1000 Splendid Suns: VOCAB PART 2

minaret

a slender tower with balconies, especially on a mosque

myriad

a large indefinite number

nepotism

favoritism sown to relatives or friends by those in power

niche

a small concavity

ochre

any of various earths containing silica & alumina & ferric oxidee; used as a pigment

perfunctory

hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough

Ramadan

the 9th month of the Islamic calendar

recluse

one who lives in solitude

rueful

feeling or expressing pain or sorrow for sins or offenses

scrutiny

the act of examining something closely, as for mistakes

shaheed

arabic term for a holy martyr

splay

widen or spread apart

squalor

sordid dirtiness

suffuse

cause to spread or flush or flood through, over, or across

ubiquitous

being present everywhere at once

urbane

showing a high degree of refinement

vigil

a purposeful surveillance to guard or observe

vindication

the act of defending against criticism or censure

waylay

wait in hiding to attack

woebegone

affected by or full of grief