CHAPTER 3 — Vocabulary
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens — key words and definitions
Vocabulary Words from CHAPTER 3
- rimy (adjective)
- Covered with rime; coated in white frost.
- clammy (adjective)
- Damp and cold in an unpleasant, sticky way.
- phantom (noun)
- A ghost or apparition; something that exists only in imagination.
- oppressed (adjective)
- Weighed down by worry, hardship, or a sense of being burdened.
- cravat (noun)
- A wide strip of fabric worn around the neck, an early form of necktie.
- clerical (adjective)
- Relating to or resembling a clergyman or member of the clergy.
- accusatory (adjective)
- Expressing or implying an accusation of wrongdoing.
- despatch (noun)
- Speed and efficiency in action; an older spelling of "dispatch."
- ague (noun)
- A fever marked by alternating chills and sweating, often associated with malaria or marshy areas.
- aguish (adjective)
- Prone to causing or resembling ague; associated with fever and chills from damp conditions.
- wittles (noun)
- Dialectal pronunciation of "victuals" — food or provisions.
- scrutiny (noun)
- Close, careful examination or observation.
- imprecations (noun)
- Spoken curses; angry appeals for evil or misfortune to fall on someone or something.
- fetter (noun)
- A chain or shackle placed around a prisoner's ankle to restrict movement.
- desolation (noun)
- A state of complete emptiness, wretchedness, or misery.
- Hulks (noun)
- Decommissioned ships used as floating prisons in 18th and 19th century England.