CHAPTER 1 — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from CHAPTER 1

sivilize

Huck's dialect spelling of "civilize"; to make someone conform to the norms, manners, and customs of polite society.

stretchers

Exaggerations or tall tales; statements that stretch the truth beyond accuracy.

hogshead

A large cask or barrel, typically holding about 63 gallons, used for shipping goods such as sugar or tobacco.

victuals

Food or provisions; items of nourishment prepared for eating.

tolerable

Moderately; fairly; to a passable degree. Used as an adverb in dialect to mean "reasonably" or "somewhat."

middling

Moderately; to a medium or average degree; neither very much nor very little.

dismal

Dreary, gloomy, or causing a mood of depression. Huck uses it to describe the widow's strict regularity.

commenced

Began; started. The formal past tense of "commence," used here to describe the resumption of the widow's routine.

mournful

Expressing or suggesting sadness, sorrow, or grief; having a melancholy quality.

fidgety

Restless, uneasy, or unable to sit still; inclined to nervously move about.

narrative

A spoken or written account of connected events; a story. Used in the author's prefatory Notice.

dialect

A particular form of a language specific to a region or social group, distinguished by vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.

down-hearted

Feeling discouraged, dejected, or low in spirits.

scrunch

To crunch, squeeze, or huddle oneself into a cramped or compressed position.

ornery

Stubborn, cantankerous, or difficult to deal with. From dialect pronunciation of "ordinary," meaning common or low-class.

grieving

Feeling or expressing intense sorrow or deep sadness, especially over a loss.