CHAPTER 10 — Vocabulary
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain — key words and definitions
Vocabulary Words from CHAPTER 10
- rummaged (verb)
- Searched thoroughly and untidily through a collection of things.
- peart (adjective)
- Lively, cheerful, or bold; here used as a dialectal warning not to be too cocky.
- cavern (noun)
- A large cave or chamber within a cave, used here as their shelter on the island.
- varmint (noun)
- A troublesome wild animal or creature; dialectal variant of "vermin."
- spring (noun)
- A sudden leap or lunge, especially by an animal preparing to attack.
- druther (verb)
- Dialectal contraction of "would rather"; to prefer.
- pitched around (verb phrase)
- Thrashed or tossed about wildly, as in delirium or pain.
- ha'nt (verb)
- Dialectal form of "haunt"; to appear as a ghost or spirit.
- truck (noun)
- Miscellaneous goods or belongings; odds and ends of little value.
- gashly (adjective)
- Dialectal form of "ghastly"; horrifying or frightful to look at.
- calico (noun)
- A plain-woven cotton fabric, often printed with a small floral pattern.
- sun-bonnet (noun)
- A bonnet with a wide brim and a flap at the back to protect the face and neck from the sun.
- shanty (noun)
- A small, crudely built dwelling; a shack.
- shot tower (noun)
- A tall tower used in the manufacture of lead shot, where molten lead was dropped from the top to form spheres.
- rubbage (noun)
- Dialectal form of "rubbish"; worthless or discarded material.