Vocabulary 1

Vocabulary Words Part 1

“An abiding interest in animals led him to the zoo business” (p13)

1. Abiding: adjective, continuing without change; enduring; steadfast: an abiding faith.

“Because whatever mocking was to come, it was to come” (p24)

2. Mocking: verb, to mimic, imitate, or counterfeit.

“And his stethoscopic mind always confirmed to him that everything was in order” (p26)

 3. Stethoscopic: adjective, pertaining to the stethoscope

“We were spared the sadist who plied European and American zoos” (p30)

4. Sadist: noun, any enjoyment in being cruel.

5. Plied: verb, to work with or at diligently; employ busily; use

“I don’t know got the idea that his youngest was itching to step into a cage with a furious carnivore.” (p34)

6. Itching: adjective, of, pertaining to, or characterized by an irritating sensation of the skin.

“Get even closer and you trigger a flight reaction from which the bird will not cease until the-three-hundred limit is set again.” (p39)

7. Trigger: noun, anything, as an act or event that serves as a stimulus and initiates or precipitates a reaction or series of reactions.

“But various paw injuries hinted at matrimonial strife.” (p41)

8. Strife: noun, vigorous or bitter conflict, discord, or antagonism

“Truly I am in a sacred cosmic womb” (p48)

 9. Womb: noun, the uterus of the human female and certain higher mammals

“It was all an excuse to keep our lethargy a little busy” (p51)

10. Lethargy: noun, plural, pathology. An abnormal state or disorder characterized by overpowering drowsiness or sleep.

“I advanced and observed the inner sanctum” (p52)

11. Sanctum: noun, plural, a sacred or holy place.

 “With nothing in his looks or his dress that made memory cry hark” (p61)

12. Hark: verb, to listen attentively; hearken

“So swami Jesus, will you go on the hajj this year?” (p70)

 13. Hajj: noun, plural, the pilgrimage to Mecca, which every adult Muslim is supposed to make at least once in his or her lifetime: the fifth of the Pillars of Islam.

“We would bolt” (p79)

14. Bolt: verb, to discontinue support of or participation in.

“Mother was appareled in her finest sari”

15. Appareled: noun, clothing, especially outerwear; garments; attire; raiment.

Vocabulary 2

Life of Pi vocabulary part 2

“The water about him was shifting wildly.” (p97)

1 Shifting: Verb (used without object) To move from one place, position, direction, to another.

“I grabbed an oar.” (p99)

2 Oar: Noun, a long shaft with a broad blade at one end, used as a lever for rowing or otherwise propelling or steering a boat.

“I had bought a map of the world for the trip; I had set it up in our cabin against a cork bill board.” (p100)

3 Cork: noun, the outer bark of an oak, Quercus suber, of Mediterranean countries, used for making stoppers for bottles, floats, etc.

“The ship was no luxury liner.” (p101)

4 Liner: noun, a ship or airplane operated by a transportation or conveyance company.

“Light on pandemonium.” (p102)

5 Pandemonium: noun, wild uproar or unrestrained disorder; tumult or chaos.

“Towards the bow I saw some men running in the gloom.” (p104)

6 Gloom: noun, total or partial darkness; dimness.

“The sharks prowled but did not lunge.” (p107)

7 Lunge: noun, a sudden forward thrust, as with a sword or knife; stab.

“Even submarines were swerving to join in the rescue effort.” (p113)

8 Swerving: verb, to live or stay as a permanent resident; reside.

“I was closer to the hyena, but it wasn’t stirring.” (p121)

9 Stirring: adjective, rousing, exciting, or thrilling: a stirring speech.

“Organ Juice could have been one of these forlorn pets.” (p129)

10 Forlorn: adjective, desolate or dreary; unhappy or miserable, as in feeling, condition, or appearance.

“I was roused by anxiety.” (p147)

11 Roused: verb, to bring out of a state of sleep, unconsciousness, inactivity, fancied security, apathy, depression, etc.: He was roused to action by courageous words.”

“I had four buoyant oars.” (p149)

12 Buoyant: adjective, tending to float in a fluid.

“The yellow canine thus coyly revealed was as long as my longest finger.”  (p152)

13 Thus: adverb, in the way just indicated; in this way: Stated thus, the problem seems trivial.

14 Coyly: adjective, artfully or affectedly shy or reserved; slyly hesitant; coquettish.

“I pulled myself up and carefully peeped over the gunnel.” (p155)

15 Peeped: verb, to look through a small opening or from a concealed location.

Vocabulary 3

Vocabulary Words part 3

“Just a moment, please. Atsuro, with all due respect for your uncle who lives in the country near Hita-Gun, we´re not here to talk idly about botany.”(p 295)

1. Idly: (adjective), not active, worthless.

“What are scimitars?” (p 298)

2. Scimitars: (noun) curved sword.

“Like he hasn’t already stolen our whole lunch. Soon he´ll be demanding tempura.” (p 298)

3. Tempura: (noun) Japanese dish of deep-fried vegetables pr seafood.

“Two blind people in two separate lifeboats meeting up in the pacific – the coincidence seems a little far- fetched, no?” (p 299)

4. Fetched: (adjective) damned.

“We have no proof they were meerkat bones.” (p 300)

5. Meerkat: small, burrowing South African carnivore.

“They could be mongooses.” (p 300)

6. Mongooses: carnivorous animal of Asia.

“Find yourself a forensic zoologist.” (p 301)

7. Forensic: (adjective) of or used in courts of law or in public debate.

“I know what you want. You want a story that won´t surprise you. That will confirm what you already know. That won´t make you see higher or further or differently. You want a flat story. An immobile story. You want dry, yeastless factuality.” (p 302)

8. Yeastless: (noun) fungus causing fermentation, used in brewing alcoholic beverages and as a leaven in baking bread.

“His right leg was badly broken at the tight. The bone stuck out of his flesh. He screamed with pain. We set his leg as best we could and we made sure he was eating and drinking. But his leg became infected. Thought we drained it of pus every day, it got worse. His foot became black and bloated.” (p 304)

9. Tight: (adjective), firmly fixed in place.

10. Flesh: (noun), the muscle and fat of an animal body.