broken pieces, remains
Unravelling - Becoming unwrapped
p.64
Jolt - A surprised jump
Stooped - Not standing straight
Clogged - Blocked, filled
Constraint - Being held back or tied down
Fatigue - Tiredness, exhaustion
Deltoid muscles - Shoulder muscles
Intensity - Concentration, strong feeling
Detachment - Not being connected, not interested
Banked - (A fire) covered with ash to make it burn slowly and for a long time
Elicited - Caused; got in return
Galvanic - Shocking; with a sudden burst of energy
Feinted - Dodged, faked
Parapet - A low wall
p.65
Banisters - The hand-rail of a staircase
Stock-still - Completely still
Demoniac - Like a demon
Damper - More damp, wetter
Oblivious - Not noticing
Seized - Grabbed, took hold of
Wrench - Pull (with difficulty)
Pacify - Calm someone down, make peaceful
Phlegm - Mucus, like when you have a cold
Staccato - With short, sharp sounds
Exhaust - The steam or gas coming out of a machine
Tableau - Picture, scene
Assuming - Thinking, believing
Roused - Woken up, distracted
p.66
Precariously - Carefully, trying to keep balance
Cuffed - Hit, knocked
Merged - Joined together, connected
Pursued - Chased
Ascending - Rising
Pot-holes - Small holes in the ground
Tier - Level
Cobbled - Made of round stones
Shambles - Mess, bad situation
Pounding away - Running heavily, with effort
p.67
Sedate - Quiet, calm
Magnolia - A type of flower
Ionic - An Ancient Greek style of building
Sham-Parthenon - In the style of the Parthenon
Stumbled - Almost fell over
Scalding - Burning (usually used for hot water)
Diminishing - Becoming smaller
Bludgeoning - Beating, pounding
Billowing - Blowing, expanding
Agonised - With a lot of pain
Lashed - Smashed
p.68
Porpoised - Dived like a porpoise (a type of dolphin)
Shattered - Broken into pieces, smashed
Eccentrically - Strangely, crazily
Subside - Reduce, become less; pass by
Glare - A wide, bright light
Necropolis - A large cemetery, usually in an ancient city
Zenith - Peak, highest point
Morphine - A drug that reduces pain
Spectral - Ghostly
Thermal gradients - Levels or layers of hot air
Entranced - Under a spell; hypnotized
p.69
Skirting - Moving round
Incline - Slope (going up)
Acknowledging - Recognizing; accepting
Fractionally - Slightly
Plunged - Ran quickly
Dispirited - Without spirit; ready to give up
Restraining - Holding him back
Undeterred - Not stopped, not affected
Furnace - A large fire, like on a steam train or steam ship
Crest - The top of a hill or high point of land
Incandescent - Burning white
School - Group
Sidling - Moving slightly closer
Braying - Making harsh cries, like donkeys
p.70
Raucous - Noisy, harsh
Enigmatically - Mysteriously
Nursing - Taking care of; waiting to recover from
Odyssey - A long, hard journey (usually with a goal or aim)
Meridian - At midday
Amnionic - As a baby in the womb
Chapter 5
p.70
Luminous - Glowing
Opaque - Something you can't really see through
Discern - See by looking closely
Glimmering - Glittering, shining
Pulsing - Beating (like a heart); moving in waves
Limestone - A white type of stone
Diffused - Spread out
Opalescent - Shining but also milky
Discharged - Released, sent out
Myriads - Thousands, many
Phosphorescing - Giving off natural light
Animalcula - Very tiny organisms
Shoals - Groups
p.71
Entwined - Twisted together
Writhing - Wriggling, twisting
Flung - Thrown
Strutting - Walking stiffly
Indistinguishable - Looking or sounding the same
Solar flares - Waves of gas and plasma thrown out by the sun
Mesmeric - Hypnotizing, putting one in a trance
Baying - Shouting; barking like dogs
Dissolving - Disappearing; becoming liquid
Thudding - Thumping, pounding
Suffocating - Making one unable to breathe
Burst - Exploded, squashed
Marrow - A vegetable like a big courgette
Inflamed - Angry; painful; made bigger
Spectral - Like a ghost
Auditory threshold - The level of volume at which one can hear things
Reverberating - Echoing; bouncing
Pelagic - In the deep ocean
Reagent benches - Equipment for doing experiments
Persisted - Continued
p.72
Pantheon - Collection
Tutelary - Something that guards or protects
Over-burdened - Carrying too many things
Psyche - Mind, consciousness
Telepath - Someone who can read minds
Archetypes - An unconscious idea or thought that everone has deep down
Restive - Impatient, restless
Anima - The inner, unconscious personality
Persona - The outer, public face people create for themselves
Ego - The part of the mind that connects with the outside world
Id - The unconscious, inner part of the mind
Spire - Tower
Self-sufficiency - Being able to survive alone
Sedative - A drug to calm someone down or help them sleep
Oblique - Unclear
Inevitable - Unavoidable, cannot be stopped from happening
Prognosis - What is likely to happen (usually used for diseases)
Irrevocable - (See inevitable)
Incurable - Cannot be cured
Omission - Leaving out; not doing something
Minimal - Small
Placidly - Calmly
Unobtrusively - Without disturbing
Febrile - With a fever, i.e. hot and/or shaking
Fata morgana - A visual illusion in which layers of hot air look like water
Terminal lagoon - A lagoon in which a river finishes (though in this case it is a metaphor; the 'river' is the human mind)
Rueful - Unhappy or with regret
p.73
Pensively - Thoughtfully
Recurrent - Repeated
Blunt - Direct, without worrying about other people's feelings
A tribute to... - Something which shows or demonstrates a quality or strength
Preconscious - Just below the conscious surface of the mind
Figuratively - Metaphorically
Precipitating - Making something happen more quickly
Corporate - Shared by many people
Spectrum - A range of colours
Forlorn - Without hope
Lungeing - Diving, jumping forward
Latent - Lying hidden or not active
Manifest - Visible, revealed
p.74
Golgotha - The hill where Jesus was crucified
Gomorrah - A city destroyed in the Bible because the people there behaved sinfully
Phenobarbitone - A sedative drug
Residues - The remaining parts
Organic - Natural; part of the basic structure of something
Ascending - Rising
Innate - Natural; something you are born with
Cytoplasm - A substance inside living cells
Spinal levels - Different sections of the spine
Neuronic psyche - The 'consciousness' contained in nerves and cells, rather than in the mind
Lumbar transfer - Something being passed from the spine to the mind
Biopsychic recall - Remembering with both the mind and the body
Companionway - A stair or ladder inside a boat
Briskly - Quickly
Amiably - In a friendly way
Litter - Mess, untidiness
Subordinates - People of lower rank
p.75
Embarkation - Departure, leaving
Glassy - Dull; tired
Gesticulating - Gesturing
Immense - Huge
Hallucinatory - Causing one to see things which aren't there
Diminished - Made smaller, with fewer things
Subliminal - Below the level of consciousness
Dapple - Reflect unevenly
Underhang - A part that sticks out
Curiously - Strangely, funnily
Quarter - An area of a city
Planetarium - A building in which you can see the night sky and the planets
Re-align - Correct the settings
Fucus - A type of brown seaweed
The Water Babies - A book published in 1863 about a boy who finds an underwater world
Nomadic - Always moving from place to place
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