To Kill a Mockingbird Vocabulary Ch 1-11

1. To Kill a MockingbirdVocabulary Ch 1-11 Your notes should contain: The word with page number Part of Speech Definition Sentence

2. Assuaged: VERB (3) • To lessen the intensity of; eased; relieved • Kyra’s fear of the dark was assuaged by a night light in her room.

3. Dictum: Noun (4) • A formal decision, formal opinion (as by an authority figure) or judgment • His parents’ dictum on the value of hard work had been instilled in Lee for years.

4. Taciturn: adj (4) • Disinclined to talk; silent • Cole’s taciturn uncle rarely spoke about his wartime experiences or anything else for that matter.

5. Beadle: noun (11) • A low-ranking city official with minor duties • The town beadle made her rounds downtown checking to make sure storefronts were locked.

6. Illicitly: adv (19) • Without permission; unlawfully or illegally • Fully aware of the “No U-Turn” sign, Claire illicitly made a U-turn hoping she would not be seen.

7. Persevere: verb (28) • To persist in spite of difficulty • Despite a sprained ankle, Cheyenne chose to persevere to get to the finish line.

8. Contentious: Adj (30) • Argumentative; belligerent • Some reality TV shows intentionally create situations where contestants become contentious.

9. Diminutive: adj (30) • Small in stature or size (referring to a person) • The diminutive David defeated the giant Goliath.

10. Scuppernongs: Noun (39) • A variety of yellowish-green grapes usually found in the Southern U.S. (muscadine grapes) • Chilled scuppernongs on a hot afternoon are really delicious.

11. Benevolence: Noun (48) • Kindness • Donating blood is an act of benevolence.

12. Placidly: adv (52) • Calmly; tranquilly • After rehearsing several times, Simon gave his speech very placidly in front of the class.

13. Inconspicuous: adj (103) • Not conspicuous; not noticeable or prominent • Good detectives learn to be inconspicuous when needed.

14. Philippic: noun (117) • A verbal denunciation with harsh, insulting language. • The angry football player was ejected from the field after his loud philippic to the referee.

15. Umbrage: noun (117) • Offense; To take offense or displeasure in something. • After hearing, “Oh, I already have one of these” during the birthday party, the guest took umbrage and decided to leave.

16. Reconnaissance: ADJ (120) • A preliminary survey or mission to gain information • Agent 007James Bond was sent on a reconnaissance mission to determine whether the North Koreans were planning a takeover of Thailand.

17. Undulate: verb (123) • To form or move in waves; fluctuate • The flock of geese began to undulate through the sky due to the southerly winds.

18. Cantankerous: ADJ (127) • Ill-natured; quarrelsome • Really tired children tend to have a reputation for being somewhat cantankerous.

19. Propensities: Noun (124) • Natural inclinations; tendencies • Casey has great natural propensities in both music and math.

20. To Kill a Mockingbird Vocabulary Chapters 12-31 Your notes should contain: The word with page number Part of Speech Definition Sentence

21. Asafoetida: Noun (135) • a soft, brown, lumpy gum resin having an unpleasant odor once used for medicinal purposes but sometimes used for cooking. • The barber rubbed a foul-smelling cream of asafoetida onto the man’s head to help heal his scalp.

22. Rotogravure: Noun (136) • An engraved image (part of the intaglio printing process where the image is engraved on to a copper cylinder). • Delia looked closely at the rotogravure of the burning of Atlanta in her textbook.

23. Changeling: Noun (149) • A child secretly exchanged for another. • In the movie the Changeling, a mother feels her own child has been replaced with another that is not her own.

24. Myopic: adj (148) • A lack of foresight; a narrow view • The contractor’s myopic planning usually resulted in poorly constructed houses.

25. Venerable: adj (170) • Of an impressive age • The venerable man at the Senior Citizens’ center told us fascinating stories about living through the Great Depression.

26. Succinct: adj (172) • Very concise; to the point • The text message Rachel received from her mother was very succinct-- “call me”.

27. Formidable: Adj (181) • Impressive; inspiring wonder • The Statue of Liberty is quite a formidable sculpture.

28. Elucidate: verb (182) • To make clear; to explain; to enlighten • Maria brought in a diagram to elucidate how a lightbulb works for her science class.

29. Indigenous: adj (193) • Native to an area or occurring naturally in an environment • The indigenous people frequently had to fight outsiders for control of their lands.

30. Acrimonious: adj (195) • Caustic, biting, or especially bitter in feeling, language, or manner. • The couple’s break up was extremely` acrimonious.

31. Ambidextrous: adj (202) • Using both hands with equal ease. • After Jenny broke her “writing hand” she soon discovered her ambidextrous talents and used her other hand with ease.

32. Chiffarobe: Noun (205) • A combination of a wardrobe and a chest of drawers. • The chiffarobe was constructed out of oak.

33. Browbeating: verb (211) • To intimidate with an overbearing manner or through words; to bully • The judge ordered the attorney to cease his browbeating of the witness.

34. Expunge: verb (222) • To strike out, obliterate, or mark for deletion. • The court records of the juvenile defendant were expunged.

35. Acquit: verb (236) • To clear of charges; to find NOT guilty. • O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murder charges in his criminal trial during the 1990s.

36. Credibility: Noun(249) • The capacity for belief; believability • Because she had lied previously, Meg’s credibility was on very shaky ground with her mother.

37. Furtive: Adj (250) • Done by stealth; sly or sneaky • Tyler stole a furtive glance over at Kim, afraid she would see the affection in his eyes.

38. Adamant: adj (251) • Unshakeable or insistent especially in maintaining in a position or an opinion; inflexible. • Jill’s parents were adamant that she give her best effort in school.

39. Vehement: adj (252) • Strongly emotional; impassioned • The climber’s vehement pleas for help were finally heard.

40. Duress: Noun (263) • Compulsion by threat; intimidation • Under duress during interrogation, the embezzler confessed to his crime.

41. Pinioned: verb (301) • Restrained; bound • The defendant’s hands were pinioned in shackles during the trial.