Crucible Vocab

dissemble

to conceal under a false appearance; disguise

ex: the devil is known to dissemble himself, but with Hale’s book, he is able to get rid of that disguise

providence

the care or benevolent guidance of God or nature; here, the meaning is more closely aligned with “godsend,” an unexpected but fortunate event.

ex: Putnam believes God has revealed the presence of witchcraft in Salem. Although the idea of witchcraft frightens Putnam, he is grateful that the witchcraft has been revealed while it is still possible to control it.

conjure

call upon (a spirit or ghost) to appear, by means of a magic ritual.

ex: Tituba conquers the spirits of Putnam’s children to discover why they died.

autocracy

a government in which one person has absolute power; dictatorship; despotism

ex: in Salem society, those that are religious are valued and have a good place in that society

beguile

to mislead by cheating or tricking; deceive

calumny

a false and malicious statement meant to hurt someone’s reputation

ex: Abigail throws calumnies at Tituba in order to save her own reputation

contemptuous

full of contempt; scornful; disdainful.

ex: the word describes Giles Corey's attempt to disrupt the court.

gull

to cheat or trick; dupe

covenant

a binding and solemn agreement to do or keep from doing a specified thing; compact; the promise made by God to humanity, as described in the Bible. Here, "covenanted" specifically refers to a person bound by God's law and scriptures.

ex: John Proctor is a married man and is bound to Elizabeth through their marriage promise or contract. According to God's law, Proctor and Elizabeth must remain faithful to one another. Of course, the entire premise of The Crucible is the result of Proctor's and Abigail's infidelity.

faction

a group of people inside a political party, club, government, and so on, working in a common cause against other such groups or against the main body; here, it refers to those resisting Reverend Parris.

ex: Proctor dislikes Parris and jokes that he would like to find and join the faction against him

inculcate

to impress upon the mind by frequent repetition or persistent urging.

ex: Abigail inculcates Tituba in order to get a charm made to kill Proctor’s wife

licentious

morally unrestrained, esp. in sexual activity; lascivious.

ex: Despite her uncle’s involvement in the church and her young age, Abigail is licentious towards John Proctor

parochial

 of or in a parish or parishes; restricted to a small area or scope; narrow; limited; provincial; here, referring to the narrow-mindedness of the inhabitants of Salem.

quail

to draw back in fear; lose heart or courage; cower.

rile

to anger; irritate

ex: No matter what she does, Rebecca always seems to rile Mrs. Putnam

slovenly

careless in appearance, habits, work, and so on; untidy; slipshod.

theocracy

a government by a person or persons claiming to rule with divine authority.

ex: a theocracy exists in Salem in that the religious leader and his beliefs are what the country lives on and no one questions it because his authority comes from God