Part 2 Vocabulary

Vocabulary: part 2

·         “All around me was the vomit of a dyspeptic ship.” (p.101)

o   Dyspeptic: Having indigestion or a consequent air of irritable bad temper.

·         “There was little looseness in the tarpaulin as the rope went from one hook on one side of the stem to the next hook on the other side.” (p.106)

o   Tarpaulin: Heavy-duty waterproof cloth, originally of tarred canvas.

·         “Then, with only a snarl for notice, the hyena went amok.” (p.125)

o   Amok: Behave uncontrollably and disruptively.

·         “...in a smooth-edged swath, only silently, in the way of tearing skin, and with greater resistance.” (p.125)

o   Swath: A broad strip or area.

·         “...the abomination of the moment was perfectly expressed.” (p.126)

o   Abomination: A cause of hatred or disgust.

·         “That is the plain empirical truth.” (p.130)

o   Empirical: Based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.

·         “Her fear was something useless that only hampered her.” (p.131)

o   Hampered: Hinder or impede the movement or progress of.

·         “...its hardness had an invigorating effect on me, as if I had just stepped on solid ground. (p.131)

o   Invigorating: Give strength or energy to.

·         “She was the seventh person killed by the marauder.” (p.132)

o   Marauder: Person who searches for things to steal and people to attack.

·         “But the shipping clerk at the Howrah train station was evidently a man both befuddled and diligent.” (p.133)

o   Befuddled: Muddled or confused.

·         “I thought of sustenance for the first time.” (p.134)

o   Sustenance: Food and drink regarded as sustaining life.

·         “...was a conundrum I would have to try to crack later, when I had more energy.”(p.134)

o   Conundrum: A confusing and difficult problem or question.

·         “But in the final set, when the challenger has nothing left to lose, he becomes relaxed again, insouciant, daring.” (p135)

o   Insouciant: Casually unconcerned.

·         “It was a heavy, solid construction designed for stolid floating, not for navigating...” (p.139)

o   Stolid: Calm, dependable, and showing little emotion or animation.

·         “I had my first, unambiguous, clear-headed glimpse of Richard Parker.” (p.140)

o   Unambiguous: Without ambiguity, or clarity.

Life of Pi Vocabulary

Part 1 Vocabulary

·         “Mine was the gangly, unathletic kid...” p.Vll).

o   Gangly: Tall, thin and awkward.

·         “I had come to the subcontinent completely unprepared”. (p.Vll).

o   Subcontinent: a large distinguishable part of a continent.

·         “They like words like bamboozle”. ( p.VII).

o   Bamboozle: Informal cheat or mystify.

·         “I felt I was in the presence of upside-down yogis deep in meditation...” (p.5).

o   Yogis: People who are proficient in yoga.

·         “Scientists are a friendly, atheistic, hard-working...” (p.5).

o   Atheistic: Disbelief in the existence of God or gods.

·         “I looked as if I had been grafted with a pair of elephant legs”. (p.7).

o   Grafted: An operation in which tissue is transplanted.

·         “...many are sexual deviants, either terribly repressed or subject to explosions of frenzied lasciviousness or openly depraved...” (p.13).

o   Lasciviousness: Feeling or revealing an overt sexual desire.

·         “What palace had such a menagerie?” (p.14).

o   Menagerie: A collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition.

·         “...the only assault there at that early hour was the bats discordant concerts of squeaking and chattering”. (p.14).

o   Discordant: Lacking harmony.

·         “...I might stop by the terraria to look at some shiny frogs...” (p.14).

o   Terraria: A vivarium for smaller land animals.

·         “...the senile, lecherous expression of a camel”. (p.15).

o   Lecherous: having or showing excessive or offensive sexual desire.

·         “...a quiet witness to the highly mannered, manifold expressions of life that grace our planet”. (p.15).

o   Manifold: Many and various.

·         “...or going for callisthenic runs to stay slim after overindulging”. (p.15).

o   Callisthenic: Gymnastic exercises to achieve bodily fitness and grace of 
       movement.

·         “...a brief mnemonic stare from the teacher”. (p.22).

o   Mnemonic: Aiding the memory.

·         “You heard what they said on the esplanade”. (p.73).

               Esplanade: A long, open, level area, typically beside the sea.