Chapter XVI — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from Chapter XVI

confabulation (noun)

An informal conversation or discussion.

taciturn (adjective)

Reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little.

phlegmatic (adjective)

Having a calm, unemotional temperament; not easily excited.

impenetrability (noun)

The quality of being impossible to understand or see through.

harangue (noun)

A lengthy, aggressive, or forceful speech.

demureness (noun)

The quality of being modest, reserved, or shy in manner.

dumfoundered (adjective)

Greatly astonished or amazed; dumbfounded.

inscrutable (adjective)

Impossible to understand or interpret; mysterious.

enigmatical (adjective)

Puzzling, mysterious, or difficult to interpret.

entailed (adjective)

Legally restricted (property or an estate) so that it can only be inherited by a specified line of heirs.

arraigned (verb (past tense))

Called before a court to answer a charge; formally accused.

surfeited (verb (past tense))

Indulged in something to excess, causing disgust or weariness.

ignis-fatuus (noun)

A misleading or deluding light or hope; literally, a phosphorescent light seen over marshy ground (will-o'-the-wisp).

plebeian (noun)

A person of low social status; a commoner (used here as a self-deprecating term).

indigent (adjective)

Poor; needy; lacking the necessities of life.

conflagration (noun)

An extensive fire that destroys a large amount of land, buildings, or property.