Huck+Finn+Dictionary

This is a dictionary of words that appear in //Adventures of Huckleberry Finn// that students might have difficulty understanding.
Abolitionist (noun) - one that wishes to abolish slavery Addled (verb) - to become rotten or confused Aristocracy (noun) - government by the best individuals or by a small privileged class Benefactor (noun) - one that makes a gift or bequest Blackguard (verb) – to insult Bogus (adj.) – counterfeit or fake; not genuine Brash (adj.) - brittle; heedless of the consequences Capered (verb) - to leap or frisk about; frolic Careened (verb) – to lurch or swerve while in motion Cavorting (verb) - to have lively or boisterous fun; romp Cipher (noun) - zero; a message in code Contrite (adj.) - feeling regret or sorrow for one’s sins or offences; penitent Contrived (verb, adj. ) - devise or plan; to bring about by stratagem or with difficulty Commence (verb) - to begin; to start Crockery (noun) – earthenware or tableware Delirium tremens (noun) – a violent delirium with tremors induced by alcoholic liquors Derrick (noun) - a hoisting apparatus employing a tackle rigged at the end of a beam; a frame-word or tower for supporting tackle Dismal (adj.) – causing gloom or depression; dreary Disposition (noun)- to put into place; prevailing tendency, mood, or inclination Dissipating (verb)- to break up and drive off; to spend wastefully Draft (noun) – check or money order Eaves (noun) – lower part of a roof Enamel (noun) - a coating that dries to a hard glossy finish Flighty (adj.) – easily excited Flapdoodle (noun) – nonsense Garret (noun) – attic Gaudy (adj.) – showy in a tasteless or vulgar way Genies (noun) - a spirit that gives service Hew (verb) – to cut Histrionic (adj.) - excessively dramatic or emotional Hogshead (noun) - a large barrel or cask that holds approximately 63 liquid gallons Impudent (adj.) - lacking modesty; marked by contemptuous or cocky boldness or disregard Impair (verb) – to cause to diminish as in strength, value, or quality Impostor (noun) - one that assumes false identity for the purpose of deception Infernal (adj.) - abominable; awful Ingenious (adj.) – marked by inventive skill and imagination Ingots (noun) - casting molds for metal Insurrection (noun) - an act or instance of revolting against civil authority or an established government Lineal (adj.) - belonging to or being in the direct line of descent of an ancestor. Melodeum (noun) - a small keyboard organ Mesmerism (noun) - hypnotic appeal Muse (verb) - to become absorbed in thought Naboba (noun) - person of great wealth or prominence Notion (noun) – theory; belief Oracle (noun) - a shrine consecrated to the worship and consultation of a prophetic deity Outlandish (adj.) - strikingly out of the ordinary; exceeding proper or reasonable limits or standards Pallet (noun) – a temporary bed made by bedding arranged on the floor Pensive (adj.) – suggestive or expressive of melancholy thoughtfulness Phrenology (noun) - the study of the shape and protuberances of the skull, based on the belief that they reveal character or mental capacity Pious (adj.) - showing reverence for deity and devotion to divine worship Pivot (verb) – to cause to rotate, revolve, or turn Pommel (verb) – to beat; pummel Providence (noun) - (1) care or preparation in advance; foresight (2) divine direction Quicksilver (noun) - mercury Rapscallions (noun) - a mean, unprincipled, or dishonest person; rascal Raspy (adj.) – harsh; grating Remiss (verb) - showing neglect or inattention Reticule (noun) – a drawstring handbag or purse Row (noun) – fuss; argument Scoundrel (noun) - a disreputable person; rascal Scow (noun) - a large flat bottom boat with square ends, used chiefly for transporting freight Seedy (adj.) – shabby; run-down Shirk (verb) - to go stealthily; to evade the performance of an obligation Shoal (noun, verb) - to become shallow; a sandbank or sandbar Shrivel (verb) - to make or become much less or smaller; dwindle Singular (adj.)- relating to a separate person or thing; distinguished by superiority; being out of the ordinary Skiff (noun) - a flat-bottomed rowboat Soliloquy (noun) – a dramatic form of discourse in which a character talks to him or herself or reveals his or her thoughts without addressing a listener Specimen (noun) - an individual, item, or part that represents a class, genus, or whole Speculate (verb) - to mediate on a subject; to reflect Stealthy (adj.) – acting with quiet, caution, and secrecy intended to avoid notice Sublime (adj.) - awe inspiring; impressive Sultry (adj.) – exceedingly hot Tartar (noun) - a person regarded as ferocious or violent Temperance (noun) – moderation and self-restraint, as in behavior or expression Thicket (noun) – a dense growth of shrubs or underbrush Thrash (verb) - to beat soundly as if with a whip; to go over again and again Tolerable (adj.) - capable of being tolerated; endurable Trance (noun) - stupor, daze; a sleeplike state; a state of profound abstraction or absorption Valid (adj.) – well grounded; just Venture (noun) – an undertaking that is dangerous, daring, and of uncertain outcome Vial (noun) – a small container used especially for liquids Victuals (noun) - food usable by people; supplies of food Whale - lash, thrash; to strike or hit vigorously; to defeat soundly Yawl (noun) – a ship’s small boat, crewed by rowers