Sources for Vocabulary

A great source for vocabulary from To Kill a Mockingbird (in English) is:
Nancy Louise Rutherford's Student Survival Guide

(Most of the definitions in English below come from that source.)

Online English-English Dictionaries

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
(If you use this dictionary, you can hear the pronunciation of the word.)

Heinle’s Newbury House Dictionary of American English

MSN Encarta

Online English-English Encyclopedia

Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

This is especially valuable to the Historians. For example, you can learn about the Battle of Hastings at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hastings.

DEFINITION

日本語

ambled (vb.)

to walk at a slow, leisurely pace

apothecary (n.)

an early form of a pharmacist, apothecaries could also prescribe drugs

assuaged (vb.)

to assuage is to lessen or to calm. Therefore, if Jem’s fears about being able to play football were assuaged, it means that he no longer feared that he wouldn’t be able to play the sport

beadle (n.)

a minor city official, lower in rank than either a sheriff or a policeman, whose main duties revolve around preserving order at various civil functions such as trials and town hall meetings

brethren (n.)

in this case, members of a particular church or sect

corsets (n)

[See: http://www.waspcreations.com/discgal01.htm]

dictum (n.)

in this case, a formal statement of principle

domiciled (vb.)

A domicile is a house or a place where a person lives. If you are domiciled somewhere, that is where you live. The Finch family lived in the northern part of the county

eaves (n.)

the lower edges of a roof which usually project beyond the side of a building

foray (n.)

When you make a foray, you go somewhere or do something that is unusual or not normal for you. It was certainly not Jem’s usual behavior to go near the Radley house; thus, doing so was a foray for him.

human chattels (n.)

slaves

impotent (adj.)

powerless. Simon’s fury and anger regarding the Civil War would certainly have been impotent because there would have been nothing he could have done about it.

impudent (adj.)

To be impudent is to be shamelessly bold, as if you don’t care what anyone thinks about you. Since the Haverfords did something illegal in front of witnesses, Lee rightfully describes them as impudent.

malevolent (adj.)

evil

Methodists (n)

members of a branch of a Protestant Christian denomination.

nebulous (adj.)

not clear

picket (n)

a pointed or sharpened pole or stake. Many pickets held together can make a picket fence

piety (n)

devotion to religious duties and practices

predilection (n.)

a predilection is a preference, or a preferred way of doing something. Thus, the Radley’s preferred way of spending a Sunday afternoon was to keep the doors closed and not receive visitors

ramrod (adj.)

rigid, severe, straight

repertoire was vapid
(n. + adj.)

a repertoire is all the special skills a person has; vapid, in this case, means boring or uninteresting. So, when Scout says that their repertoire was vapid, she means that the games they had invented to pass the time had become old and had lost their interest.

scold (n.)

A scold is a person who scolds; that is, someone who often finds fault with people or things (and usually lets you know about it under no uncertain terms)

spittoon (n.)

a jarlike container to spit into; usually used to spit tobacco juice into.

strictures (n.)

conditions or rules

taciturn (adj.)

almost always silent. Apparently, Aunt Alexandra’s husband was a very quiet man.

unsullied (adj.)

something that is unsullied has been basically untouched or unused. The fact that Atticus’s edition of the Code of Alabama is unsullied would, in this case, indicate that he seldom consults this book.

veranda (n)

a portico or porch with a roof

auburn (adj.)

reddish-brown

catawba worms (n.)

Catawba worms are actually caterpillars that are highly prized by fishermen in the Southern United States.

condescended (vb.)

To condescend is to agree to do something that you believe to be beneath your dignity. Jem condescends to take Scout to school, even though, as a fifth-grader, he feels superior to his first-grade sister.

covey (n.)

a group

crimson (adj.)

blood-red

cunning (adj.)

In this case, cunning means attractive or cute – almost too cute.

entailment (n.)

a legal situation regarding the use of inherited property

hookworms (n.)

a type of parasite. Hookworms usually enter the body through bare feet and move through the body to the small intestines where they attach themselves with a series of hooks around their mouths.

immune (adj.)

In this case, to be immune to something means that it has no effect on you. The story Miss Caroline reads to the class has no effect on them; they don’t understand it.

impressionistic (adj.)

easily impressed

indigenous (adj.)

belonging to a particular region or country

scrip stamps (n.)

paper money of small denominations (less than $1.00) issued for temporary emergency use. During the Great Depression, many local and state government gave out scrip stamps, or sometimes tokens, to needy people.

seceded (vb.)

To secede is to break away. During the Civil War, Alabama was one of the states that broke away, or seceded from the Union.

smilax (n.)

a bright green twinning vine, often used for holiday decorations.

sojourn (n.)

a brief visit

subsequent mortification
(adj. + n.)

Something that is subsequent will follow closely after something else. Mortification is a feeling of shame or the loss of self respect. If Scout had been able to explain things to Miss Caroline, she could have prevented her teacher from losing self respect of feeling shameful later on.

vexations (n.)

To vex is to annoy, so a vexation is something that causes annoyance or problems.

wallowing illicitly (vb. + adv.)

In this case, to wallow is to indulge in something (usually an activity) with great enjoyment. Illicit, used like this, means unauthorized or improper. After listening to Miss Caroline, Scout feels that, by reading, she has been happily indulging in something which she should not have been doing.

amiable (adj.)

friendly

compromise (n.)

an agreement where each person agrees to give up something

contemptuous (adj.)

To be contemptuous is to have the feeling that someone or something is beneath you; that it or they are worthless. The Ewell boy obviously feels this way about his teacher, Miss Caroline

contentious (adj.)

always ready to argue or fight

cootie (n.)

a slang term for a head louse. A louse (plural: lice) is a bloodsucking parasite.

cordially (adv.)

in a polite, friendly way

cracklin’ bread (n.)

a type of cornbread mixed with cracklins (bits of fried pork skin).

diminutive (adj.)

smaller than ordinary

disapprobation (n.)

disapproval

discernible (adj.)

understandable

dispensation (n.)

a release from an obligation or promise. In this case, by offering friendship to Walter and promising that Scout won’t fight with him, Jem dispenses her threat to fight with him more

dose (of) magnesia (n. + n.)

A dose is an exact amount of medicine. Magnesia is a medicine used as a laxative and antacid.

eddy (n.)

a current of water that moves against the main current; a whirlpool

erratic (adj.)

irregular. Calpurnia usually uses good grammar, but when she is angry, her grammar is irregular

flinty (adj.)

Flint is a very hard rock. Something that is flinty is extremely hard, firm.

fractious (adj.)

mean or cross

gravely (adv.)

seriously

haint (n.)

a ghost or spook; someone or something very scary

iniquities (n.)

sins, wrongdoings

irked (v.)

to be irked is to be annoyed. Scout is annoyed when Jem tells Walter that she won’t fight with him (Walter) anymore

judiciously (adv.)

in a careful, appropriate way

kerosene (n.)

a thin oil. Kerosene is sometimes used as a solvent or cleaning agent, although its more common use is for fuel or lighting

lye soap (n.)

Lye is a very strong alkaline substance used for cleaning. Lye soap is very strong, harsh soap that contains lye

monosyllabic (adj.)

Mono means "one." A syllable is word or a part of a word which can be pronounced with a single, uninterrupted sound. The name "Atticus," for example, is made up of three syllables at + ti + cus. Thus, monosyllabic literally means "one sound." Scout’s monosyllabic replies to Atticus’s questions about her first day at school might have been made up of one-sound words like "yes" and "no."

mutual concessions (adj. + n.)

A concession is an agreement; something that is mutual is done by two or more people. Thus, a mutual concession occurs when two or more people agree on something

onslaught (n.)

a violent attack

persevere (v.)

to carry on in spite of difficulties

tranquility (n.)

peacefulness; serenity

arbitrated (v.)

settled peacefully through agreements on both sides

auspicious (adj.)

favorable

melancholy (adj.)

sad and gloomy

pestilence (n.)

a type of disaster that destroys crops

quelling (of) nausea
(v. + n.)

To quell something is to quiet or pacify it. Nausea is the feeling you get when your stomach is upset and you feel as if you’re about to vomit. Scout is trying to quell her nausea, or make her stomach settle down

scuppernongs (n.)

a sweet table grape, grown chiefly in the Southern United States.

asinine (adj.)

stupid; silly

benevolence (n.)

in this case, a generous or thoughtful gift

benign (adj.)

kind and gentle

bridgework (n.)

Unlike dentures, which replace the upper or lower sets of teeth, bridgework is made up of sections of replacement teeth that can be inserted and removed from one’s mouth

chameleon (adj.)

<http://www.skypoint.com/members/mikefry/calyp.html>

cordiality (n.)

sincere affection and kindness

edification (n.)

education; instruction

gaped (vb.)

To gape at someone is to stare at that person with your mouth open.

inquisitive (adj.)

questioning; prying

mimosa (n)

Also called a silk tree, a mimosa can be either a tree or a shrub.

morbid (adj.)

gruesome; horrible

placidly (adv.)

calmly; quietly

Protestant (adj.)

Protestant is the name applied to any number of Christian churches, such as Baptist, Methodist, and Lutheran.

pulpit Gospel (adj. + n.)

A pulpit is the raised platform or lectern from which a preacher speaks in church. The Gospel refers to the teachings of Jesus Christ, specifically the first four books of the New Testament. Scout says that her faith in what she’s heard about the teachings of Christ from the pulpit (preacher) in her own church has been shaken a bit.

quibbling (vb.)

a type of arguing where you avoid the main point by bringing up petty details

tacit (adj.)

An agreement, or, in this case, a "treaty" that is tacit is one that has been silently agreed upon. Thus, the children know that they can play on Miss Maudie’s front lawn even though she never directly told them that it was all right to do so