Chapter 61 - Stubb Kills a Whale — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from Chapter 61 - Stubb Kills a Whale

portents (noun)

Signs or warnings that something momentous or calamitous is about to happen.

sultry (adjective)

Very hot and humid; oppressively warm.

denizens (noun)

Inhabitants or occupants of a particular place.

fathoms (noun)

Units of measurement equal to six feet, used to measure depth of water.

tranquillity (noun)

The quality or state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled.

sounding (noun)

In whaling, the act of a whale diving deep beneath the surface.

jeopardy (noun)

Danger of loss, harm, or failure; peril.

obliquely (adverb)

At an angle; not directly or straightforwardly.

galliot (noun)

A small, flat-bottomed Dutch cargo vessel or a type of galley.

loggerhead (noun)

A post fixed in the stern of a whaleboat around which the harpoon line is wound to control the whale.

spiracle (noun)

The blowhole of a whale through which it breathes.

vehement (adjective)

Showing strong feeling; forceful, passionate, or intense.

impenetrable (adjective)

Impossible to pass through or enter; unable to be understood.

phrensied (adjective)

Archaic spelling of "frenzied"; wildly excited or uncontrolled.

spasmodically (adverb)

In sudden, involuntary, irregular bursts; fitfully.

gore (noun)

Blood that has been shed, especially when clotted.