A Separate Peace: Vocabulary

ludicrous

(adj.) ridiculous, laughable, absurd.

preposterous

(adj.) ridiculous, senseless

infinitesimal

(adj.) so small as to be almost immeasurable; minute.

provocative

(adj.) tending to produce a strong feeling or response; arousing desire or appetite; irritating, annoying.

opulent

(adj.) wealthy, luxurious; ample; grandiose.

General de. Gaulle

French general and statesman who became very popular during World War II as the leader of the Free French forces in exile. (1890-1970)

Chiang Kai-shek

General and leader of Nationalist China after 1925. He became a military dictator whose major goal was to crush the communist movement led by Mao Zedong.

toll

The amount of loss or destruction caused by a disaster. (n.) the sound of a bell being struck; a fee or payment; negative consequences. (-)

blind impulse

What does Finny insist must have made Gene bounce the branch that day? An example.

Section Eight discharge

a U.S. Army discharge based on military assessment of psychological unfitness or character traits deemed undesirable.

gorgeous fanfare

a ceremonial tune, short, and sometime used to introduce someone or something.

quadrangle

a four-sided enclosure, usually surrounded by buildings.

infirmary

a health facility where patients receive treatment.

Maginot Lines

a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles, and weapons installations that France constructed just before the border with Switzerland and the borders with Germany and Luxembourg during the 1930s.

skirmish

a minor conflict; battle.

balustrade

a railing at the side of a staircase or balcony to prevent people from falling.

reprieve

a respite; postponement of a sentence.

automaton

a robot; a mechanical "person."

slalom

a ski race down a winding course marked by flags or poles.

bane

a source of harm and ruin.

derangement

a state of mental disturbance and disorientation.

undulation

a wavelike motion.

suppleness

ability to bend easily; limberness.

preeminently

above all; most importantly.

fratricide

act of killing (or killer of) one's brother.

pungent

adj. causing a sharp sensation; stinging, biting.

decrepit

adj. old and feeble; worn-out, ruined.

holding action

an attack designed to prevent the enemy from moving forward.

dowager

an elderly woman of elevated social status.

rites

an incident which creates tremendous growth signifying a transition from adolescence to adulthood.

shining northern paganism

an oxygen intoxicant; odor

insinuations

an unpleasant hint or suggestion of something bad.

Puritan grandeur

any member of a Protestant group which expresses it through appearance in style.

tough bantam body

appearance of a chicken; durable structure.

loomed

appeared in a large or threatening form.

herringboned

ascending a slope by walking forward in alternate steps with each ski angled outward.

musterings

assembling of something.

inspiration and anarchy

being mentally stimulated to do something, disorder due to absence and/or nonrecognition of authority.

primevally

belonging to the earliest ages; ancient.

indecipherable

cannot be decoded; cannot be worked out.

tangible

capable of being touched; real, concrete

shores of Eden

compared by Gene in how perfect the situation is but that maybe something unfortunate will happen. (a bible reference of the garden of Eden where Adam and Eve lived).

guileful

deceitful; tricky.

deluded

deceived or misled.

discernible

distinguishable; perceivable.

multifariously

diverse; occurring in great variety.

droning monotonously

dull, tedious, and repetitious; lacking in variety and interest.

reverberant

echoing

rebukingly

express sharp disapproval or criticism of someone because of their behavior or actions.

over indignant

expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, or insulting.

delirious

extreme mental confusion or excitement; raving

Guadalcanal

first US land victory over the Japanese, 1943.

Lepillier Refusal

foreshadows Leper's nervous breakdown and desertion from basic training later in the novel.

specters

ghostly images; phantoms

burlesque

give an imitation that ridicules; imitate mockingly.

convalescence

gradual return to health and strength after an illness or other problem.

cohorts

group of people who share some common quality; armed band; a group of between 300 and 600 soldiers under one commander. (in the ancient Rome)

inured

hardened; accustomed; used to.

sway-backed

having an abnormally hollow or sagging back.

catacombed

having things that are hidden or underground, such as tunnels or rooms.

optimism

hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.

mesmerized

hypnotized; fascinated.

epic grandeur

impressiveness; stateliness; majest.

innately

inborn, existing from birth, always present.

inebriating

intoxicating, exhilarating, exciting.

terminus

last stop of railroad; end.

extremities of the class

limit; part of something, in the classroom.

collective assent

many people agree or give in.

malarkey

meaningless talk; nonsense.

precariously

means in a dangerous, exposed position.

qualms

misgivings; reservations; causes for hesitancy.

Spanish grandee

nobleman

muddled honesty

not the complete truth.

vagaries

odd or eccentric ideas; impulsive or capricious action.

sultriness

oppressively hot and close or moist; sweltering.

invoking

petitioning for help support; appealing to.

immobilized

prevent (something or someone) from moving or operating as normal.

salient

prominent; of notable significance

bellicose-looking

pugnacious; eager to fight.

he glanced speculatively

quickly looked; focused on.

effulgence

radiant splendor; brilliance.

obliterated

removed all traces of; destroyed

galvanized

steel that has been coated with zinc for increased resistance to rust.

vigor laden

strengthening on a heavy force.

obstinate

stubborn; unyielding.

conjured

summoned by oath or spell.

poignance

that which painfully affects the feelings; that which touches or pierces.

life's giant ironies

the opposite of what was expected of, usually bigger in the impact on lives.

timbre

the overall quality of a sound.

The Yellow Peril

the political or military threat regarded as being posed by the Chinese or by the peoples of Southeast Asia.

marrow

the soft connective tissue that fills the internal spaces in bone.

"for the Duration"

the time it will take

capacious

(adj.) able to hold much, roomy.

irate

(adj.) angry

ramshackle

(adj.) appearing ready to collapse, loose and shaky.

venerable

(adj.) deserving of respect because of age or achievement.

latent

(adj.) hidden, present but not realized.

prodigious

(adj.) immense; extraordinary in bulk, size, or degree.

irrelevant

(adj.) not to the point, not applicable or pertinent.

blitzkrieg

"Lighting war", typed of fast-moving warfare used by German forces against Poland in 1939.

detonation

(n) a large or powerful explosion.

emissaries

(n.) a person sent on a special mission, usually as a diplomatic representative.

conniver

(n.) a person who secretly plots or schemes.

sinecure

(n.) a position requiring little or no work; an easy job.

gradations

(n.) a series of systematic steps or stages; a gradual change from one stage to another, transitional stage

emblem

(n.) a symbol, sign, token

extravaganza

(n.) an elaborate and spectacular display or event.

prow

(n.) distinguished bravery; superior skill or ability

enmity

(n.) hatred, ill-will.

bric-a-brac

(n.) objects of curiosity or for decoration.

aesthete

(n.) one who professes great sensitivity to the beauty of art and nature.

scholasticism

A medieval philosophical and theological system that tried to reconcile faith and reason.

catastrophic joke

A sudden and widespread disaster.

contentious

Quarrelsome, inclined to argue

exaltation

to glorify; to hold in esteem

impinge

to strike; encroach.

insinuating

to suggest in an indirect or subtle fashion.

surmised

to suppose; to infer from evidence

irresolutely

uncertainty; without sureness.

implausibility

unlikeliness; unbelievability.

manipulated

variable that is deliberately changed.

self-deprivation

voluntary denial or suppression of one's own interests or desires.

judiciously

wisely; sensibly; with care or caution.

rasping

with a harsh, grating sound; a harsh sound.