THE PEARL by John Steinbeck

VOCABULARY                   

Chapter 1                           

pulque: traditional Mexican alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey plant.

bougainvillea:     a flowering plant

alms: charity, donations

indigene:native person; indigenous person

suppliant: full of prayer; begging, pleading

avarice: excessive greed

indigent: poor, needy

Chapter 2

estuary: inlet, mouth of the river where it meets the ocean

mirage: illusion, false image

bulwark: embankment

poultice: compress for medical purposes

hummock: mound, hill

bow: front of a boat

stern: rear of a boat

mangroves: trees or shrubs that grow in coastal/tropical areas

Chapter 3

distillate: condensation, concentrated

subjugation: suppression

Chapter 4                                               

countenanced: allowed, tolerated

graft: implant

dignity: self-respect

rampart: fortification; protection

stalwart: strong

collusion: secret agreement; conspiracy

lethargy:weariness; fatigue   

Chapter 5

leprosy: a disease that causes skin lesions; it can cause damage to skin, nerves and eyes; leprosy has long held a strong social stigma.

Chapter 6

cleft: indent

escarpment: cliff

freshets: freshwater stream

petulant:  grumpy

threshed: flailed; thrashed