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Vocab 17
arduous adj difficult and painful, usually suggests something that takes a long time to accomplish After an arduous climb through the mountains, we had to face the still more difficult path across the desert.
grafter n one who embezzles money entrusted to him or who "fixes" to books. Also one who accepts bribes to misuse his official power. Dante places the grafters in a lake of boiling pitch because, just as they found themselves stuck in the lies of their malicious bookkeeping on earth, so they find themselves stuck in tar for all eternity.
larder n a storehouse, especially for food--usually for one or two families, though, not provisions for a large group At the beginning of the winter, we filled our larder with huge amounts of non-perishable food; we were ready for any blizzard.
propitious adj looking especially good for the future, having a fortunate and optimistic sign The breeze was fresh, the sea was calm, and our sloop was ready to sail; it was a most propitious day for our first voyage.
ravenous adj extremely hungry, ready to devour anything After a full day of chopping wood, shoveling snow, and hunting yaks, I was positively ravenous for supper when I got back to the cabin.
repast n a meal, usually very satisfying Mother, I cannot thank you enough for that delicious repast; it fed both body and soul.
retrograde adj having a backwards motion, going against the established trend 1) When one is looking at the planets night after night, one cannot help but notice the retrograde motion of Mars; it starts across the sky and then seems to back up. 2) I'm observing a retrograde fashion trend among many of today's teens; they seem to be favoring clothing of the 60s again.
spleen n great anger or wrath, usually used in the phrase "vent one's spleen." adj. "splenetic" I don't care how angry your brother made you; don't vent your spleen on me. I had nothing to do with the altercation.
viscid adj very thick, gluey, and sticky When we were tarring the foundation of the house, we had to contend with the vilest and most viscid substance imaginable; we could hardly stir it, and it stuck to everything it touched.
wraith n a ghost or spirit, usually visible She was terrified by the sudden appearance of the dark wraith on the path through the woods; it appeared to be a man carrying his head under his arm.