Summer of Night — Whole-Book Visual Vocabulary: Definitions

dim

not bright; giving off or receiving little light

darkened

made or become darker

shadows

dark areas made when something blocks light

darkness

the absence or near-absence of light

black clouds

Heavy, almost-black storm clouds covering the sky above a flat rural landscape.

sickly

unhealthy-looking; often pale, yellowish, or weak in appearance

sulfur-yellow

a strong yellow color like sulfur

yellowish light

A room lit by an old lamp that casts a warm but slightly dirty yellow light.

sepia

a warm brown color, like old photographs

shafts of sunlight

narrow beams or columns of sunlight

glow

a steady, soft light

phosphorescent

giving off light after absorbing energy, even when the original light is gone

blue-green glow

A faint blue-green light glowing along a dark stone corridor.

stained-glass windows

A detailed stained-glass window casting patches of red, blue, gold, and green light onto a floor.

fireflies

Refers to tiny yellow-green fireflies blinking above grass on a summer night.

lightning bugs

Refers to small glowing insects hovering over a dark summer field.

lightning

Refers to a bright white lightning bolt splitting storm clouds over open farmland.

heat lightning

A distant summer storm illuminating the horizon with silent, diffuse flashes.

translucent

letting some light through, but not allowing a clear view through it

verdigris

a green or blue-green coating that forms on weathered copper or bronze

mahogany

a reddish-brown hardwood

bronze

a brownish metal alloy, usually made mainly of copper and tin

copper

a reddish-brown metal

tan

Refers to a set of natural tan-colored materials under neutral daylight.

gray

Refers to a neutral gray stone surface with subtle variations in tone.

brown

Refers to a close-up arrangement of natural brown wood, soil, and fabric.

green

Refers to natural green leaves and grass in clear daylight.

pale

Refers to a softly lit pale surface with very little saturation, shown in neutral light.

colorless

Refers to a clear glass object and transparent water against a plain background.

freckles

small spots of pigment on the skin

bruised

marked by discoloration from an injury; also used for colors resembling a bruise

oversized

larger than the usual or expected size

massive

very large, heavy, and solid

huge

A huge object occupying most of the frame, with a person-sized reference for scale.

enormous

extremely large

tall

A tall narrow structure photographed from below, with its top visible against the sky.

narrow

A very narrow passage between two close walls, viewed straight ahead.

wide

A broad, wide-open room with plenty of visible floor space.

long

A long hallway receding toward a distant doorway.

thick

A close-up of a thick stone wall showing its depth at a doorway.

round

A perfectly round object centered against a plain background.

oval

An oval object photographed from above against a neutral background.

fat

A short, broad, rounded object with a clearly chunky shape.

twelve-foot-tall

A wall or doorway about twelve feet high, with an adult standing nearby for scale.

fourteen feet

A fourteen-foot measurement visualized beside a wall, with a person for scale.

low-ceilinged

having a ceiling that is low above the floor

moonfaced

having a large, round face

steep-pitched roof

a roof with sharply sloping sides

hipped roof

a roof whose slopes descend on all four sides

gabled

having a roof that forms a triangular end wall, called a gable

dormers

roofed structures that project from a sloping roof and usually contain a window

belfry

the part of a tower or building where bells are hung

volutes

spiral or scroll-shaped ornaments

scrollworks

decorative designs made of curling, scroll-like shapes

arches

Refers to a stone doorway with a smooth curved arch over the opening.

Romanesque arches

rounded arches characteristic of Romanesque architecture

eaves

the lower edges of a roof that extend beyond the walls

mezzanine

an intermediate floor or balcony between a building's main floors

ornate

highly decorated, with many details

elms

large deciduous trees with serrated leaves and spreading branches

warped

bent or twisted out of the original shape

distorted

changed from the normal shape or appearance

battered

damaged by repeated blows, weather, or hard use

worn

showing damage or smoothness from age or use

carved

shaped by cutting material away

smooth

even and free from bumps or roughness

rough

uneven or coarse to the touch or sight

torn

ripped apart or split

ragged

rough-edged, uneven, or worn into tatters

tattered

old and torn, with ragged edges

cracked

split or marked by narrow breaks

worn stairs

Refers to old wooden stairs with dips worn into the center of each tread.

ruts

long grooves worn or pressed into the ground by wheels

crumbling plaster

Refers to an old interior wall with broken plaster falling away in chunks.

lathing

thin strips of wood or other material attached to a wall or ceiling to support plaster

plaster dust

fine powder released when plaster breaks or crumbles

cobwebs

webs made by spiders, especially old, dusty ones

moldy

covered with or smelling of mold

rotten

decayed through the action of bacteria, fungi, or age

decayed

broken down or damaged by decomposition

scabrous

rough, scaly, or covered with scabs

gnarled

knotted, twisted, and rough, often describing old wood or hands

calcified

hardened by deposits of calcium salts

skeletal

very thin or resembling a skeleton

ribbed

marked with raised parallel ridges

waxy

having the look or feel of wax; smooth and slightly dull or shiny

glossy

shiny and reflective

slick

smooth and slippery, often from moisture or oil

muddy

Refers to thick wet mud with footprints and shallow puddles.

loam

fertile soil made from a balanced mixture of sand, silt, and clay

soil

the upper layer of earth in which plants grow

above

A simple visual of one object positioned directly above another.

beneath

A low viewpoint showing the space directly underneath a wooden platform.

beyond

A path leading past a foreground fence toward a distant field.

along

A long fence or road extending through the frame from foreground to distance.

across

A person crossing an open field from one side to the other, viewed from far away.

behind

A tree partly hiding a small shed behind it.

crouched

bent low with the body close to the ground

crouching

lowering the body by bending the knees and leaning forward

peering

looking closely or with difficulty