Book XIX — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from Book XIX

cloister (noun)

A covered walkway or colonnade, typically within a building or along the side of a courtyard.

begrimed (adjective)

Made dirty or blackened, especially with soot or grime.

hecatombs (noun)

Large-scale sacrificial offerings to the gods, originally a sacrifice of one hundred oxen.

pall (noun)

A cloth spread over a coffin, hearse, or tomb; a funeral cloth for covering the dead.

stratagems (noun)

Plans or schemes, especially ones used to outwit an opponent or achieve a goal through deception.

tambour-frame (noun)

A circular frame used for holding fabric taut while embroidering or doing needlework.

wanton (verb)

To behave in an unrestrained, reckless, or self-indulgent manner.

plausible (adjective)

Seemingly reasonable or probable; appearing worthy of belief.

fatuous (adjective)

Silly and pointless; devoid of real meaning or substance.

perjurer (noun)

A person who tells lies under oath or who habitually tells falsehoods.

foresworn (verb (past participle))

Renounced or given up something solemnly; sworn to abstain from.

plaintive (adjective)

Sounding sad and mournful; expressing sorrow or melancholy.

squalid (adjective)

Extremely dirty, neglected, and in poor condition.

recline (verb)

To lean or lie back in a relaxed position.

smirched (adjective)

Made dirty; stained or soiled.