Chapter 8 — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from Chapter 8

mescal (noun)

An alcoholic spirit distilled from the fermented juice of the agave plant, traditionally produced in Mexico.

hypnopaedia (noun)

The practice of teaching or conditioning a person during sleep through repeated audio messages.

promiscuous (adjective)

Having many sexual partners without discrimination or commitment.

oscillate (verb)

To swing back and forth between two states, positions, or conditions.

kindred (adjective)

Similar in kind or nature; sharing qualities or characteristics with another.

formative (adjective)

Having a major influence on the development of someone's character or abilities, especially during childhood.

initiation (noun)

A ceremony or ritual marking admission into a group, society, or stage of life.

dystopia (noun)

An imagined society characterized by suffering, oppression, or dehumanizing conditions, often presented as utopian by those in power.

dramatic irony (noun)

A literary device in which the audience understands the significance of events or words that a character does not.

allusion (noun)

An indirect reference to a person, place, event, or literary work that enriches meaning through association.

frame narrative (noun)

A story within a story, in which a character narrates events to a listener who provides the outer narrative frame.

ecstatic (adjective)

Feeling or expressing overwhelming happiness or rapturous delight.

retribution (noun)

Punishment inflicted on someone as vengeance for a wrong or criminal act.

Pavlovian (adjective)

Relating to conditioned reflexes, named after Ivan Pavlov, who demonstrated that behavior could be trained through stimulus-response associations.

solace (noun)

Comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness.