LORD OF THE FLIES book vocabulary

In order of appearance by chapter:

Chapter 1 "The Sound of the Shell"
CLAMBER: intr.v. clambered, clambering, clambers. 1. To climb with difficulty, especially on all fours; scramble. -- clamber n. A difficult, awkward climb. -- clamberer n.

LAGOON: 1. A shallow body of water, especially one separated from a sea by sandbars or coral reefs. 2. A shallow body of liquid waste material, as one in a dump.

VAINLY: vainer, vainest. 1. Not yielding the desired outcome; fruitless. 2. Lacking substance or worth. 3. Excessively proud of one's appearance or accomplishments; conceited. 4. Archaic. Foolish. -- idiom. in vain. 1. To no avail; without success. 2. In an irreverent or disrespectful manner. -- vainly adv. -- vainness

QUIVER: 1 quiver, intr.v. quivered, quivering, quivers. 1. To shake with a slight, rapid, tremulous movement. -- quiver n. The act or motion of quivering. -- quivery adj. quiver 2 n. 1. A portable case for holding arrows. 2. A case full of arrows.

DECOROUS: adj. Characterized by or exhibiting decorum; proper. -- decorously adv. -- decorousness n.

INTERPOSE: v. interposed, interposing, interposes. -- tr. 1.a. To insert or introduce between parts. b. To place (oneself) between. 2. To introduce or interject (a comment, for example) during discourse or a conversation. 3. To exert (influence or authority) in order to interfere or intervene. -- intr. 1. To come between. 2. To come between the parties in a dispute; intervene. 3. To insert a remark, a question, or an argument. -- interposal n. -- interposer n. -- interposition

STRIDENT: adj. Loud, harsh, grating, or shrill; discordant. -- stridence or stridency n. -- stridently adv.

SCUPPER: n. 1. Nautical. An opening in the side of a ship at deck level to allow water to run off. 2. An opening for draining off water, as from a floor or the roof of a building. scupper 2 tr.v. scuppered, scuppering, scuppers. 1. Chiefly British. To overwhelm or massacre. 2. To ruin or destroy.

SPECULATE: v. speculated, speculating, speculates. -- intr. 1. To meditate on a subject; reflect. 2. To engage in a course of reasoning often based on inconclusive evidence. 3. To engage in the buying or selling of a commodity with an element of risk on the chance of profit. -- tr. To assume to be true without conclusive evidence.

CLAMOR: n. 1. A loud outcry; a hubbub. 2. A vehement expression of discontent or protest. 3. A loud, sustained noise. -- clamor v. clamored, clamoring, clamors. -- intr. 1. To make a loud, sustained noise or outcry. 2. To make insistent demands or complaints. -- tr. 1. To exclaim insistently and noisily. 2. To influence or force by clamoring. -- clamorer n.

PALLOR: n. Extreme or unnatural paleness.

INDIGNATION: n. Anger aroused by something unjust, mean, or unworthy.

JUMBLE: v. jumbled, jumbling, jumbles. -- tr. 1. To mix in a confused way; throw together carelessly. 2. To muddle; confuse. -- intr. 1. To be mixed in a confused way. -- jumble n. 1. A confused or disordered mass. 2. A disordered state; a muddle.

GRATING: n. 1. A grill or network of bars set in a window or door or used as a partition; a grate. 2. A diffraction grating. grate 1 (grt) v. grated, grating, grates. -- tr. 1. To reduce to fragments, shreds, or powder by rubbing against an abrasive surface. 2. To cause to make a harsh grinding or rasping sound through friction. 3. To irritate or annoy persistently. 4. Archaic. To rub or wear away. -- intr. 1. To make a harsh rasping sound by or as if by scraping or grinding. 2. To cause irritation or annoyance. -- grate n. A harsh rasping sound made by scraping or rubbing.

DEVOUR: tr.v. devoured, devouring, devours. 1. To eat up greedily. 2. To destroy, consume, or waste. 3. To take in eagerly. 4. To prey upon voraciously. -- devourer n. -- devouringly adv.

Chapter 2 "Fire on the Mountain"
WARP: v. warped, warping, warps. -- tr. 1. To turn or twist (wood, for example) out of shape. 2. To turn from a correct or proper course; deflect. 3. To affect unfavorably, unfairly, or wrongly; bias. 4. To arrange (strands of yarn or thread) so that they run lengthwise in weaving. 5. Nautical. To move (a vessel) by hauling on a line that is fastened to or around a piling, an anchor, or a pier. --intr. 1. To become bent or twisted out of shape. 2. To turn aside from a true, correct, or natural course; go astray. 3. Nautical. To move a vessel by hauling on a line that is fastened to or around a piling, an anchor, or a pier. --warp n. 1. The state of being twisted or bent out of shape. 2. A distortion or twist, especially in a piece of wood. 3. A mental or moral twist, aberration, or deviation. 4. The threads that run lengthwise in a woven fabric, crossed at right angles to the woof. 5. Warp and woof. 6. Nautical. A towline used in warping a vessel. --warper n.

CONCH: n., pl. conchs or conches. 1. Any of various tropical marine gastropod mollusks, especially of the genera Strombus and Cassis, having large, often brightly colored spiral shells and edible flesh. 2. The shell of one of these gastropod mollusks, used as an ornament, in making cameos, or as a horn. 3. Anatomy.

SCORNFULLY: n. 1.a. Contempt or disdain felt toward a person or object considered despicable or unworthy. b. The expression of such an attitude in behavior or speech; derision. 2. One spoken of or treated with contempt. -- scorn v. scorned, scorning, scorns. -- tr. 1. To consider or treat as contemptible or unworthy. 2. To reject or refuse with derision. -- intr. To express contempt; scoff. -- scorner n. -- scornful adj. -- scornfully adv. -- scornfulness n.

OFFICIOUS: adj. 1. Marked by excessive eagerness in offering unwanted services or advice to others. 2. Informal; unofficial. 3. Archaic. Eager to render services or help others. -- officiously adv. -- officiousness n.

INDIGNANT: adj. Characterized by or filled with indignation. -- indignantly adv.

TUMULT: n. 1. The din and commotion of a great crowd. 2.a. A disorderly commotion or disturbance. b. A tempestuous uprising; a riot. 3. Agitation of the mind or emotions.

IRRESISTIBLE: adj. 1. Impossible to resist. 2. Having an overpowering appeal. -- irresistibility or irresistibleness n. -- irresistibly adv.

Chapter 3 "Huts on the Beach"
FESTOON: n. 1. A string or garland, as of leaves or flowers, suspended in a loop or curve between two points. 2. A representation of such a string or garland, as in painting or sculpture. -- festoon tr.v. festooned, festooning, festoons. 1. To decorate with or as if with festoons; hang festoons on. 2. To form or make into festoons.

TENDRIL: n. 1. A twisting, thread like structure by which a twining plant, such as a grape or cucumber, grasps an object or a plant for support. 2. Something, such as a ringlet of hair, that is long, slender, and curling.

OPPRESSIVE: adj. 1. Difficult to bear; burdensome. 2. Exercising power arbitrarily and often unjustly; tyrannical. 3. Weighing heavily on the senses or spirit. -- oppressively adv. -- oppressiveness n.

INSCRUTABLE: adj. Difficult to fathom or understand; impenetrable. -- inscrutability or inscrutableness n. -- inscrutably adv.

BARB: 1 n. 1. A sharp point projecting in reverse direction to the main point of a weapon or tool, as on an arrow or fishhook. 2. A cutting remark. 3. Zoology. One of the parallel filaments projecting from the main shaft of a feather. 4. Botany. A short, sharply hooked bristle or hairlike projection. 5. See barbel1. 6. Any of various Old World freshwater fishes of the genus Barbus or Puntius and related genera. 7. A linen covering for a woman's head, throat, and chin worn in medieval times. -- barb trv. barbed, barbing, barbs. To provide or furnish with a barb.

BEWILDER: tr.v. bewildered, bewildering, bewilders. 1. To confuse or befuddle, especially with numerous conflicting situations, objects, or statements. 2. To cause to lose one's bearings; disorient. -- bewilderedly adv. -- bewilderedness n. -- bewilderingly adv.

FLAUNT: v. flaunted, flaunting, flaunts. -- tr. 1. To exhibit ostentatiously or shamelessly. 2. Usage Problem. To show contempt for; scorn. -- intr. 1. To parade oneself ostentatiously; show oneself off. 2. To wave grandly. -- flaunter n. -- flauntingly adv.

FURTIVE: adj. 1. Characterized by stealth; surreptitious. 2. Expressive of hidden motives or purposes; shifty. -- furtively adv. -- furtiveness n.

GLIMMER: n. 1. A dim or intermittent flicker or flash of light. 2. A faint manifestation or indication; a trace. -- glimmer intr.v. glimmered, glimmering, glimmers. 1. To emit a dim or intermittent light. 2. To appear faintly or indistinctly.

Chapter 4 "Painted Faces and Long Hair"
OPALESCENCE: adj. Exhibiting a milky iridescence like that of an opal. --opalescence n.

MIRAGE: n. 1. An optical phenomenon that creates the illusion of water, often with inverted reflections of distant objects, and results from distortion of light by alternate layers of hot and cool air. Also called fata morgana. 2. Something illusory or insubstantial.

WHIMPER: v. whimpered, whimpering, whimpers. -- intr. 1. To cry or sob with soft intermittent sounds; whine. 2. To complain. -- tr. 1. To utter in a whimper. -- whimper n. A low, broken, sobbing sound; a whine. -- whimperer n. -- whimperingly adv.

CROON: v. crooned, crooning, croons. -- intr. 1. To hum or sing softly. 2. To sing popular songs in a soft, sentimental manner. 3. Scots. To roar or bellow. -- tr. 1. To sing softly or in a humming way. -- croon n. A soft singing or humming. -- crooner n.

PREPOSTEROUS: adj. Contrary to nature, reason, or common sense; absurd. -- preposterously adv. -- preposterousness n.

CAPER: n. 1. A playful leap or hop. 2. A frivolous escapade or prank. 3. Slang. An illegal plot or enterprise, especially one involving theft. -- caper intr.v. capered, capering, capers. To leap or frisk about; frolic. caper 2 n. 1. A usually spiny Mediterranean shrub (Capparis spinosa) having white to pale lilac flowers and dehiscent fruits with reddish pulp. 2. A pickled flower bud of this plant, used as a pungent condiment in sauces, relishes, and various other dishes.

INCREDULOUSLY: incredulous: adj. 1. Skeptical; disbelieving. 2. Expressive of disbelief. -- incredulously adv. -- incredulousness n.

IMPLICATION: irrelevant adj. Unrelated to the matter at hand. -- irrelevantly adv.

SHRILL: adj. shriller, shrillest. 1. High-pitched and piercing in tone or sound. 2. Producing a sharp, high-pitched tone or sound. 3. Sharp or keen to the senses; harshly vivid. -- shrill v. shrilled, shrilling, shrills. -- tr. 1. To utter in a shrill manner; scream. -- intr. To produce a shrill cry or sound. -- shrillness n. -- shrilly adv

MALEVOLENT: adj. 1. Having or exhibiting ill will; wishing harm to others; malicious. 2. Having an evil or harmful influence. -- malevolently adv.

GYRATION: intr.v. gyrated, gyrating, gyrates. 1. To revolve around a fixed point or axis. 2. To revolve in or as if in a circle or spiral. -- gyrate adj. Biology. In rings; coiled or convoluted. -- gyrator n.

Chapter 5 "Beast from Water"
OBSCURE: adj. obscurer, obscurest. Abbr. obs. 1. Deficient in light; dark. 2.a. So faintly perceptible as to lack clear delineation; indistinct. b. Indistinctly heard; faint.

OPAQUE: adj. 1.a. Impenetrable by light; neither transparent nor translucent. b. Not reflecting light; having no luster. 2. Impenetrable by a form of radiant energy other than visible light. 3.a. So obscure as to be unintelligible. b. Obtuse of mind; dense. -- opaque n. Something that is opaque, especially an opaque pigment used to darken parts of a photographic print or negative. -- opaquely adv. -- opaqueness n.

GNAW: v. gnawed, gnawing, gnaws. --tr. 1.a. To bite, chew on, or erode with the teeth. b. To produce by gnawing. c. To erode or diminish gradually as if by gnawing. 2. To afflict or worry persistently. --intr. 1. To bite or chew persistently. 2. To cause erosion or gradual diminishment. 3. To cause persistent worry or pain. -- gnawer n.

SPECULATION: n. Abbr. spec. 1.a. Contemplation or consideration of a subject; meditation. b. A conclusion, an opinion, or a theory reached by conjecture. c. Reasoning based on inconclusive evidence; conjecture or supposition. 2.a. Engagement in risky business transactions on the chance of quick or considerable profit. b. A commercial or financial transaction involving speculation.

SCOWL: v. scowled, scowling, scowls. -- intr. 1. To wrinkle or contract the brow as an expression of anger or disapproval. -- tr. 1. To express with a frowning facial expression. --scowl n. A look of anger or frowning disapproval. --scowler n. --scowlingly adv.

JEER: v. jeered, jeering, jeers. -- intr. 1. To speak or shout derisively; mock. -- tr. 1. To abuse vocally; taunt. -- jeer n. A scoffing or taunting remark or shout. --jeerer n. -- jeeringly adv.

INDIGO: n., pl. indigos or indigoes. 1.a. Any of various shrubs or herbs of the genus Indigofera in the pea family, having odd-pinnate leaves and usually red or purple flowers in axillary racemes. b. A blue dye obtained from these plants or produced synthetically. 2. Any of several related plants, especially those of the genera Amorpha or Baptisia. 3. Abbr. ind. Color. The hue of that portion of the visible spectrum lying between blue and violet, evoked in the human observer by radiant energy with wavelengths of approximately 420 to 450 nanometers; a dark blue to grayish purple blue. -- indigo adj.

FORMULATE: tr.v. formulated, formulating, formulates. 1.a. To state as or reduce to a formula. b. To express in systematic terms or concepts. c. To devise or invent. 2. To prepare according to a specified formula. -- formulation n. -- formulator n.

MIMICRY: n., pl. mimicries. 1.a. The act, practice, or art of mimicking. b. An instance of mimicking. 2. Biology. The resemblance of one organism to another or to an object in its surroundings for concealment and protection from predators.

INARTICULATE: adj. 1. Uttered without the use of normal words or syllables; incomprehensible as speech or language. 2. Unable to speak; speechless. 3. Unable to speak with clarity or eloquence. 4. Going unexpressed. 5. Biology. Not having joints or segments. -- inarticulately adv. -- inarticulateness or inarticulacy n.

GIBBERING: n. 1. Unintelligible or nonsensical talk or writing. 2.a. Highly technical or esoteric language. b. Unnecessarily pretentious or vague language.

IMPROVISATION: improvise: v. improvised, improvising, improvises. -- tr. 1. To invent, compose, or recite without preparation. 2. To make or provide from available materials. -- intr. To invent, compose, recite, or execute something offhand. -- improviser n.

Chapter 6 "Beast from Air"
SQUAWK: v. squawked, squawking, squawks. --intr. 1. To utter a harsh scream; screech. 2. Informal. To complain or protest noisily or peevishly. -- tr. 1. To utter with or as if with a squawk. -- squawk n. 1. A loud screech. 2. A noisy complaint. -- squawker n.

RELENTLESS: adj. 1. Unyielding in severity or strictness; unrelenting. 2. Steady and persistent; unremitting. -- relentlessly adv. -- relentlessness n.

Chapter 7 "Shadows and Tall Trees"

DUN: 1 tr.v. dunned, dunning, duns. 1. To importune (a debtor) for payment. -- dun n. 1. One that duns. 2. An importunate demand for payment. dun2 n. 1. Color. An almost neutral brownish gray to dull grayish brown. 2. A fishing fly having this color. 3. A horse of this color.

COVERT: adj. 1. Not openly practiced, avowed, engaged in, accumulated, or shown. 2. Covered or covered over; sheltered. 3. Law. Being married and therefore protected by one's husband. -- covert n. 1. A covering or cover. 2.a. A covered place or shelter; hiding place. b. Thick underbrush or woodland affording cover for game. 3. Zoology. One of the small feathers covering the bases of the longer feathers of a bird's wings or tail. 4. A flock of coots. -- covertly adv. -- covertness n.

INFINITE: adj. 1. Having no boundaries or limits. 2. Immeasurably great or large; boundless. 3. Mathematics. a. Existing beyond or being greater than any arbitrarily large value. b. Unlimited in spatial extent. c. Of or relating to a set capable of being put into one-to-one correspondence with a proper subset of itself. -- infinite n. Something infinite. -- infinitely adv. -- infiniteness n.

SNIVEL: intr.v. sniveled or snivelled, sniveling or snivelling, snivels or snivels. 1. To sniffle. 2. To complain or whine tearfully. 3. To run at the nose. -- snivel n. 1. The act of sniffling or sniveling. 2. Nasal mucus. --sniveler n.

UNCOMPROMISING: adj. Unwilling to grant concessions or negotiate; inflexible. -- uncompromisingly adv.

INFURIATING: tr.v. infuriated, infuriating, infuriates. 1. To make furious; enrage. -- infuriate adj. Archaic. Furious. -- infuriatingly adv. -- infuriation n.

SAGELY: n. 1. One venerated for experience, judgment, and wisdom. -- sage adj. sager, sagest. 1. Having or exhibiting wisdom and calm judgment. 2. Proceeding from or marked by wisdom and calm judgment. 3. Archaic. Serious; solemn. -- sagely adv. -- sageness n.

BLUNDER: n. 1. A usually serious mistake typically caused by ignorance or confusion. -- blunder v. blundered, blundering, blunders. -- intr. 1. To move clumsily or blindly. 2. To make a usually serious mistake. -- tr. 1. To make a stupid, usually serious error in; botch. 2. To utter (something) stupidly or thoughtlessly. --blunderer n. -- blunderingly adv.

Chapter 8 "Gift for the Darkness"
HEED: v. heeded, heeding, heeds. -- tr. 1. To pay attention to; listen to and consider. -- intr. 1. To pay attention. -- heed n. Close attention; notice.

DUNG: n. 1.a. The excrement of animals. b. Manure. 2. Something foul or abhorrent. -- dung tr.v. dunged, dunging, dungs. To fertilize (land) with manure. -- dungy adj.

STAGGERED: stagger v. staggered, staggering, staggers. --intr. 1. To move or stand unsteadily, as if under a great weight; totter. 2. To begin to lose confidence or strength of purpose; waver. --tr. 1. To cause to totter, sway, or reel. 2.a. To overwhelm with emotion or astonishment. b. To cause to waver or lose confidence. 3. To place on or as if on alternating sides of a center line; set in a zigzag row or rows. 4. To arrange in alternating or overlapping time periods. 5. To arrange (the wings of a biplane) so that the leading edge of one wing is either ahead of or behind the leading edge of the other wing. -- stagger n. 1. A tottering, swaying, or reeling motion. 2. A staggered pattern, arrangement, or order. 3. staggers. (used with a sing. verb). Any of various diseases of the nervous system in animals, especially horses, cattle, or other domestic animals, characterized by a lack of coordination in moving, a staggering gait, and frequent falling. In this sense, also called blind staggers. --staggerer n. --staggery adj.

PAUNCHED n. 1. The belly, especially a protruding one; a potbelly.

SPOUT: v. spouted, spouting, spouts. -- intr. 1. To gush forth in a rapid stream or in spurts. 2. To discharge a liquid or other substance continuously or in spurts. 3. Informal. To speak volubly and tediously. -- tr. 1. To cause to flow or spurt out. 2. To utter volubly and tediously. 3. Chiefly British. To pawn. -- spout n. 1. A tube, mouth, or pipe through which liquid is released or discharged. 2. A continuous stream of liquid. 3. The burst of spray from the blowhole of a whale. 4. Chiefly British. A pawnshop. -- spouter n.

UPROARIOUS: adj. 1. Causing or accompanied by an uproar. 2. Loud and full; boisterous. 3. Causing hearty laughter; hilarious. -- uproariously adv. -- uproariousness n.

SKEWER: n. 1. A long metal or wooden pin used to secure or suspend food during cooking; a spit. 2. Any of various picks or rods having a function or shape similar to a skewer. -- skewer tr.v. skewered, skewering, skewers. To hold together or pierce with or as if with a skewer.

IRIDESCENT: adj. Abbr. irid. 1. Producing a display of lustrous, rainbowlike colors. 2. Brilliant, lustrous, or colorful in effect or appearance. -- iridescently adv.

VEX: tr.v. vexed, vexing, vexes. 1. To annoy, as with petty importunities; bother. 2. To cause perplexity in; puzzle. 3. To bring distress or suffering to; plague or afflict. 4. To debate or discuss (a question, for example) at length. 5. To toss about or shake up. -- vexedly adv. -- vexer n. -- vexingly adv.

CRIMSON: n. 1. Color. A deep to vivid purplish red to vivid red. -- crimson tr. & intr.v. crimsoned, crimsoning, crimsons. To make or become deeply or vividly red. -- crimson adj.

Chapter 9 "A View to a Death"
CORRUPTION: corrupt: adj. 1. Marked by immorality and perversion; depraved. 2. Venal; dishonest. 3. Containing errors or alterations, as a text. 4. Archaic. Tainted; putrid. -- corrupt v. corrupted, corrupting, corrupts. -- tr. 1. To destroy or subvert the honesty or integrity of. 2. To ruin morally; pervert. 3. To taint; contaminate. 4. To cause to become rotten; spoil. 5. To change the original form of (a text, for example). -- intr. To become corrupt. -- corrupter or corruptor n. -- corruptive adj. -- corruptly adv. -- corruptness n.

TREMULOUS: adj. 1. Marked by trembling, quivering, or shaking. 2. Timid or fearful; timorous. -- tremulously adv. -- tremulousness n.

TRICKLE: v. trickled, trickling, trickles. -- intr. 1. To flow or fall in drops or in a thin stream. 2. To move or proceed slowly or bit by bit. -- tr. 1. To cause to trickle. -- trickle n. 1. The act or condition of trickling. 2. A slow, small, or irregular quantity that moves, proceeds, or occurs intermittently.

STEADFAST: also stedfast adj. 1. Fixed or unchanging; steady. 2. Firmly loyal or constant; unswerving. -- steadfastly adv. -- steadfastness n.

Chapter 10 "The Shell and the Glasses"
BEFOUL: tr.v. befouled, befouling, befouls. 1. To make dirty; soil. 2. To cast aspersions upon; speak badly of.


SHUDDER: intr.v. shuddered, shuddering, shudders. 1. To shiver convulsively, as from fear or revulsion. 2. To vibrate; quiver. -- shudder n. A convulsive shiver, as from fear or revulsion; a tremor. -- shudderingly adv.

GESTICULATE: v. gesticulated, gesticulating, gesticulates. -- intr. 1. To make gestures especially while speaking, as for emphasis. -- tr. To say or express by gestures. -- gesticulative adj. -- gesticulator n. -- gesticulatory adj.

STIFLE: v. stifled, stifling, stifles. -- tr. 1. To interrupt or cut off (the voice, for example). 2. To keep in or hold back; repress. 3. To kill by preventing respiration; smother or suffocate. -- intr. 1. To feel smothered or suffocated by or as if by close confinement in a stuffy room. 2. To die of suffocation. -- stifler n. stifle 2 n. The joint of the hind leg analogous to the human knee in certain quadrupeds, such as the horse.

TWITCH: v. twitched twitching, twitches. -- tr. 1. To draw, pull, or move suddenly and sharply; jerk. -- intr. 1. To move jerkily or spasmodically. 2. To ache sharply from time to time; twinge. -- twitch n. 1. A sudden involuntary or spasmodic muscular movement. 2. A sudden pulling; a tug. 3. A looped cord used to restrain a horse by tightening it around the animal's upper lip. --twitchingly adv.

SMOTHER: v. smothered, smothering, smothers. -- tr. 1.a. To suffocate (another). b. To deprive (a fire) of the oxygen necessary for combustion. 2. To conceal, suppress, or hide. 3. To cover (a foodstuff) thickly with another foodstuff. 4. To lavish a surfeit of a given emotion on (someone). -- intr. 1. a. To suffocate. b. To be extinguished. 2. To be concealed or suppressed. 3. To be surfeited with an emotion. -- smother n. Something, such as a dense cloud of smoke or dust, that smothers or tends to smother.

PHOSPHORESCENCE: n. 1. Persistent emission of light following exposure to and removal of incident radiation. 2. Emission of light without burning or by very slow burning without appreciable heat, as from the slow oxidation of phosphorous. -- phosphorescent adj. -- phosphorescently adv.

Chapter 11 "Castle Rock"
SQUAT: v. squatted, squatting, squats. -- intr. 1. To sit in a crouching position with knees bent and the hams resting on or near the heels. 2. To crouch down, as an animal does. 3. To settle on unoccupied land without legal claim. 4. To occupy a given piece of public land in order to acquire title to it. --tr. 1. To put (oneself) into a crouching posture. 2. To occupy as a squatter. -- squat adj. squatter, squattest. 1. Short and thick; low and broad. 2. Crouched in a squatting position. -- squat n. 1. The act of squatting. 2. A squatting or crouching posture. 3. Sports. A lift or a weightlifting exercise in which one squats and stands while holding a weighted barbell supported by the back of the shoulders. 4. The place occupied by a squatter. 5. The lair of an animal such as a hare. -- squatter n.

MYOPIA: n. 1. A visual defect in which distant objects appear blurred because their images are focused in front of the retina rather than on it; nearsightedness. Also called short sight. 2. Lack of discernment or long-range perspective in thinking or planning. -- myopic adj. -- myopically adv.


DEVASTATE: tr.v. devastated, devastating, devastates. 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun. -- devastatingly adv. -- devastation n. -- devastator n.

MULTITUDINOUS: including a multitude of individuals : POPULOUS the multitudinous city 2 : existing in a great multitude multitudinous opportunities 3 : existing in or consisting of innumerable elements or aspects multitudinous applause multitudinously adverb multitudinousness noun

SNIGGER: n. 1. A snicker. -- snigger intr.v. sniggered, sniggering, sniggers. To snicker.

INCANTATION: n. 1. Ritual recitation of verbal charms or spells to produce a magic effect. 2.a. A formula used in ritual recitation; a verbal charm or spell. b. A conventionalized utterance repeated without thought or aptness; a formula. -- incantational adj. -- incantatory adj.

Chapter 12 "Cry of the Hunters"
ELABORATE: adj. 1. Planned or executed with painstaking attention to numerous parts or details. 2. Intricate and rich in detail. -- elaborate v. elaborated, elaborating, elaborates -- tr. 1. To work out with care and detail; develop thoroughly. 2. To produce by effort; create. -- intr. 1. To become elaborate. 2. To express at greater length or in greater detail. -- elaborately adv. -- elaborateness n. -- elaboration n. -- elaborator n.

DRIBBLE: v. dribbled, dribbling, dribbles. -- intr. 1. To flow or fall in drops or an unsteady stream; trickle. 2. To let saliva drip from the mouth; drool. 3. Sports. a. To move a ball or puck with repeated light bounces or kicks. b. To advance by dribbling. -- tr. 1. To let flow or fall in drops or an unsteady stream. 2. Sports. a. To move (a ball or puck) by repeated light bounces or kicks, as in basketball or soccer. b. To hit (a baseball, for example) so that it bounces slowly. -- dribble n. 1. A weak, unsteady stream; a trickle. 2. A small quantity; a bit. 3. Sports. The act of dribbling a ball. -- dribbler n.

ULULATION: intr.v. ululated, ululating, ululates. To howl, wail, or lament loudly. -- ululant adj. -- ululation n.

WRIGGLE: v. wriggled, wriggling, wriggles. -- intr. 1. To turn or twist the body with sinuous writhing motions; squirm. 2. To proceed with writhing motions. 3. To worm one's way into or out of a situation; insinuate or extricate oneself by sly or subtle means. -- tr. 1. To move with a wriggling motion. 2. To make (one's way, for example) by or as if by wriggling. -- wriggle n. 1. A wriggling movement. 2. A sinuous path, line, or marking. -- wriggly adj.

HEAVE: v. heaved, heaving, heaves. -- tr. 1. To raise or lift, especially with great effort or force. 2.a. To throw (a heavy object) with great effort; hurl. b. To throw or toss. 3. To utter with effort or pain. 4. To vomit (something). 5., past tense and past participle. hove. Nautical. a. To raise or haul up by means of a rope, line, or cable. b. To move a ship in a certain direction or into a certain position by hauling. 6. To make rise or swell. 7. Geology. To displace or move (a vein, lode, or stratum, for example). -- intr. 1. To rise up or swell, as if pushed up; bulge. 2. To rise and fall in turn, as waves. 3. To gag or vomit. 4., past tense and past participle. hove. Nautical. a. To move in a certain direction or to a specified position. b. To pull at or haul a rope or cable. c. To push at a capstan bar or lever. -- heave n. 1. The effort of heaving. 2. An act of hurling; a throw, especially when considered in terms of distance. 3. Geology. A horizontal dislocation, as of a rock stratum, at a fault. 4. An upward movement. 5. The act or an instance of gagging or vomiting. 6. heaves. (used with a sing. or pl. verb). A pulmonary disease of horses that is characterized by respiratory irregularities, such as coughing, and is noticeable especially after exercise or in cold weather. -- phrasal verb. heave to. 1. Nautical. a. To turn a sailing ship so that its bow heads into the wind and the ship lies motionless except for drifting, in order to meet a storm. b. To turn an engine-powered vessel in a similar situation so that its bow heads into the seas while proceeding at low speed. 2. Nautical. a. To turn a sailing ship so that its bow heads into the wind and the ship lies motionless except for drifting, in order to meet a storm. b. To turn an engine-powered vessel in a similar situation so that its bow heads into the seas while proceeding at low speed. -- idiom. heave into sight or heave into view. To rise or seem to rise over the horizon into view, as a ship. -- heaver n.

THICKET: n. 1. A dense growth of shrubs or underbrush; a copse. 2. Something suggestive of a dense growth of plants, as in impenetrability or thickness.

COWER: intr.v. cowered, cowering, cowers. To cringe in fear.

VISUALIZE: v. visualized, visualizing, visualizes. -- tr. 1. To form a mental image of; envisage. 2. To make visible. --intr. To form a mental image. -- visualization n.


WRENCH: n. 1. A sudden sharp, forcible twist or turn. 2. An injury produced by twisting or straining. 3. A sudden tug at one's emotions; a surge of compassion, sorrow, or anguish. 4.a. A break or parting that causes emotional distress. b. The pain so associated. 5. A distortion in the original form or meaning of something written or spoken; twisted interpretation. 6. Any of various hand or power tools with fixed or adjustable jaws for gripping, turning, or twisting objects such as nuts, bolts, or pipes. -- wrench v. wrenched, wrenching, wrenches. -- tr. 1.a. To twist or turn suddenly and forcibly. b. To twist and sprain. 2.a. To force free by pulling at; yank. b. To pull with a wrench. 3. To pull at the feelings or emotions of; distress. 4. To distort or twist the original character or import of. --intr. To give a wrench, twist, or turn. --wrenchingly adv.


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