Act II - Scene I — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from Act II - Scene I

taper (noun)

A slender candle or a long wick coated in wax, used for lighting.

adder (noun)

A venomous snake; here used metaphorically to represent the danger Caesar poses.

augmented (adjective)

Increased in power, size, or degree.

exhalations (noun)

Meteors or luminous vapors in the sky; atmospheric phenomena thought to be gases rising from the earth.

phantasma (noun)

A phantom, hallucination, or frightening illusion of the mind.

Erebus (noun (proper))

In Greek mythology, the deep darkness beneath the earth, between the surface world and Hades.

palter (verb)

To equivocate, act insincerely, or break a promise.

cautelous (adjective)

Crafty, deceitful, or treacherously cautious.

insuppressive (adjective)

Unable to be suppressed or restrained; irrepressible.

carrions (noun)

Decaying bodies or, figuratively, people who are near death; wretched, feeble individuals.

contriver (noun)

A person who devises schemes or plots; a planner or schemer.

unbraced (adjective)

With clothing unfastened or loosened; undressed or disheveled.

rheumy (adjective)

Damp, moist, and unhealthy; likely to cause colds or illness.

charactery (noun)

Written expression or symbols; the outward signs visible on one's face that express inner thoughts.

vouchsafe (verb)

To graciously grant or give; to condescend to offer something.

mortified (adjective)

Deadened, rendered lifeless or numb; here meaning a spirit that had been suppressed or defeated.

prodigies (noun)

Extraordinary or ominous events; unnatural occurrences seen as signs or portents.

toils (noun)

Nets or snares used for trapping animals.