The Great Gatsby Vocabulary (Chapters 1-3)

reserved

adj. - formal or self-restrained in manner and relationship; avoiding familiarity or intimacy with others: a quiet, reserved man.

privy

adj. - participating in the knowledge of something private or secret (usually fol. by to): Many persons were privy to the plot.

feign

verb – to make believe; pretend

levity

noun - a manner lacking seriousness

mar

verb – to damage, ruin, deface

abortive

adj. - partially or imperfectly developed; vain

elation

noun - a feeling or state of great joy or pride; exultant gladness; high spirits

confer

verb – 1. to bestow upon as a gift, favor, honor;

2. to consult together

acute

adj. – sharp; intense

savor

verb – to taste or smell

reproach

noun – an object of scorn or contempt

wistfully/wistful

adv/adj – full of wishful yearning or longing, often with sadness

supercilious

adj. – having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy; cocky

effeminate

adj. – having traits, tastes or habits traditionally considered feminine

pungent

adj. – sharply affecting the organs of taste or smell

buoy

verb – to float or rise by reason of lightness

divan

noun – sofa or couch, usually without arms or a back

compulsion

noun – a strong, usually irresistible impulse to perform an act, esp. one that is

irrational or contrary to one's will

deft

adj. – quick and skillful

retort

verb – to reply to, usually in a sharp or retaliatory way

incredulously/incredulous

adv/adj – skeptical; disbelieving

reciprocal

adj. – given or felt by each toward the other; mutual

contemptuously/contemptuous

adv/adj – showing or feeling disapproval or disdain toward something a person considers mean, vile, or worthless; scornful

languidly/languid

adv./adj. – lacking energy or vitality; weak

unobtrusively/unobtrusive

adv./adj. – Not undesirably noticeable or obvious

claret

noun – the red table wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France

fervent

adj. – having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm

infinitesimal

adj. – immeasurably small; less than an assignable quantity

vigil

noun - a devotional watching, or keeping awake, during the customary hours of sleep

settee

noun – a seat for two or more persons, having a back and arms

cynical

adj. – distrusting, criticizing, or mocking the motives of others; pessimistic; glass is half empty mentality

rotogravure

noun – a print made by a photomechanical process using a copper cylinder

corroborate

verb - to make more certain; confirm

libel

noun - a false publication, as in writing, print, signs, or pictures, that damages a person's reputation

banns

noun – any public announcement of a proposed marriage

intimation/intimate

noun/verb - an indirect suggestion; a slight suggestion or vague understanding

grotesque

adj. - fantastically ugly or absurd; bizarre

impenetrable

adj. - dense; cannot be pierced, entered, etc.

wag

noun - witty person who likes to make jokes;

borough

noun - a district or area, especially in New York City where the city is divided.

solemn

adj. - formal; serious; sober; lacking humor or happiness

proprietor

noun - property owner; business manager

anemic

adj. - weak; lacking power, vigor, vitality; wishy-washy

facet

noun - aspect, feature

perceptible

adj. - noticeable; recognizable

vitality

noun - liveliness; energy (physical and/or mental); spirit; vigor

smoldering

adj. - burning

discreet

adj. - marked by caution, prudence, or modesty and wise self-restraint; subtle

defer

verb - to yield respectfully in judgment or opinion to another

muslin

noun - delicately woven cotton fabric

indeterminate

adj. - indefinite, uncertain; not clear

haughty

adj. - snooty; arrogant

countenance

noun - appearance, especially the face

rakish

adj. - Dashingly or sportingly stylish

incessant

adj. - never-ending; ceaseless

innumerable

adj. - countless; very numerous

immoderately

adv. - without restraint; excessive; extreme

shrill

adj. - high-pitched

hauteur

noun - pride, arrogance; cockiness

haughty

adj. – cocky, snobby

mincing

adj. - dainty, elegant

disdain

verb – to despise or scorn; noun – haughty contempt, extreme dislike; scorn

shiftless

adj. - lazy, without ambition

flounce

to go with impatient or impetuous, exaggerated movements

kike/kyke

noun - offensive slang for a Jewish person

strident

adj. - loud, harsh, grating, or shrill

wave

noun - women’s hairdo from the 1920s that created waves in the hair

omnibus

noun - a bus or long motor vehicle

fortnight

noun - fourteen nights--two weeks

harlequin

adjective - fancy variation in color

cordials

noun - liqueurs or tonics

Castile

noun - allusion to former kingdom of Spain

permeate

verb – to fill up, seep into; to saturate

innuendo

noun - an indirect hint or suggestion about a person or thing, especially of an insulting or an offensive nature

prodigality

noun - extravagant wastefulness

erroneous

adjective - incorrect; wrong

eddies

plural noun - a current moving in the opposite direction of the main current

vehement/vehemently

adjective/adverb - strongly passionate or emotion; often with anger

cordial

adjective - friendly; warm

homogeneity

noun - uniformity; being similar

staid

adjective – 1) serious; straight-laced; 2) permanent; fixed

spectroscopic

adjective - full spectrum of color and light

veranda

noun - a porch or balcony

Gothic

adjective - literature genre known for gloom, darkness, and the supernatural

ascertain

verb - to determine; to make certain or clear

contralto

noun - lowest female vocal range in opera

vacuous

adjective – empty; lacking ideas or intelligence; stupid

florid

adj. – 1) a healthy reddish color—as in cheeks; 2) elaborately ornate

corpulent

adjective - plump; large or bulky in body

echolalia

noun – immediate, uncontrollable repetition of words spoken by others

jauntiness/jaunty

noun/adjective - perky; confident; carefree

obstetrical

adjective - relating to childbirth

implore

verb - to beg urgently

ineptly/inept

adverb/adjective - lacking skill; awkward; clumsy

vinous

adjective - relating to wine

asunder

adverb - separated into pieces; apart from each other

dissension

noun - disagreement; difference of opinion

deplorable/deplorably

adjective/adverb - causing grief, regret, or disapproval

indignant

adjective - angry; annoyed

malevolence

noun - a desire to harm others; evil