The Last Leaf - Warren Hills Regional School District



The Last Leaf

By O. Henry

Vocabulary words and their definitions

1. Acute – adj. – very serious, critical

Definition: important

Synonyms: afflictive, critical, crucial, dangerous, decisive, desperate, dire, essential, grave, serious, severe, sudden, urgent, vital

Notes: 1. acute is used for a sudden onset and short duration; chronic is for conditions that are slow to develop and of long duration

2. acute is an angle of less than 90 degrees; obtuse is one of more than 90 degrees

3. chronic is contrasted with acute as chronic pain persists over a longer period of time than acute pain and is resistant to most medical treatments

2. Chivalric – adj. – noble, courageous, honorable; demonstrating readiness to

help the weak and protect women

Definition: wonderful

Synonyms: arresting, august, brilliant, chivalric, commanding, elegant, elevated, exalted, excellent, fine, glittering, gorgeous, grand, grandiose, high-minded, imperial, imposing, impressive, lavish, lofty, lordly, luxurious, magnanimous, magnific, majestic, noble, opulent, outstanding, palatial, plush, pompous, posh, princely, proud, radiant, regal, resplendent, rich, royal, smashing, splendid, standout, stately, striking, sublime, sumptuous, superb, superior, superlative, swanky, towering, transcendent

3. Clinging – verb - adhering, sticking together

Definition: sticking

Synonyms: adhering, agglutinant, attaching, clinging, clingy, gelatinous, glutinous, gooey, gummed, gummy, holding, hugging, mucilaginous, pasty, resinous, sticky, tenacious, viscid, viscous, waxy

4. Colony – noun – a group having similar interests living in

a particular local

|Definition:   |community |

|Synonyms:   |antecedents, dependency, dominion, forefathers, forerunners, mandate, offshoot, outpost, pioneers, possession, |

| |protectorate, province, satellite, settlement, subject state, swarm, territory |

5. Congenial – adj – compatible; having the same tastes and

temperament

|Definition:   |friendly |

| |adapted, affable, agreeable, amicable, clubby, companionable, compatible, complaisant, congruous, consistent, |

|Synonyms:   |consonant, conversable, convivial, cooperative, cordial, delightful, favorable, fit, genial, good-humored, |

| |gracious, happy, harmonious, jovial, kindly, kindred, like-minded, mellow, pleasant, pleasing, regular fellow, |

| |right neighborly, sociable, social, suitable, |

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6. Daub – noun – a poorly painted picture

|Definition:   |drop, spot |

|Synonyms:   |ball, bead, blot, blotch, bubble, dab, daub, dot, droplet, glob*, globule, splash, splotch* |

7. Derision – noun – contempt or ridicule

|Definition:   |insult |

|Synonyms:   |Bronx cheer*, backhanded compliment*, brickbat*, butt*, comeback, contempt, contumely, crack, dig*, dirty dig, |

| |disdain, disparagement, disrespect, dump*, game, jab, jest, joke, laughingstock, laughter, mockery, parting |

| |shot, pilgarlic, put down, raillery, rank out, raspberry, razzberry, ridicule, satire, scoffing, scorn, slam*, |

| |slap, sneering, sport, swipe |

| | |

8. Dissolution – noun – disintegration; the ending of life

|Definition:   |separation |

|Synonyms:   |breaking up, detachment, disintegration, disunion, division, divorce, divorcement, estrangement, parting, |

| |partition, resolution, rupture, split-up |

9. Duffer – noun – anything counterfeit or worthless

|Definition:   |blunderer |

|Synonyms:   |addle-brain, addle-head, blockhead*, blunderbuss, blunderer, blunderhead, bonehead*, botcher*, butcher*, |

| |butterfingers*, clod, clumsy oaf*, dolt, donkey*, dub, duffer*, dunce, featherbrain*, flounderer, fool, |

| |foul-up*, fumbler*, goof, goof off*, goofball*, harebrain*, idiot, ignoramus, incompetent, klutz*, lubber, |

| |mismanager, muddler, muff, muffer*, numskull*, schlemiel, screw-up, spoiler, stumblebum |

10. Flibbertigibbet – noun – an irresponsible, flighty person

|Definition:   |rumormonger |

|Synonyms:   |babbler*, backbiter, blabbermouth*, blatherskite, busybody, chatterbox, chatterer, circulator, clack, |

| |flibbertigibbet*, gossipmonger, informer, long-nose, magpie, meddler, newsmonger, old hen, parrot*, prattler, |

| |quidnunc, rumorer, scandalizer*, scandalmonger*, sieve, snoop*, talebearer, tattler, telltale |

11. Gnarled – adj. – knotty and twisted as the trunk of an old tree

|Definition:   |knotted |

|Synonyms:   |bent, contorted, crooked, deformed, distorted, gnarly, knotty, knurled, leathery, rough, rugged, tortured, |

| |twisted, weather-beaten, wrinkled |

12. Hermit – noun – person who lives alone in a lonely or secluded spot, often from religious motives; recluse

|Definition:   |loner |

|Synonyms:   |anchoress, anchoret, anchorite, ascetic, eremite, hermitess, misanthrope, monk, pillarist, recluse, skeptic, |

| |solitaire, solitarian, solitary, stylite |

13. Imp – noun - a devil’s offspring; young demon, a mischievous child

|Definition:   |rascal |

|Synonyms:   |brat, demon, devil, deviling, devilkin, elf, fiend, gamin, gnome, gremlin, hellcat, hellion, minx, pixie, puck,|

| |rascal, rogue, scamp, sprite, troll, tyke, urchin, villain |

14. Mastiff – noun – a large, powerful dog used as a guard dog

15. Monocle – noun – an eyeglass for one eye only

|Definition:   |glasses |

|Synonyms:   |bifocals, cheaters*, contact lenses, contacts, goggles, lorgnette, monocle, pair of glasses, pince-nez, reading|

| |glasses, shades, specs*, spectacles, sunglasses, trifocals |

16. Morbid – adj – resulted from a diseased state of mine; especially having or showing an unwholesome tendency to dwell on gruesome or gloomy matters

|Definition:   |gloomy |

|Synonyms:   |aberrant, abnormal, ailing, brooding, dark, deadly, depressed, despondent, diseased, dreadful, frightful, |

| |ghastly, ghoulish, grim, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrid, infected, irascible, macabre, malignant, |

| |melancholy, monstrous, moody, nasty, pathological, pessimistic, psychotic, saturnine, , |

17. Pharmacopoeia – noun – stock of drugs and medicines available to doctors

18. Prowling – verb – to roam about furtively, as in search of prey or loot

|Definition:   |slink |

|Synonyms:   |cruise, gumshoe, hunt, lurk, mooch around, nose around*, patrol, pussyfoot, range, roam, rove, scavenge, skulk,|

| |slink, snake, sneak, stalk, steal, stroll, tramp |

19. Quaint – adj. – unusual or old fashioned in a pleasing way

Definition: strange

Synonyms: bizarre, curious, droll, eccentric, erratic, fanciful, fantastic, freakish, freaky*, funny, idiosyncratic, laughable, odd, oddball, offbeat, original, outlandish, peculiar, queer, singular, special, unusual, weird*, weirdo, whimsical

20. Ravager – noun – to commit the act of violent destruction

|Definition:   |thief |

|Synonyms:   |brigand, crook, desperado, forager, gangster, gunman, highwayman, hijacker, holdup man, hooligan, marauder, |

| |mobster, outlaw, pillager, pirate, plunderer, racketeer, raider, ravager, robber, villain |

21. Ripple – verb – movement, appearance or formation suggesting little waves on the surface

|Definition:   |wave; wrinkle |

|Synonyms:   |billow, breaker, crest, curl, fold, furrow, line, rippling, rush, surge, swell, tide, undulation, whitecap |

22. Satyr – noun – Greek myth, represented as having pointed ears, short horns, the head and body of a man, and the legs of a goat; a lustful or lecherous man

23. Scoff – verb – to show mocking contempt, scorn, or derision, especially by language

|Definition:   |make fun |

|Synonyms:   |belittle, boo*, contemn, deride, despise, dig at*, disbelieve, discount, discredit, disdain, flout, gibe, jeer,|

| |josh, knock*, laugh at, mock, pan*, pooh-pooh*, rag*, rally, rank out, reject, revile, ride, ridicule, roast, |

| |scorn, show contempt, sneer, swipe at, twit |

24. Smite – verb – to hit or strike hard

|Definition:   |hit |

|Synonyms:   |biff, box, cuff, knock, punch, smite, strike |

25. Solicitously – adverb – filled with anxiety or apprehension

|Definition:   |cautiously |

|Synonyms:   |anxiously, attentively, circumspectly, concernedly, conscientiously, correctly, deliberately, delicately, |

| |dependably, discreetly, exactly, faithfully, fastidiously, fully, gingerly, guardedly, heedfully, honorably, in|

| |detail, laboriously, meticulously, particularly, precisely, providently, prudently, punctiliously, regardfully,|

| |reliably, rigorously, scrupulously, solicitously, thoroughly, thoughtfully, trustily, uprightly, vigilantly, |

| |warily, watchfully |

26. Stricken – verb – afflicted or affected, as by something painful or very distressing

|Definition:   |sad, sorrowful |

|Synonyms:   |anguished, cheerless, dejected, depressed, despairing, devastated, distressed, down, heartbroken, heartsick, |

| |heavyhearted, hurting, inconsolable, melancholy, miserable, morose, overcome, troubled, unhappy, woebegone |

27. Swaggered – verb – walked boldly, arrogantly, strutted

28. Table d’hote – noun – a complete meal served at a stated time and fixed price

|Definition:   |menu of complete meals |

|Synonyms:   |a la carte, communal table, ordinary, prix fixe |

29. Traverse- verb - to go back and forth over or along, cross, recross

Definition: cross over

Synonyms: bisect, bridge, cover, crisscross, cross, cut across, decussate, do, go across, go over, intersect, move over, negotiate, pace, pass over, pass through, perambulate, peregrinate, ply, quarter, range, roam, span, track, transverse, travel, travel over, tread, walk, wander

30. Zephyrs – noun - soft, gentle breezes

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