II - Stave I — Vocabulary
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad — key words and definitions
Vocabulary Words from II - Stave I
- pestilential
- Destructive to life; deadly; also, morally harmful or annoying.
- impudence
- Shameless boldness; insolent disrespect.
- sagacious
- Having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment; shrewd.
- implacable
- Unable to be appeased, calmed, or satisfied; relentless.
- inscrutable
- Impossible to understand or interpret; mysterious.
- impenetrable
- Impossible to pass through or enter; impervious to understanding.
- sycophantic
- Behaving in an obsequious way to gain advantage; servile flattery.
- reverberating
- Echoing repeatedly; resounding.
- ponderous
- Slow and clumsy because of great weight; dull or laborious.
- portico
- A structure consisting of a roof supported by columns, typically attached to a building as a porch.
- begrimed
- Blackened with ingrained dirt or soot.
- hovel
- A small, squalid, unpleasant dwelling.
- dugout
- A canoe made from a hollowed-out tree trunk.
- shoals
- Areas of shallow water; sandbanks or sandbars that are hazards to navigation.
- snag
- A submerged tree trunk or branch that is a hazard to river navigation.
- stern-wheel
- A large paddle wheel at the rear of a steamboat used for propulsion.