CHAPTER 35 — Vocabulary
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain — key words and definitions
Vocabulary Words from CHAPTER 35
- fox-fire
- The bioluminescent glow produced by certain fungi growing on decaying wood; by extension, the glowing rotten wood itself, used as a dim light source.
- seneskal
- Huck's dialect spelling of "seneschal"; a steward or major-domo of a medieval great house or castle, responsible for overseeing domestic arrangements and administration.
- battlements
- The defensive parapet at the top of a castle wall, featuring alternating raised sections (merlons) and openings (crenels) originally designed for shooting through.
- vassles
- Huck's dialect spelling of "vassals"; feudal tenants or servants who owed loyalty and service to a lord in exchange for land and protection.
- moat
- A deep, wide trench filled with water that surrounds a castle, fort, or town as a defensive barrier against attackers.
- donjon-keep
- The main tower or strongest fortified part of a medieval castle, used as a last refuge during a siege; also called the dungeon or keep.
- gaudy
- Showy, extravagantly bright or ornate; here used by Tom approvingly to mean splendid, grand, or impressively elaborate.
- contrive
- To create or devise something cleverly or with ingenuity; to plan or invent with skill, especially when overcoming difficulties.
- resky
- Dialect spelling of "risky"; involving the possibility of danger, harm, or failure.
- muggins
- A foolish or gullible person; used as a mild insult to suggest the person being addressed is stupid or ignorant.
- leanto
- A lean-to; a simple shelter or addition to a building with a roof that slopes in one direction, propped against an existing wall.
- case-knives
- Large table knives or kitchen knives, originally so called because they were kept in a wooden case. Tom insists on using them as digging tools.
- smouch
- Dialect word meaning to steal or pilfer; to sneak off with something.
- sejest
- Huck's dialect pronunciation of "suggest"; to put forward an idea or proposal for consideration.
- captivated
- Huck's malapropism for "captive" or "held captive"; mistakenly used to mean imprisoned or confined.
- ornery
- Mean-spirited, stubborn, or ill-tempered; a dialect alteration of "ordinary" that came to mean cantankerous or contemptible.