CHAPTER 3 — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from CHAPTER 3

Providence (noun)

The protective care and guidance of God or nature; divine direction of human affairs.

spiritual gifts (noun phrase)

Non-material blessings or moral virtues believed to come from God, as opposed to physical possessions.

ornery (adjective)

Bad-tempered, stubborn, or generally difficult; in dialect usage, also mean or contemptible.

whale (verb)

To beat or thrash severely (informal/dialectal).

ingots (noun)

Blocks of metal, typically gold or silver, cast in a mold; Tom uses the word to reimagine stolen hogs as treasure.

julery (noun)

Huck's dialectal mispronunciation of "jewelry"; Tom's romantic term for the turnips and garden produce the gang steals.

ambuscade (noun)

An ambush; a surprise attack from a concealed position. From the French embuscade.

slogan (noun)

Originally a Scottish war cry or rallying signal; here Tom uses it to mean a signal (a blazing stick) to summon the gang.

sumter (noun)

A pack animal, especially a mule used for carrying supplies. Variant spelling of "sumpter."

enchantment (noun)

A magical spell or the state of being under a spell; Tom uses the concept to explain away the absence of Arabs and treasure.

genies (noun)

Supernatural spirits in Arabian mythology that can be summoned and commanded, typically from a magic lamp or ring.

hived (verb)

Dialectal past tense meaning captured, seized, or collected (as bees are gathered into a hive).

primer-class (noun)

The most elementary or beginner-level class, typically for young children learning their letters.

tract (noun)

A short pamphlet or leaflet, especially one on a religious or moral subject, intended for distribution.

numskull (noun)

A stupid or foolish person; a blockhead.