CHAPTER 56 — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from CHAPTER 56

committal (noun)

The formal process of sending a person to prison or to trial.

Sessions (noun)

A scheduled sitting of a court of law for conducting trials and passing sentences.

contrite (adjective)

Feeling or expressing remorse for having done wrong.

gewgaws (noun)

Showy but worthless ornaments or trinkets.

nosegays (noun)

Small bunches of flowers, carried historically by court officials to mask unpleasant prison smells.

proscribed (adjective)

Officially forbidden or banished; declared an outlaw.

hardihood (noun)

Boldness or daring, especially of a reckless kind.

propensities (noun)

Natural inclinations or tendencies toward particular behaviors.

fervently (adverb)

With intense, passionate feeling.

pathetically (adverb)

In a manner arousing pity or sadness; here used in its original sense of appealing to emotion.

malefactors (noun)

People who commit crimes or do evil.

placid (adjective)

Calm and peaceful; not easily disturbed.

denouncer (noun)

A person who publicly accuses or reports someone to the authorities.

reprieve (noun)

The cancellation or postponement of a punishment, especially a death sentence.

haggard (adjective)

Looking exhausted and gaunt, especially from suffering or worry.