Chapter 129 - The Cabin — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from Chapter 129 - The Cabin

malady (noun)

A disease or ailment; here used metaphorically for Ahab's obsessive monomania.

bigot (noun)

One obstinately and unreasonably devoted to a belief or cause; here used positively to mean a zealous believer in human fidelity.

fadeless (adjective)

Unfading; enduring; not subject to decay or diminishment.

fidelity (noun)

Faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief; unswerving loyalty and devotion.

desert (verb)

To abandon or forsake, especially in a time of need (verb, accent on second syllable).

keels up (verb phrase)

Capsizes or overturns, as when a ship flips keel-upward; metaphorically, to be undone or overthrown.

circumference (noun)

The enclosing boundary of a circle; the outer edge that is defined by and inseparable from the center.

transom (noun)

The flat or curved surface forming the stern (back end) of a ship; also, a crossbeam.

epaulets (noun)

Ornamental shoulder pieces on military or naval uniforms, often fringed with gold, denoting rank.

seventy-fours (noun)

Warships carrying 74 guns, a standard class of ship-of-the-line in 18th- and 19th-century navies.

monsieurs (noun)

French form of address meaning "gentlemen" or "sirs"; used here with mock formality.

hang-dog (adjective)

Having a shamefaced, guilty, or dejected appearance; looking abject or miserable.

down-hearted (adjective)

Discouraged, dejected, or dispirited; feeling low in spirits.

bulge (verb)

To swell outward or break through under pressure; here, rocks bursting through the ship's hull.

screwed chair (noun phrase)

A chair bolted or screwed to the deck of a ship to prevent it from sliding in rough seas.