Moby-Dick Vocabulary
Moby-Dick Vocabulary List: Chapter 1
Moby-Dick vocabulary list for Chapter 1 - as encountered in the text | alphabetical
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- hypos
- slang for hypochondria: an excessive preoccupation or worry about having a serious illness
- methodically
- in a deliberate, oderly manner; systematically
- insular
- on an island; suggesting the isolation of an island
- manhattoes
- people who live in Manhattan (the island borough of New York City, New York, USA)
- commerce
- the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money between two or more entities
- waterward
- heading towards the water
- battery
- an impressive grouping of things (people in this case)
- mole
- a massive structure, usually of stone, used as a pier, breakwater, or junction between places separated by water
- circumambulate
- walk around
- sentinels
- soldier who keeps guard; a person hired to watch for something to happen
- reveries
- daydreams; absentminded dreaming while awake
- spiles
- the posts used as a foundation for a dock; the piles
- pier-heads
- the outward or seaward end of a pier or dock
- bulwarks
- the sides of a ship above the upper deck
- rigging
- the ropes supporting the masts and spars of a vessel, and serve as purchases for adjusting the sails
- landsmen
- men who have never ventured out to sea
- lath
- a thin, narrow strip of wood, nailed to the studs of a building, for the purpose of supporting plaster
- plaster
- a composition of lime, water, and sand used to coat walls
- extremest
- far beyond the norm
- loitering
- standing around doing nothing; wasting time
- lee
- when your standing next to something to block the wind or weather, that spot is the lee
- nigh
- near; near in place or time
- leagues
- an association of individuals having a common goal
- inlanders
- dale
- valley; a low place between hills
- reveries
- daydreams; absentminded dreaming while awake
- infallibly
- knowing for certain something to be true
- athirst
- thirsty; wanting drink
- metaphysical
- concepts above and beyond physical reality, such as God, the absolute, mind, matter
- mazy
- perplexed with turns and windings; winding; intricate
- spurs
- a lateral ridge projecting from a mountain or mountain range
- tranced
- a state of complete mental absorption or deep musing
- cataract
- a large waterfall; a great fall of water over a precipice
- pedestrian
- lacking in vitality, imagination, distinction, etc.; commonplace; prosaic or dull
- robust
- indicating vigorous health
- inferred
- to derive by reasoning; conclude or judge from premises or evidence
- salt
- an old or experienced sailor
- abominate
- to hate in the highest degree, as if with religious dread; loathe
- tribulations
- that which occasions distress, trouble, or vexation; severe affliction
- barques
- any small sailing vessel
- brigs
- two-masted, square-rigged vessels
- schooners
- a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts
- judiciously
- having good or discriminating judgment; wise, sensible, or well-advised
- judgmatically
- sensible, indicating a well balanced decision
- reverentially
- in a respectful manner
- idolatrous
- of or pertaining to the worship of false gods
- dotings
- extravagantly or foolishly loving and indulgent
- ibis
- large, wading birds, having long, curved beaks; any bird of the genus Ibis and several allied genera, of the family Ibidae
- river horse
- hippopotamus; a massive thick-skinned herbivorous animal living in or around rivers of tropical Africa
- bakehouses
- a building or room to bake in; bakery
- mast
- a pole, or long, strong, round piece of timber, or spar, set upright in a boat or vessel, to sustain the sails, yards, rigging, etc
- plumb
- downright or absolute; reference to a plumb line (a small bit of lead tied to a line and used by masons and carpenters to establish a true vertical)
- fore-castle
- the forward part of the vessel, under the deck, where the sailors live
- mast-head
- the topmost part of the mast
- spar
- any round piece of timber used as a mast, yard, boom, or gaff
- tar-pot
- the small pot held when tarring down the stays (various strong ropes for steadying masts)
- decoction
- boiling something to extract its virtues; concentration; extraction
- old hunks
- old miser; grumpy old man; old bully (slang)
- urbane
- courteous in manners; polite; refined; elegant
- consign
- commit forever; commit irrevocably; give over to another for care or safekeeping
- perdition
- the utter loss of the soul, or of final happiness in a future state; future misery or eternal death; entire loss; utter destruction; ruin
- fore-castle deck
- the deck at the foremost section of the ship, above where the crew is housed
- head winds
- wind blowing in a direction opposite to the heading of a moving object
- prevalent
- widespread; found or existing everywhere
- astern
- behind; in or at the rear part of a ship; toward the stern
- pythagorean maxim
- in a right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the sides
- quarter-deck
- the rear part of the uppermost deck on a ship, from which the Captain commands the sailing activities
- commonalty
- the common people, as opposed to the upper classes; lacking noble rank
- wherefore
- whatever the reason for something happening; the cause or reason
- programme
- a brief outline or explanation of the order things are to happen, or the subjects that will be covered, in any public exercise, performance, or entertainment (like the kind of 'program' you receive when you go the the circus or a ballgame)
- interlude
- a short dramatic piece, esp. of a light or farcical character, formerly introduced between the parts or acts of miracle and morality plays or given as part of other entertainments
- genteel
- high-class; well-bred; free from vulgarity, or lowness of taste or behavior
- farces
- a comedy which aims to entertain the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant situations, broad satire, and rediculous, stereotyped characters
- cajoling
- to urge with gentle and repeated appeals, teasing, or flattery; coax
- delusion
- a false belief or opinion
- portentous
- having forewarning properties of fear; something to be feared; indicating something is a bad omen
- inducements
- a considering factor which motives someone to perform a certain task
- conceits
- a favorable and especially unduly high opinion of one's own abilities or worth
Vocabulary from the book Moby Dick.
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