Chapter 54 - The Town-Ho's Story — Vocabulary
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale by Herman Melville — key words and definitions
Vocabulary Words from Chapter 54 - The Town-Ho's Story
- visitation (noun)
- An instance of divine punishment or retribution; a catastrophe regarded as a manifestation of God's will.
- interluding (adjective)
- Occurring as an interlude; inserted between parts of the main performance or narrative.
- averse (adjective)
- Having a strong dislike or opposition to something; reluctant.
- gamesomeness (noun)
- A playful, merry, or sportive quality; lighthearted amusement.
- subaltern (noun)
- A person of lower rank or status; a subordinate, especially a junior military officer.
- forbearance (noun)
- Patient self-control; restraint and tolerance, especially when provoked.
- poniard (noun)
- A light dagger; used figuratively for a sharp, piercing look or gesture.
- insurgents (noun)
- People who rise in active revolt against an established authority; rebels or mutineers.
- entreaties (noun)
- Earnest, urgent requests or pleas.
- conflagration (noun)
- A large, destructive fire; used figuratively for an intense outburst of emotion or conflict.
- maledictions (noun)
- Curses; utterances calling for evil or misfortune to befall someone.
- predestinated (adjective)
- Determined or decreed in advance by divine will; fated.
- perfidious (adjective)
- Deceitful and untrustworthy; treacherous.
- phrensy (noun)
- An archaic spelling of frenzy; a state of wild, uncontrolled excitement or agitation.
- crescentic (adjective)
- Shaped like a crescent or half-moon; curved.
- brigandish (adjective)
- Resembling or characteristic of a brigand (a bandit); roguish and swaggering.
- effeminacy (noun)
- Qualities or behavior regarded as characteristic of a woman; softness or delicacy, especially in a man.
- fore-ordaining (adjective)
- Determining or appointing in advance; predestining through divine decree.
- retribution (noun)
- Punishment inflicted as vengeance for a wrong or criminal act; divine justice.