CHAPTER 33 — Vocabulary
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain — key words and definitions
Vocabulary Words from CHAPTER 33
- ha'nt (verb)
- Dialect form of 'haunt'; to return as a ghost to trouble or frighten someone.
- rapscallions (noun)
- Mischievous or dishonest people; rascals or scoundrels.
- owdacious (adjective)
- Dialect form of 'audacious'; extremely bold, daring, or shamelessly presumptuous.
- stile (noun)
- A structure of steps or bars that allows people to climb over a fence or wall.
- meeky (adverb)
- In a meek, timid, or submissive manner.
- cavortings (noun)
- Wild, exaggerated performances or antics; prancing about in a lively or boisterous way.
- putrified (adjective)
- Dialect form of 'petrified'; stunned or paralyzed with shock or astonishment.
- ornery (adjective)
- Bad-tempered, stubborn, or low in spirits; also used to mean mean-spirited or cantankerous.
- brash (adjective)
- Self-assertively confident; bold or cocky in manner.
- pison (verb)
- Dialect spelling of 'poison'; to kill or harm with a toxic substance.
- Methusalem (noun)
- Dialect form of 'Methuselah'; a biblical figure said to have lived 969 years, used to mean an extremely old person.
- clumb (verb)
- Dialect past tense of 'climb'; climbed.
- astraddle (adverb)
- Sitting with one leg on each side; straddling.
- numskull (noun)
- A stupid or foolish person; a blockhead.
- yaller (adjective)
- Dialect form of 'yellow'; used here in 'yaller fever' (yellow fever) and 'yaller dog' (a mongrel or worthless dog).