Chapter 51 - The Spirit-Spout — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from Chapter 51 - The Spirit-Spout

descried (verb (past tense))

Caught sight of something, especially something difficult to see; spotted from a distance.

apparition (noun)

A ghost or ghostlike image; something strange or unexpected that appears.

preternaturalness (noun)

The quality of being beyond what is normal or natural; supernatural strangeness.

alluring (adjective)

Powerfully attractive or tempting; enticing.

perfidious (adjective)

Deceitful and untrustworthy; treacherous.

immemorial (adjective)

Extending beyond the reach of memory or recorded history; ancient.

taffrail (noun)

A rail around the stern (back end) of a ship.

stunsail (noun)

A studding sail; an extra sail set outboard of a principal sail during fair winds to increase speed.

bulwarks (noun)

The sides of a ship above the upper deck, serving as a protective wall.

vacuity (noun)

An empty space; a state of complete absence or emptiness.

inscrutable (adjective)

Impossible to understand or interpret; mysterious.

mundane (adjective)

Of or relating to the world; earthly (as opposed to spiritual). In modern usage often means ordinary or everyday.

shroud (noun)

In nautical use, one of a set of ropes or cables forming part of the standing rigging that supports a ship's mast.

demoniac (adjective)

Resembling or characteristic of a demon; fiendish, frenzied.

tell-tale (noun)

A cabin compass mounted on the ceiling, allowing the captain to check the ship's course from below decks.