Chapter 131 - The Pequod Meets The Delight — Vocabulary
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale by Herman Melville — key words and definitions
Vocabulary Words from Chapter 131 - The Pequod Meets The Delight
- descried (verb)
- Caught sight of something, especially something distant or difficult to see.
- shears (noun)
- Heavy wooden beams crossing the quarter-deck of a whaling ship, used to carry spare or disabled boats.
- taffrail (noun)
- The rail around the stern (back end) of a ship.
- crotch (noun)
- A forked support on a whaling ship used to hold harpoons or lances upright and ready for use.
- tempered (verb)
- Strengthened or hardened (metal) by heating and cooling; also, moderated or adjusted in character.
- barbs (noun)
- Sharp, backward-pointing projections on a harpoon or fishhook that prevent it from being easily withdrawn.
- foreboding (adjective)
- Suggesting that something bad or ominous is about to happen; conveying a sense of impending evil.
- conspicuous (adjective)
- Easily seen or noticed; attracting attention by being clearly visible.
- dejected (adjective)
- Sad, dispirited, or lacking in hope and confidence.
- hammock (noun)
- A cloth or canvas slung between two supports, used as a bed or, aboard ships, as a burial shroud.