CHAPTER 6 — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from CHAPTER 6

cowhiding (noun)

A beating or whipping, especially with a cowhide whip or leather strap.

skiff (noun)

A small, flat-bottomed boat, typically for one or two people.

hick'ry (noun)

Dialectal form of "hickory," referring to a switch or stick made from hickory wood, used for beating.

chimbly (noun)

Dialectal form of "chimney," the flue or vertical passage for smoke in a cabin.

clapboards (noun)

Long, thin boards used as siding on the exterior of a wooden building, overlapping horizontally.

sivilized (adjective)

Huck's dialectal spelling of "civilized," meaning conforming to the social norms and manners of polite society.

tow (noun)

Short, coarse fibers of flax or hemp, used for stuffing, wadding, or making rope.

delirium tremens (noun)

A severe condition involving tremors, hallucinations, and confusion, caused by withdrawal from or excessive consumption of alcohol.

nabob (noun)

A person of great wealth or high social standing; originally a Muslim official in India, used here sarcastically.

mulatter (noun)

Dialectal form of "mulatto," a historically used (now offensive) term for a person of mixed Black and white ancestry.

ramrod (noun)

A rod used for pushing the charge into a muzzle-loading firearm or for cleaning the barrel of a gun.

splitbottom (adjective)

Describing a chair with a seat woven from thin strips of wood or bark, common in rural American households.

clasp-knife (noun)

A folding knife with a blade that folds into the handle, secured by a clasp or catch.

fagged out (adjective)

Completely exhausted or worn out from physical exertion.

welts (noun)

Raised, red marks or ridges on the skin caused by a blow or beating.